1. North Korea (2010)
IN FAIRNESS TO North Korea, they did give Brazil a half-decent game, keeping the score at 0-0 until the 55th minute and ultimately losing just 2-1. However, their other matches were far more ignominious, as they lost 3-0 to Ivory Coast and 7-0 to Portugal.
The powers that be in the country didn’t take the embarrassment well, as reports emerged suggesting the manager had to work on a building site as a result, while the players were subjected to six hours of public criticism.
2. El Salvador (1982)
Two of El Salvador’s World Cup games were actually relatively respectable by their standards. They lost 1-0 to Belgium and 2-0 against Argentina. However, it’s the 10-1 loss to Hungary — a World Cup record that will surely never be broken — which makes them stand out as one of the worst World Cup teams ever.
It was hardly a surprise however, given their chaotic preparation — they only arrived three days before the tournament after a lengthy journey, and there were no balls available at their training ground, prompting them to have to borrow some off the Hungarians.
3. Zaire (1974)
Zaire were beaten 2-0 by Scotland, 3-0 by Brazil and most embarrassingly of all, 9-0 by Yugoslavia.
Their campaign was marred by political interference, and officials threatened not to let them home if they lost their final game against Brazil by four goals or more, prompting one of the most infamous moments in World Cup history near the end of the game.
4. Greece (1994)
Paired in an admittedly tough group against Argentina, Nigeria and Bulgaria, Greece put in a tame performance, losing all three games and failing to score a single goal, while losing their games by a combined score of 10-0. Alketas Panagoulias was generally perceived to be at fault for this disaster, opting to pick veteran players, supposedly for sentimental reasons, rather than a more talented group of youngsters that were available.
Who would have predicted that they’d be European Champions just 10 years later.
5. United Arab Emirates (1990)
Managed by Carlos Alberto Parreira, who would guide Brazil to glory four years later, the UAE were, to put it mildly, a million miles away from the likes of Bebeto, Dunga and Romario.
They put in a somewhat respectable performance in their opener, losing 2-0 to Colombia, before being routed 5-1 and 4-1 by West Germany and Yugoslavia respectively. Their disastrous showing was hardly a surprise — all their players at the time played in the domestic league, while it unsurprisingly remains the first and only occasion that they’ve qualified for the tournament.
6. Bolivia (1930)
Most of the early World Cups facilitated a swift exit for the poorer sides, with certain teams getting to play as little as one game before elimination. It can thus be tough to judge a side who spend so short a time at the tournament, and consequently few of the earliest examples of whipping boys feature on our list.
However, Bolivia are one notable exception. They played just two games and lost both 4-0 playing against Yugoslavia and Brazil respectively. Their haplessness is summed up by the fact that the team are missing a ‘u’ in the above pic.
7. South Korea (1954)
Another side whose stay in the competition was as brief as it was memorable (for the wrong reasons). South Korea lost 9-0 to Hungary, before suffering the marginally less embarrassing defeat of 7-0 to Turkey.
One of the players wore glasses while playing, epitomising the tame manner of their displays in the process.
8. Saudi Arabia (2002)
Unlike their relatively impressive 1994 counterparts, the Saudi Arabia side of 2002 were clearly out of their depth. The first match was the most dispiriting of all, as they were thrashed 8-0 by Germany, before their campaign ended with a whimper in the form of further losses to Cameroon (1-0) and Ireland (3-0).
In the past 30 years of World Cup action, no side has conceded more goals in the group stages.
9. Costa Rica (2006)
Togo could just as easily have been chosen for 2006 given that, like the Costa Ricans, they failed to earn a single point in the entire tournament.
They gave a decent account of themselves in the first game though, only losing 4-2 against hosts Germany. However, the opener clearly broke their spirit, as they were subsequently beaten 3-0 by Ecuador and 2-1 by Poland.
