World Cup and the paradox of shock

World Cup needs shocks

The World Cup is always attractive with shocks, when underdog teams create surprises. Like the 2026 World Cup, Cabo Verde for the first time drew 0-0 with Spain, and Belgium was divided 0-0 by Iran even though the opponent has been present at the World Cup 7 times.

Looking back at the past, since the World Cup in the US 32 years ago, the group stage has also been full of shocks that people have had to mention and remember for many years. That year, Bulgaria won against Argentina 2-0, Republic of Ireland won against Italy 1-0, Belgium won against the Netherlands 1-0 and Saudi Arabia won against Belgium 1-0.

At the 1998 World Cup, Norway beat Brazil 2-1, Nigeria beat Spain 3-2 and Bulgaria 1-0, Romania beat England 2-1. Then in Asia 4 years later, France - the defending champion at that time, experienced a disastrous summer when they lost to Senegal 0-1, lost to Denmark 0-2. Portugal was in a similar situation with 2 defeats to the USA (2-3), South Korea (0-1). Then Italy lost to Croatia 1-2 and England beat Argentina 1-0 was also a shock at that time.

2006 did not have many shocks in the group stage with big names, but there were surprises based on the rankings between teams. 2010 was another unforgettable World Cup for France, when they lost to Mexico (0-2), South Africa (1-2), then Slovakia won against Italy 3-2, Switzerland won against Spain 1-0.

2014 is remembered for the 1-5 defeat of defending champion Spain against the Netherlands, losing to Chile 0-2, then the Netherlands lost to Chile 0-2 or Italy lost to Costa Rica 0-1. 4 years later, Argentina lost 0-3 to Croatia, Germany lost to Mexico 0-1, lost to South Korea 0-2 and was eliminated early. 2022 opened with Saudi Arabia's victory over Argentina (2-1), France lost to Tunisia 0-1, Germany and Spain both lost to Japan with a score of 1-2, Cameroon won Brazil 1-0 and South Korea won Portugal 3-2.

But the psychology wants to watch the great war

It is not an exaggeration to say that those matches are a quality spice for every World Cup. But answer the question: How far do you want underdog teams to go? At this 2026 World Cup, Cabo Verde has captivated fans, Australia, DRC Congo, Bosnia & Herzegovina... making the tournament richer in emotions. Passing the group stage helps them write a new page in the history of their country's sports and win the hearts of millions of new fans.

The knockout format rarely lacks top-notch drama and everything will be even more wonderful when the "tiny guy" defeats the "giant". Or at least to a certain limit. However, at this time, it is easy to see that we fall into a psychological paradox. That is, although we like shocks, we often don't want to see underdog teams go too far. A dilemma of tournaments. Because, unexpected victories bring moments of enjoyment that can reduce the attractiveness of the final rounds of the tournament. Anyway, at the World Cup and major tournaments, fans still want to see the "big guys" fight each other.

To put it simply, if the shocks in the group stage may not have caused too great consequences (because big teams can still rebuild), then surprises in the knockout round will affect the rest of the journey. People often aim for heavyweight matches in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Even more desired is the final. But at this time, when Germany is eliminated, the Netherlands is also eliminated (even though the opponent Morocco is still 1 place above them), meaning they have lost the potential match between Germany and France in the round of 16, or the possibility of the Netherlands challenging 1 of the 2 teams in the quarter-finals...

This does not mean underestimating other opponents, but psychology always has a paradox to split your own thoughts in half. That's what's interesting.