It doesn’t matter if you’re a die-hard football fan who knows all the records in international football and across all football championships, or you’re a casual football fan who’s looking to brush up on his football IQ. In this article, we’ll examine the biggest wins in international football history.
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What Are The Biggest Wins in Men’s International Football?
France 14-0 Gibraltar (2023)
France thrashed Gibraltar at the Stade Olympique L’Emyrne with a squad reduced to 10 men in a thrilling qualification match for the Euro 2024, securing their biggest football victory ever. Les Bleus showed no compassion, despite their qualification for the championship in Germany. Warren Zaire-Emery, 17, became the youngest player from France to score on his debut since 1914, and Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick, including an incredible 40-yard shot. Seven different players scored in the first half.
Ethan Santos of Gibraltar scored an own goal early in the game and was given a red card, but France persisted in attacking and ended up with 39 shots.
Australia 31-0 American Samoa (2001)
A performance that broke records was witnessed in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying match six hours north of Sydney. The unbeatable individual FIFA World Cup scoring record achieved by Archie Thompson, who was still relatively new to the international game at the time, was 13 goals above the average. With an astounding 31-0 victory over American Samoa, Australia emerged victorious in the match.
A World Cup qualifier with little money and little experience, American Samoa was playing their first World Cup qualifier, and the game was crucial for Australia, who were looking for revenge following their disastrous effort four years earlier. Their regular roster was almost absent for the match due to passport concerns. Australia was transferred to the Asian Football Confederation so they could play against teams of a similar calibre, and preliminary rounds were added to the qualifying cycle for 2006 to prevent similarly unfair matches in the Oceania area.
Tahiti 30-0 Cook Islands (1971)
The second position on the list is a victory in 1971 for Tahiti over the Cook Islands, in which thirty goals were scored by Tahiti. This match was the biggest ever defeat for the Cook Island, and this match took place before either country joined FIFA. In their next two games, the Cook Islands showed some progress, losing 16-1 and 15-1, respectively.
Australia 22-0 Tonga (2001)
Australia set the record of scoring 54 goals in two games over three days back in 2001 during World Cup qualification. Their 22-0 victory over Tonga broke the record for the biggest margin of victory in an international match that FIFA watched. American Samoa took on the Socceroos two days later.
North Korea 21-0 Guam (2005)
By easily defeating Guam, the North Korean national team cemented its place in history. A ruthless one-sided match between the small island nation and the host nation occurred at the 2005 East Asian Football Championship. Four other players scored hat-tricks, but Kwang-Hyok Kim led the way with a record-breaking seven goals.
Kuwait 20-0 Bhutan (2000)
In an Asian Cup qualifier match against Bhutan, Kuwait put on a fantastic show. With Jasem Al-Huwaid scoring five goals and Bashar Abdullah scoring eight, seven different players were listed on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the second half, the goalkeeper took advantage of the situation and scored a penalty.
San Marino 0-13 Germany (2006)
The 13-0 thumping of San Marino by Germany in 2006 set a record for the largest European Championship qualifying victory. For the Germans, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Thomas Hitzlsperger were all hat-trick scorers, while Lukas Podolski scored four goals.
What’s the Biggest Win in Football History?
Nothing compares to the official record for the largest win in a football match, not even Australia’s historic 31-goal triumph over American Samoa.
In a match played in the Madagascar National Football Championship on October 31, 2002, AS Adema defeated SO L’Emyrne 149-0. As far as official football matches go, it holds the record for the greatest scoreline. As for the 149 goals, all of them were own goals. No, it wasn’t some completely unusual case of unlucky circumstances. In an orchestrated demonstration against perceived unjust officiating decisions in a prior game, SO L’Emyrne purposefully lost the match against their fiercest rivals in the African nation’s league.
As a consequence, SOE’s season outcomes were forfeited, and the team’s coach and four SOE players received penalties. Not only that but the Malagasy Football Federation was reorganised when the club was abolished four years later.
