The Biggest Upsets in Sports History

The biggest upsets in sports history are led by two moments that defied all logic: the 1980 Miracle on Ice, when American amateurs beat the unbeatable Soviet Union, and Buster Douglas’s 1990 knockout of Mike Tyson, who was a 42-1 favorite. Unlike scoring or title records, there is no single number here; the greatest upsets are measured by the gulf between what was expected and what actually happened.

An upset becomes legendary when a result seems not just unlikely but essentially impossible, and then happens anyway. The best of them reshape how fans think about their sport for decades. Here is a curated leaderboard of the most improbable results ever, the odds against them, and why they still resonate. This list reflects widely cited historical judgments through the 2025 season.

The two at the top: Miracle on Ice and Buster Douglas

At Lake Placid in 1980, a United States hockey team of college players and amateurs beat the Soviet Union, a squad of seasoned professionals who had won four straight Olympic golds and routinely thrashed NHL all-star teams. The 4-3 win, followed by a gold-medal clincher against Finland, became known as the Miracle on Ice and is routinely called the greatest upset in team-sports history.

A decade later, in February 1990, Buster Douglas walked into a Tokyo ring as a 42-1 underdog against Mike Tyson, the undefeated, unified heavyweight champion many considered the most fearsome boxer alive. Douglas dominated and knocked Tyson out in the 10th round, ending an aura of invincibility in a single night.

The full leaderboard of great upsets

The table below ranks a curated selection of the biggest upsets in sports history, judged by the odds and the stakes.

Upset	Sport	Year	Why it stunned
Miracle on Ice (USA over USSR)	Ice hockey	1980	Amateurs beat four-time Olympic champions
Buster Douglas KOs Mike Tyson	Boxing	1990	42-1 underdog ends unbeaten champion
Leicester City win Premier League	Soccer	2016	5000-1 title after near-relegation
Rulon Gardner over Aleksandr Karelin	Wrestling	2000	Beat a man unbeaten for 13 years
Greece win Euro 2004	Soccer	2004	150-1 outsiders win a continental title
Villanova over Georgetown	Basketball	1985	No. 8 seed shocks the No. 1 team
Japan over South Africa	Rugby	2015	”Brighton Miracle” over two-time champions
Denmark win Euro 1992	Soccer	1992	Won after not even qualifying
NY Giants over Patriots (SB XLII)	American football	2008	Ended New England’s 18-0 bid
Appalachian State over Michigan	College football	2007	FCS side beats a top-5 program

The list spans a century of sport and every continent, but the theme is constant: a heavy favorite, a supposedly settled result, and a shock that no one saw coming.

The great soccer shocks: Leicester and Greece

Soccer produces some of the purest upsets because a single season or tournament can crown an outsider. Leicester City began 2015-16 at 5000-1 to win the Premier League, having barely survived relegation the year before, then won the title by 10 points. Greece did something similar at Euro 2004, entering as 150-1 outsiders and beating hosts Portugal twice to lift the trophy. For the stars who usually dominate England’s top flight, see our leaderboard of the most Premier League goals all time.

When a dynasty falls: the Giants and the Patriots

Perfect seasons make the richest upset targets. In Super Bowl XLII after the 2007 season, the New York Giants beat a New England Patriots team chasing a 19-0 finish, capping the run chronicled in our look at the 2007 Patriots’ 16-0 season. The loss denied the Patriots history and gave the Giants an unlikely title, one of many defeats that shaped the franchise’s place on the most Super Bowl appearances list.

Why these upsets matter

The biggest upsets endure because they prove that no result is guaranteed, that favorites can fall and outsiders can rise on the biggest stage. They are impossible to rank with a single statistic, which is exactly what makes them so debated and so beloved. From the Miracle on Ice to Leicester City, each one is a reminder that sport’s greatest appeal is its unpredictability.

The short version: the biggest upsets in sports history are led by the 1980 Miracle on Ice and Buster Douglas’s 1990 knockout of Mike Tyson, followed by Leicester City’s 5000-1 Premier League title and Greece’s Euro 2004 win. There is no single number, only a curated ranking of the most improbable results ever.