How World Cup Underdogs Stunned Everyone in Major Shock

Before the 2026 World Cup began, Turkey were pegged by many as dark horses. They weren’t expected to win the competition by any means, but several audiences thought they would have at least given a strong account of themselves.

With players such Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler on their books, they were generally seen as the favourites to finish top of Group D, ahead of the USA.

As such, their first group game against Australia was thought be little more than a comfortable walkover. However, it didn’t quite work out like that.

Following a stunning display of heart of courage, the Socceroos upset the odds to beat Turkey by a score of 2-0 in perhaps the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup so far.

Head coach Tony Popovic got his approach spot on. He knew his team would be under the cosh and set up his team accordingly – while Australia often use a 3-4-2-1 formation, they lined up using a 5-4-1 setup against the Crescent-Stars.

Of course, it wasn’t all in the gameplan – Australia benefitted from some wonderful individual displays en route to their famous win.

Who were Australia’s best performers against Turkey?

First of all, we must bring attention to the player who opened the scoring for Australia – Nestory Irankunda. In doing so, he became the youngest-ever goalscorer for the Socceroos at a World Cup.

He showed an impressive amount of maturity for a 20-year-old, holding onto the ball well and making some intelligent passes. He took his goal extremely well – his first touch to set himself up for the shot was nothing short of world-class.

Using his left foot to shift the ball onto his preferred right with deft precision, rounding Zeki Çelik in doing so, he then slammed the ball beyond Uğurcan Çakır on his near post. One of the best goals scored at the World Cup so far, it was a strike worthy of replaying again and again.

The player who found the assist for that goal, Paul Okon-Engstler, was also worthy of mention. His ball was picture perfect, but he also made a number of tackles and other defensive contributions to hold Australia’s midfield together under heavy pressure.

Of course, however, the star of the show was goalkeeper Patrick Beach. Starting him over the experienced Mathew Ryan was always going to be a risk – especially so when you consider Ryan’s status as team captain. Nonetheless, with the benefit of hindsight, we can say that this was a risk that paid off in spades.

Beach was utterly phenomenal against Turkey, matching everything that they could throw at him. Making a total of eight saves – many of them far from routine – and keeping a clean sheet, the 22-year-old was richly deserving of his man of the match award.

Of the three players we have mentioned, they are all of or under the age of 23. As such, the furture certainly looks bright for Australian football (or soccer, if you prefer).

How far can Australia go in the 2026 World Cup?

Right now, it’s hard to say – there is only so much one can take away from one game, no matter how impressive it might have been. At very least, however, we would suggest that Australia have an excellent chance of escaping the group stage.

Paraguay were well off the pace in their opening group game – if Australia can beat them, they’ll make it through to the knockout rounds, even if they finish third.

Can they beat the USA, though? This is a much more difficult question to answer. The USNMT were outstanding against Paraguay, winning by a wide scoreline of 4-1.

Australia, for all their good graces, didn’t create that many good chances against Turkey. They finished the game with just 0.77 xG to Turkey’s 1.33 – they will need to remain clinical in the final third if this keeps up.

The USA were also very clinical against Paraguay, vastly outscoring their expected goals. They netted four times, against an xG rating of 1.34.

If Australia finish second in group D as currently projected, there is a solid chance that they’ll have to go up against Mohamed Salah’s Egpyt in the round of 32. This is a winnable game in our eyes – outside of Salah, who is beyond his best years, Egypt lack quality and creativity.

However, if they get through that particular gauntlet, the Socceroos will likely come up against Argentina or Uruguay in the last 16. This, for us, is where their story will end.

Nevertheless, if they can make it as far as that, Australia can be incredibly proud of their performance. Always a plucky underdog, the Socceroos have only escaped the group stage twice in the history of the World Cup – we think they have an extremely strong chance of doing it for a third time this year.