This Can't Be Happening Quiz | Wide World of Sports

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the third tournament in a row in which a surprising event took place, involving the reigning champions. What was it?

Answer: They failed to get through the group stage

People jokingly started to talk about the curse of the FIFA champions when Germany got eliminated in the group stage in 2018, after winning 2014's cup with an impressive performance and thus being the favorites to win it again. Before the Germans, the same thing happened to Spain (2010 champions, eliminated in 2014 in the first round) and Italy (2006 champions, 2010 elimination).

If it wasn't for Brazil in 2006, the curse would have gone back to the start of the 21st century, since France, champions in 1998, suffered the same fate as the three above in 2002.

2. Which African team surprised the world by making it to the quarterfinals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, on their debut?

Answer: Senegal

2002 was most likely the World Cup with the most upsets in the tournament's history. Besides the early eliminations of teams like France, Portugal and Argentina, and the controversial run of South Korea (making it to the semifinals at the expense of Italy and Spain), everyone was stunned when Senegal pulled off a great performance that led them to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Turkey through a golden goal.

3. In 2001, this Croatian became the first player to win Wimbledon as a wildcard. Who is he?

Answer: Goran Ivanisevic

After losing three Wimbledon finals in the past, Ivanisevic finally won it despite the fact that injuries had held back his career in the previous year. His rank at the start of the tournament was 125, which didn't grant him direct qualification, but he was awarded the wildcard because of his three previous finals. He sure did make it count that time.

4. As with most football leagues around the world, the English Premier League is generally dominated by a few teams. Thus, the 2015-16 season was a surprise for everyone, as it was won by a lesser team that had barely escaped relegation the previous year. What team was it?

Answer: Leicester City

It was the first ever Premier League title for Leicester and they became just the sixth team to win one since the league's inception in 1992. They had only gained promotion to the top flight in 2014 and had finished 14th out of 20 in the 2014-15 season. The odds on them were winning in 2015-16 were so low that those who bet on them earlier in the season won massive prizes.

5. Not really an upset, but it's still kind of surprising that a football team that wins its first game of the group by a thrashing their opponents 10-1, eventually fails to qualify to the next round. This happened in FIFA's 1982 World Cup. What was the national team that went through this unusual situation?

Answer: Hungary

Hungary scored a record 10-1 against El Salvador in their first match of the 1982 World Cup. With such a result, anyone would have guessed that their way to the second round would be a breeze. Unfortunately for them, they shared the group with previous champions Argentina and the eventual semi-finalists Belgium, losing against the former and tying against the latter. Two draws would have seen them through, given the massive goal tally they got in the first game.

As a small consolation prize, they ended up tied with Italy and Poland as one of the teams with the second best goal difference, only behind Brazil.

6. Now this one's definitely a shock result from the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Which team beat West Germany in their first match?

Answer: Algeria

Reportedly, German players and staff pretty much took the Algerian team for a joke, with arrogant statements in the press conference. Their unexpected defeat eventually led to what was known as "The Disgrace of Gij�n", the controversial match between West Germany and Austria, where they both seemingly fixed the match to go through to the next round at the expense of Algeria.

7. At the 2015 Rugby World Cup, this lesser team recorded a surprising victory over a two-time champion in the last play of their first match. What country, the hosts for the 2019 World Cup, achieved this?

Answer: Japan

A thrilling match that instantly made it to the history books, Japan-South Africa was undoubtedly one of the biggest upsets at a Rugby World Cup. Even though they couldn't make it to the next round, this match alone will probably remain as one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time for the Japanese.

8. Paraguay made it to the final of the 2011 Copa America despite not having won a single match in the whole tournament, with their progress through the knockout stages being achieved via penalty shootouts. One of them was particuarly noteworthy, as their rival (who you need select from the options below) didn't score a single penalty.

Answer: Brazil

Incredible, isn't it? You don't see Brazil being eliminated in a shootout all that often, but the really weird aspect of this loss is that it was the first time that they had missed all of their shots. Villar, the Paraguayan goalkeeper, saved one, and the other three went wide. Paraguay won the shootout 2-0.

9. This Asian country doesn't have that much football tradition, but they surely take pride in their performance in the 1966 World Cup, with their victory over Italy as the pinnacle. Who are we talking about?

Answer: North Korea

That match is often cited as one of the greatest upsets of the World Cup. North Korea then faced Portugal, and were on their way to shock the world once again as they were leading 3-0. However, a stellar match from Eusebio turned things in favor of the Portuguese and they ended the Korean run with a 5-3 win.

10. The 2000 edition of the Football Coupe de France saw an amateur team, Calais RUFC, make it to the final match. To which team did they lose?

Answer: Nantes

Calais was leading up to the 50th minute of play, and a penalty in stoppage time gave Nantes the final 2-1 result that crowned them as champions. Calais RUFC never made it to another major tournament's final match as the club was liquidated in 2017.

Source: Author Gispepfu

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This Can't Be Happening Trivia Quiz

Sometimes, sports results defy logic. Here's a small recollection of jaw-dropping upsets and shocks in various sports (though most are based on FIFA World Cups)

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>