Cameroon shock, France flop top World Cup opening games ranking | OneFootball

Two iconic clashes, both huge shocks, top the ranking of World Cup openers as the kick off for 2026 finals approaches…

Mexico and South Africa will get the 23rd World Cup finals underway on Thursday in Mexico City. We can only hope it is a more exciting opener than the last one in North America…

Here is our ranking of the nine opening games since Italia 90…

9) 1994 Germany 1-0 Bolivia

The most forgettable opener, evidenced by the fact we had entirely forgotten it. And so had you.

Germany eventually triumphed with Jurgen Klinsmann rolling the ball into an empty net after the Bolivia keeper slipped while wandering 30 yards from his goal.

Still, even if it was an all-time classic in Chicago, it would still have been overshadowed by this…

8) 2022 – Qatar 0-2 Ecuador

Much to the amusement of many outside Qatar, the 2022 hosts become the first host nation to lose their opening game. And they were lucky Ecuador stopped at two.

Qatar were given a reprieve when VAR spotted an offside to deny Enner Valencia an early headed opener, but they failed to heed their warning. Valencia did get off the mark from the spot, then he headed in a second before half-time.

Plenty at home were relishing a humping for the controversial hosts, as were many in the stadium judging from the number of empty seats after the break. But Ecuador took their foot off the gas and cruised through the second period while Qatar, who had been in camp for six months, failed to muster a shot on target.

7) 2018 – Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia

After hearing from Vladimir Putin, Gianni Infantino and Robbie Williams – some axis of evil, that – 78,000 watched hosts Russia rip the Saudis apart, despite going into the opener three places below them in the FIFA rankings.

Russia hadn’t won in seven games before the tournament opener, prompting some barbed comments from Putin. Which, perhaps not surprisingly, served as the kick up the arse Stanislav Cherchesov’s men required.

It helped that Saudi looked woefully undercooked and appeared to be falling out with each other almost from the start. And two goals in added time made it the biggest win by the host nation in the opening game of a World Cup since 1934.

6) 2010 – South Africa 1-1 Mexico

A delirious atmosphere in Johannesburg witnessed ‘a goal for all of Africa’ when Siphiwe Tshabalala put the hosts ahead against Mexico.

To say it was against the run of play would be an understatement, but South Africa almost held on, only denied a famous victory by Rafael Marquez 12 minutes from time.

While many neutrals beforehand might have willed the hosts to keep out Mexico, Marquez’s goal at least offered some respite from the God-awful vuvuzelas.

5) 1998 – Brazil 2-1 Scotland

So Scotland, this…

The Brave Scots were level pegging with Brazil, featuring Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Bebeto and Roberto Carlos, after John Collins’ penalty cancelled out Cesar Sampaio’s early opener.

But they eventually succumbed to the jammiest of all opening-game goals, Cafu’s effort saved by Jim Leighton before hitting Tom Boyd on the chest and rolling over the line. For celebrating that with a somersault, Cafu ought to have been at least cautioned.

Brazil were to return to Paris for the final, when they were beaten by this lot.

4) 2014 – Brazil 3-1 Croatia

Perhaps as a sign of the shambolic way it was to end, Brazil’s World Cup as hosts began with an early own-goal from Marcelo to trail to Croatia.

Neymar’s leveller was a fine goal, but his second on which the game turned was a very dubious penalty. And even then, the Croatia keeper ought to have kept it out.

Oscar’s late 20-yard toe-poke added a flourish to the scoreline but Brazil looked shaky.

3) 2006 – Germany 4-2 Costa Rica

In the first opening match that featured a host rather than the reigning champions, Germany triumphed in the highest-scoring opener ever.

Miroslav Klose’s brace and super strikes from Philip Lahm and Torsten Frings made for a party atmosphere in Munich, even if Paulo Wanchope’s double highlighted some statuesque defending.

Had there been a better goal in an opener than Torsten Frings’ thunderb*stard?

2) 2002 France 0-1 Senegal

One of two huge upsets on this list, 1998 World Cup winners France were humbled by The Wardrobe.

Papa Bouba Diop scored the only goal for Senegal after half an hour while France faffed and flailed.

It got no better for the French. A squad featuring Zidane, Henry, Djorkaeff, Dugarry and Trezeguet finished bottom of their group and left Japan and South Korea without scoring a single goal.

1) 1990 – Argentina 0-1 Cameroon

Not only the most iconic opener, but perhaps the greatest upset in World Cup history. And the game that made many fall for the Indomitable Lions after they defeated Diego Maradona’s Argentina despite finishing with nine men at the San Siro.

A great game, perhaps not, but one memorable for its moments. The main two: Francois Omam-Biyik’s goal halfway through the second half, a header from a towering leap that Argentina goalkeeper Nery Pumpido seemed allergic to; and Benjamin Massing’s red card late on.

Cameroon were already down to 10 and two of Massing’s team-mates had tried to stop Claudio Caniggia by foul means. The Argentina striker just about made it through the first two challenges, stumbling as if from a car crash by the time he met Massing, who thundered through Canniggia with such force his boot was sent into orbit with his opponent.

Don’t assume, though, that Cameroon simply kicked Argentina off the park. They did, but there was more to a deserved win that that. They kept Maradona quiet and took the game to the holders to put Cameroon forever on the World Cup map.