The world’s most-watched sporting event gets underway in just under eight days as the FIFA World Cup returns. What started as a tournament featuring just 13 teams in 1930 has grown into a global festival of football, with 48 nations set to take part this year. Ahead of kick-off, we look back at five unforgettable moments from the last five World Cups.
Germany 2006
We begin in 2006 in Germany, and one thing that nobody will probably ever forget is Zinedine Zidane’s crazy headbutt.
It was the final game of his career. He was hoping to bow out with the World Cup trophy in his hands, but things did not quite go to plan.
France, who are favourites in the 2026 World Cup betting odds, would go on to lose on penalties, while Zidane was sent off after headbutting Marco Materazzi following an alleged insult towards his sister.
The red card stunned the entire world. It was one of the biggest moments of the tournament and, in many ways, overshadowed everything else that happened in Germany that summer.
South Africa 2010
2010 was special for many reasons. The football, the atmosphere, the vuvuzelas and, of course, the first World Cup held on African soil.
Leading the charge for Africa was Ghana.
After beating the United States after extra time in the round of 16, they set up a quarter-final tie with Uruguay in what would become one of the most talked-about games in World Cup history.
Ghana took the lead through Sulley Muntari right on the stroke of half-time before Diego Forlán pulled things level for Uruguay.
However, the moment everyone remembers came right at the end.
With Ghana just seconds away from reaching the semi-finals, Luis Suárez denied a certain goal by saving the ball with his hands on the line.
Of course, he was sent off, and Ghana were awarded a penalty.
Asamoah Gyan had the chance to send Ghana into the next round and make history.
What happened next stunned everyone.
Gyan smashed the penalty against the crossbar. The match would then be settled by a penalty shootout. Ironically, Gyan scored his penalty in the shootout, but it was not enough. Uruguay won 4-2 and progressed to the semi-finals.
As the winning penalty went in, Suárez ran onto the pitch celebrating like a hero.
For Ghana, it was heartbreak. For Uruguay, it was one of the greatest moments in modern history.
It was a shocking moment and one that split opinion around the world. Many felt sorry for Ghana, but many also argued that most players in Suárez’s position would have done exactly the same thing. In Uruguay, he was deemed a hero.
2014 had plenty of memorable moments, but when it comes to shocks, there is only one winner.
The hosts, Brazil, suffered a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of eventual champions Germany in the semi-finals.
Brazil had not exactly cruised their way through the tournament. They opened with a 3-1 victory over Croatia in São Paulo before being held to a 0-0 draw by Mexico at the Estádio Castelão. A 4-1 win over Cameroon secured their place in the knockout stages.
In the round of 16, they edged past fellow South American side Chile on penalties before setting up another all-South American clash against Colombia.
Brazil won 2-1 thanks to goals from centre-backs Thiago Silva and David Luiz. James Rodríguez pulled one back for Colombia, but it was not enough.
However, that game came at a cost.
Neymar suffered a fractured vertebra and was stretchered off. Suddenly, Brazil’s hopes of winning the World Cup looked to be hanging by a thread.
Then came Germany. The Germans were ruthless.
Brazil simply could not cope with the intensity, the pressing, and the movement. Germany’s high press overwhelmed them, and before anyone knew it, the game was over.
Thomas Müller, Miroslav Klose, Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira helped Germany race into a 5-0 lead by half-time. It was astonishing.
Even some of the German players later admitted they had to take their foot off the gas because of how embarrassing the situation had become for Brazil.
Germany added two more goals through André Schürrle in the second half before Oscar scored what was probably one of the most pointless consolation goals in World Cup history.
The final score read 7-1.
In Belo Horizonte, at the Estádio Mineirão, Brazil had suffered one of the greatest humiliations football has ever seen.
It remains one of the most shocking results in World Cup history.
Russia 2018
Four years on from their 7-1 demolition of Brazil and World Cup triumph, Germany arrived in Russia as defending champions. They had been handed what many believed was a favourable group containing Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.
However, things quickly unravelled.
There was already a bit of a trend at the time. Italy had gone out in the group stage in 2010 after winning the previous World Cup, while Spain suffered the same fate in 2014.
Germany would be next.
Their campaign began with a shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico, with Hirving Lozano’s goal proving enough to give the Mexicans all three points.
Germany then took on Sweden in a game they simply had to win.
Nils Toivonen gave Sweden the lead before Marco Reus pulled Germany level. It looked like the Germans were about to make life incredibly difficult for themselves, but Toni Kroos produced a moment of magic in stoppage time with a stunning free-kick to keep their hopes alive.
It proved to be only a temporary reprieve.
Heading into the final round of games, Germany still had work to do.
Sweden beat Mexico, while Germany suffered a stunning 2-0 defeat to South Korea.
What made it even more dramatic was the way it happened.
Kim Young-gwon opened the scoring deep into stoppage time before Son Heung-min made it 2-0 moments later after Manuel Neuer had been caught miles out of his goal trying to help Germany find an equaliser.
The final whistle confirmed the unthinkable.
Germany were out.
For the first time in their history, Germany had been eliminated in the group stage of a World Cup.
It was one of the biggest shocks of the 2018 tournament.
Qatar 2022
We now move on to the most recent World Cup in 2022, which, to begin with, was a shock in itself due to the fact it was played during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere
However, that did not stop it from being an exciting watch and a fantastic tournament.
The biggest shock of the competition came in the group stage.
One of the favourites for the tournament, Argentina, took on Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium.
Argentina were expected to dominate the match, and things started perfectly when Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
However, moments after the restart, everything changed.
Saleh Al-Shehri pulled Saudi Arabia level before Salem Aldawsari produced an absolutely stunning strike to fire Saudi Arabia into a 2-1 lead.
From there, they held on.
The final whistle sparked wild celebrations, and Saudi Arabia had secured one of the most famous victories in World Cup history.
Despite the loss, Argentina went on to win the World Cup.
After the defeat, they responded with two 2-0 victories over Mexico and Poland to progress from the group stage.
In the knockout rounds, they saw off Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia before defeating France in an epic final on penalties.
Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the trophy that had eluded him throughout his career, while Argentina claimed a third World Cup title in one of the greatest finals the competition has ever seen.