Tunisia among the biggest victims: World Cup 2026’s most brutal thrashings so far

21.06.26 FT World Cup

Spain

4

:

Saudi Arabia

0

Spain's 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Atlanta this Sunday 21 Jun turns the World Cup into a historic festival of goals.

La Roja finds its scoring boots

Luis de la Fuente's men desperately needed a massive response after their frustrating opening draw against Cape Verde.

They delivered exactly that. Led by a blistering attacking performance, the European giants completely dismantled their Asian opponents. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal's early strike not only opened the floodgates but also cemented his place among the youngest goalscorers in World Cup history paving the way for a comfortable four goal rout.

A tournament of heavy defeats

This dominant display by the Spanish side is far from an isolated event. The introduction of the expanded 48 team format has noticeably widened the gap between traditional footballing royalty and emerging nations.

Host nation Canada set a ruthless tone earlier this week sending shockwaves through Vancouver by absolutely crushing Qatar 6-0 in front of a passionate home crowd.

However, the most jaw-dropping result so far undoubtedly belongs to Germany. The four time champions showed absolutely no mercy in Houston obliterating World Cup debutants Curaçao with a stunning 7-1 victory.

Match Result

• Germany 7-1 Curaçao
• Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
• Canada 6-0 Qatar
• Netherlands 5-1 Sweden
• Japan 4-0 Tunisia
• Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia

Format changes fuel the fire

Before a ball was even kicked, football analysts warned that adding more teams to the tournament would inevitably produce group-stage mismatches.

Those predictions are materializing on a daily basis. Elite squads are actively using these fixtures to aggressively boost their goal difference, fully aware that it could be the ultimate tiebreaker for crucial knockout stage seedings.

Echoes of a historic semi-final

Watching these massive scorelines unfold makes it impossible to ignore the historical parallels particularly Germany’s legendary 7-1 demolition of Brazil back in 2014.

While scoring 7 past Curaçao does not carry the same seismic weight as destroying the tournament hosts in Belo Horizonte hitting that exact iconic scoreline immediately brought back memories of that unforgettable night.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

Related teams and leagues

Spain

Saudi Arabia

Tunisia

Sweden

World Cup