Top Five Greatest World Cup Upsets

1. The Miracle of Bern(West Germany 3-2 Hungary)(1954, Switzerland)
It seems strange having a final as one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, but the Hungarian team of that time was one of the greatest teams ever assembled by a country. The Hungarians known as the "Magical Magyars", were undefeated in 31 games till then and they had literally destroyed all the teams in their way to the final, which included the likes of Brazil, Uruguay. 

West Germany, a team of amateur footballers still coming to terms with the political and economic aftermath of World War Two, had met Hungary in the group stages, with Hungary smashing the Germans 8-3. Yet somehow West Germany managed to hang on and record a famous comeback 3-2 win after trailing early by 2-0.

2. Italy 0-1 North Korea (1966, England)
Pak Do-Ik entered World Cup folklore by scoring the only goal of the match to secure the mysterious national team of a secretive, Stalinist nation an incredible 1-0 victory over Italy in the group stage in their debut tournament. The North Koreans made it to the Quarter Finals and were 3-0 up at one time against Portugal on their way to another surprise but their fairytale ended when they succumbed to a 5-3 defeat against the great Eusebio-inspired team.

3. Maracanazo(Brazil 1-2 Uruguay)(1950, Brazil)
Brazil were so sure they would win the 1950 World Cup on home soil that some early editions of the South Americans’ domestic newspapers hit the streets declaring victory after halftime.
After all, the hosts were leading 1-0 against Uruguay in a round-robin match that would determine the title. But a second-half comeback saw Uruguay win 2-1 in front of nearly 200,000 fans and dash the hopes of the Brazilians.

4. Cameroon 1-0 Argentina (1990, Italy) and Senegal 1-0 France (2002, Japan-S.Korea)
Argentina were the defending World Champions and France were the defending World and European champions. However this id not prevent the Cameroonians and the debutant Senegalese team to create two the biggest upsets of the World Cup history. Both the team went on to reach the Quarter Finals and enter into the World Cup folklore.

5. South Korea’s march to the semi-finals (2002, Japan-S.Korea)
Not much was expected from co-hosts South Korea at the 2002 World Cup. However, they were being coached by the brilliant Guus Hiddink and his players lit up the tournament on their way to the semifinals. But it was not that they had an easy path. Buoyed by the terrific home support, they defeated some of the high profile teams in the World on their way to the semis, which included Portugal in the group stage, Italy in the pre-quarters and Spain in the Quarters.

Other Notable Mentions:
East Germany 1 West Germany 0 (1974, West Germany)
Algeria 2 West Germany 1 (1982, Spain)
United States 1 England 0 (1950, Brazil)
Bulgaria’s reach the semi-finals (1994, USA)
Spain 0 Northern Ireland 1 (1982, Spain)