The 10 Biggest Men’s Cinderella Stories Since 2000 Ahead Of Cape Verde-Argentina
If Cape Verde, the 64th-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings, beat Argentina on Friday in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, the Blue Sharks may very well top this list. Cape Verde is making its first-ever World Cup appearance and advanced to the knockout stage after getting results against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stage. Eliminating Argentina and Lionel Messi in a win-or-go-home scenario, though, is a next-level proposition. There have been amazing Cinderella runs across sports since the turn of the century, from international soccer to March Madness and the NFL. Here are the top 10, with the top of the list showing you just how unlikely Cape Verde advancing is. Honorable Mentions Dusty May’s coaching career took off during Florida Atlantic’s 2023 March Madness run. Entering the tournament as a No. 9 seed, the Owls stunned the college basketball world by upsetting Tennessee and Kansas State to reach the program’s first Final Four. It was one of the most memorable Cinderella runs in recent memory, ending in a heartbreaking 72-71 loss to San Diego State in the Final Four. After losing 110 games in 2021, they found themselves in the World Series just two years later, fueled by a young core that shattered expectations. Led by rookie phenom Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks went on a true Cinderella run. They upset the NL Central champions (the Milwaukee Brewers) in the Wild Card round before beating the NL West champions (the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers) in the Division Series and NL East champions (Philadelphia Phillies) in the Championship Series. Ultimately, Arizona lost the World Series in five games to the Texas Rangers. George Mason has set the standard for Cinderella runs, becoming one of the most memorable tournament stories in recent memory. They tied the then-record for the lowest seed (No. 11) to reach the Final Four, becoming the first double-digit seed to do so since LSU in 1986. They reached the Final Four after knocking off No. 6 seed Michigan State Spartans, No. 3 seed North Carolina Tar Heels, the defending national champions, and No. 1 seed UConn Huskies in an overtime thriller. It remains one of the most shocking Cinderella runs in tournament history. The St. Louis Cardinals won 90 games, but they caught fire at the right time after falling behind earlier in the season. They pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history, overcoming a 10.5-game deficit in late August despite having just a 1.3% chance of reaching the postseason. They entered the NLDS as heavy underdogs against a 102-win Philadelphia Phillies team, but pushed the series to five games behind a dominant 1-0 complete-game shutout from Chris Carpenter. From there, they went on to win the World Series, defeating the Texas Rangers in six games. Little was expected of the Moroccans at the World Cup. They were in the same group as Croatia, Belgium and Canada. Morocco opened with a draw against Croatia before getting a huge 2-0 win over Belgium and dispatching Canada in its final group game. That was good enough to win the group. What happened next was one of the greatest runs in World Cup history as Morocco became the first African and first Arab team to ever reach a World Cup semifinal. In the knockout rounds, Morocco took out its two closest European neighbors in sensational fashion. First was a penalty-shootout win over Spain that saw La Roja miss all three of its attempts. Then was a 1-0 win over Portugal, with Youssef En Nesyri scoring the winner late in the first half. Morocco then gave France a run for its money before a 79th-minute goal from Randal Kolo Muani sealed a 2-0 win. It was a magical moment that captivated the entire tournament held in Qatar. It was reminiscent of South Korea’s 2002 run that saw them make the semifinals with wins over Italy and Spain in the knockout rounds. One of the greatest Cinderella stories in NFL history belongs to the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles. After MVP frontrunner Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 14, backup quarterback Nick Foles led them on one of the most unexpected playoff runs in history. Foles put together a playoff run for the record books. The Eagles took down the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings with ease before beating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII, ending their historic dynasty run. Before Norway captivated the 2026 World Cup with its ‘Viking Row’ celebration, tiny Iceland roared onto the scene with its own iconic chant and memorable moments at the 2016 European Championship in France. Two draws against Portugal and Hungary set up a pivotal group stage finale with Austria, in which Arnór Traustason scored a stoppage-time goal to secure a knockout round appearance. In the round of 16, Iceland pulled off one of the most unexpected wins in tournament history by taking down heavy favorite England 2-1 in which all goals were scored within the first 18 minutes. The party ended in the quarterfinals with a 5-2 loss to tourney hosts France, but Iceland captivated the fans across the globe. Two years later, Iceland became the smallest nation by population to reach a men’s World Cup. Florida Gulf Coast made history as the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 at the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Their Cinderella run featured upset wins over Georgetown and San Diego State before losing to Florida. Nicknamed “Dunk City,” the program captivated the tournament with acrobatic alley-oops and powerful slams. They finished with nearly 20 dunks across three games, injecting rare swagger into a small-school underdog and proving that mid-major programs can make a lasting impact. Greece entered Euro 2004 as the No. 35 team in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings. The Greeks were the 17th UEFA team in those rankings. Two months later, they were 14th. Greece was 150-1 to win the Euros, but there were signs that a run might be coming, like how it beat Spain to win its qualifying group. Greece beat host-nation Portugal and then drew Spain to open its group play at the tournament before getting lucky on Match Day 3 to advance. The Greeks lost to Russia, but Portugal beat Spain. Greece was tied with Spain on four points but went through to the knockout stage thanks to a tiebreaker. Greece won the title with three straight 1-0 wins in the knockout stage. The first came against a France team that included legends like Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. Then, Greece took down the Czech Republic in extra time before a shocking win over in the final over Portugal in Lisbon. Saint Peter’s made history in 2022 by becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Their Cinderella run included upset wins over No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats and No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers. After beating Purdue, Saint Peter’s finally ran into its final obstacle, falling 69-49 to North Carolina in the Elite Eight. The loss ended their Cinderella run, but it didn’t take away one of the most captivating March Madness stories in recent memory. The Cinderella story that helped launch the legendary career of New England Patriots icon Tom Brady began when starter Drew Bledsoe was injured early in the season. Brady stepped in and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. The rise was a true Cinderella story, beginning with a backup quarterback taking them all the way. Their playoff run featured the infamous “tuck rule” game against the Oakland Raiders, before they stunned the Los Angeles Rams as 14-point underdogs to win Super Bowl XXXVI. This one will be tough to top, especially because it lasted a 38-game season. Leicester City finished 17th in the previous Premier League season, barely avoiding relegation. The following season, the Foxes lifted the trophy after starting the campaign as a 5,000-1 underdog to do so. Leicester City lost three times that season, twice to Arsenal and once away to Liverpool. The dream became real when it went 9-2-0 from the start of October through Dec. 19. The Foxes also only lost once in 2016, and it took a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal to do that. There were no high-profile signings among the core of the squad. Kasper Schmeichel cost £1.5 million; Danny Drinkwater cost £630,000; Jamie Vardy joined from a team playing in the fifth division of English soccer for £1 million; N’Golo Kante cost £5.8 million; Riyad Mahrez joined for just £450,000.
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