Germany & Belgium out! Nine shock World Cup group stage exits

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:56 CDT
• 7 min read

Germany and Belgium have been eliminated from the 2022 World Cup, adding to the list of shock group stage exits.

That makes two World Cups in a row that Germany have exited at the earliest opportunity.

While Belgium's departure means the end of both Roberto Martinez's tenure and the 'golden generation's' chances of winning an international tournament.

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FootballTransfers looks at eight of the most shocking group stage eliminations in World Cup history.

England: 1950

England travelled to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil expecting to just turn up and collect the trophy.

As the self-boasting inventors of the beautiful game, their media expected them to romp through the group stage. Especially boasted superstars of the world game such as Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Stan Mortensen.

They won their opening game 2-0 against Chile but then it all went disastrously wrong.

In their second match they played against a part-time United States team comprised of players who were not even U.S citizens.

England were expected to win in double figures, but fell to a shock 1-0 defeat with the winner scored by Haiti-born Joe Gaetjens.

They then lost 1-0 to Spain in their final group game to exit the tournament in disgrace.

Italy: 1966

Serie A was the strongest league in the world during the early to mid 1960s, with Milan and Inter winning three straight European Cups between them.

The Italy national team was full of stars from these teams and were one of the favourites to win the World Cup in England in 1966.

They beat Chile 2-0 in their opener but lost 1-0 to the Soviet Union in their second match.

Nevertheless, all they needed was a draw in their final group game against minnows North Korea to qualify.

In the biggest shock in the Azzurri’s history, they lost 1-0. Pak Doo-Ik scored the winner for a nation who no knew anything about. Italy’s players were greeted with rotten fruit from angry fans upon their return to their homeland.

Brazil: 1966

Yet Italy weren’t the best team to be eliminated in the group stages in the 1966 World Cup.

That was Brazil, who went into the tournament as the outright favourites. The Selecao had won the previous two editions in 1958 and 1962 and boasted a star-studded team.

Their star man was, of course, Pele.

Pele and fellow legend Garrincha scored in a 2-0 win in their first game against Bulgaria.

But Brazil then lost their next two matches to ultra-aggressive Hungary and Portugal teams, who quite literally kicked Pele out of the tournament.

Pele limped round the pitch for much of the final game versus Portugal and even retired from international football for a while in protest at how he was treated in England.

France: 2002

France went into the 2002 World Cup as world and European champions, having added the Euro 2000 crown to their 1998 Mundial success.

Their team was filled full of superstars; the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Marcel Desailly.

They played Senegal in the first game of the tournament, a nation in their first ever World Cup.

But France were under-par throughout as Papa Bouba Diop scored the winner on 30 minutes.

Things got no better after that. They drew 0-0 with Uruguay in their second game and then lost 2-0 to Denmark in their final match.

Les Bleus exited the tournament bottom of Group A on just one point.

Italy: 2010

Italy were reigning champions in 2010, having lifted the World Cup four years earlier in Germany.

This Azzurri side was ageing and wasn’t expected to retain their trophy but they still possessed lots of superstars such as Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon.

But with both those players struggling with injury, Italy incredibly failed to win a match in South Africa despite being in a very weak group.

They drew with Paraguay and New Zealand before losing 3-2 to Slovakia to go home.

Spain: 2014

Spain dominated international football between 2008 and 2012 in a way that has probably never seen before.

They won successive European Championships and also lifted the 2010 World Cup in between.

They went into the 2014 World Cup as favourites to win a fourth straight major trophy but fell to a shock group elimination.

They were thrashed 5-1 by Netherlands in their opener in a classic game and never recovered.

Their 2-0 defeat to Chile in their second match confirmed their elimination.

Germany: 2018

Germany also fell to the World Cup winner’s curse as they became the third reigning champion in a row to go out in the group stage.

Die Mannschaft had lifted the trophy in Brazil four years earlier and also reached the semi-finals at Euro 2016.

But they completely bombed in Russia 2018. They lost their opening game against Mexico and were fortunate to win 2-1 in their next match versus Sweden with a last-minute free kick by Toni Kroos.

Nevertheless, this just delayed the inevitable as they lost 2-0 to South Korea in their final match to go home.

Germany: 2022

Germany were considered one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Qatar but fell to a surprising 2-1 defeat to Japan in their opening game of the tournament.

Then, having drawn with Spain in their second game, they needed to beat Costa Rica in their final match and for Spain to beat Japan - a realistic turn of events.

But Japan came from behind to beat the 2010 winners, meaning Die Mannschaft's 4-2 win over Costa Rica meant nothing.

Belgium: 2022

Having been one of the favourites to win the last World Cup - and the European Championships either side - Belgium were not expected to win the tournament in Qatar.

The likes of Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are past their primes, but going out in the group stage remained unthinkable.

The Red Devils pinned their hopes on Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne, who failed to show why he is one of the world's best.

The disappointment is the end of Roberto Martinez's time in charge, who will be remembered most for failing to win a trophy with Belgium's best ever crop of talent and for refusing to integrate young players into the lineup.