2022 hosts Qatar fell well short of the mark in their opening game, losing 2-0 to Ecuador in their first ever World Cup fixture.
The tiny Gulf nation are the only team among the 32 who are making their debut campaign at this year’s tournament, and as they go head-to-head with Senegal this afternoon who enjoyed a spectacular inauguration way back in 2002, it got us thinking here at Sportslens…
Who are best World Cup debutants in history?
The Best World Cup Debut Campaigns
Croatia 1998: Emerging as a War-Torn Independent Nation
Following 10 years of bloody battles in the Balkans, Croatia emerged as an independent nation after the break-up of Yugoslavia, and so a new footballing country was born.
Having stormed to a memorable quarter-final two years prior at Euro 1996, the likes of former Arsenal striker Davor Suker and ex-Real Madrid full-back Robert Jarni were at the forefront of an incredible World Cup debut campaign for Croatia in France 1998.
Croatia are a team I’ve always enjoyed watching, a country that has only missed out on one World Cup since they became FIFA members, finished 3rd in their maiden appearance 1998, when they were the moral winners in my mind, robbed by the hosts in the semi-final. pic.twitter.com/7nMLdUKgDi
— Maurice Dineen (@DineenMaurice) November 21, 2022
After sweeping aside well-established favourites Germany in the quarter-finals, they fell to eventual winners and hosts France in the last four after a late Lillian Thuram winner.
They would go on to defeat a star-studded Netherlands side in the third-place play-off, with Suker adding to his tally in their final game and picking up the Golden Boot with six goals.
Senegal 2002: An Entire Continent Gripped By The Lions of Ternaga
Senegal’s 2002 team will go down as one of the most memorable, and perhaps one of the most widely supported at any given World Cup.
Their debut campaign began with the unlikeliest of victories over reigning champions France as Papa Boupa Diop, then of Lens but who would go on to feature for three Premier League clubs, scored the only goal of the game to give little fancied Senegal their first win at a World Cup.
After escaping the group having held Denmark and Uruguay to a single point, they claimed a marathon victory over Sweden as former Wolves and Wigan striker Henri Camara notched in a Golden Goal to send them to the final eight.
They would go on to lose to Turkey after extra-time, but their debut in Korea/Japan in 2002 is the joint-best finish along with Cameroon and Ghana of any African side at a World Cup.
Costa Rica 1990: Los Tico Tip-Toe to the Knockout Stage
Italia ’90 is regarded as one of the greatest editions of the World Cup to date, and one of the more memorable stories of the campaign saw a tiny Central American nation with a population of just over three million qualify for the first time.
The Costa Rica team of 1990 has inspired recent generations to become a well-established international side, qualifying for all but one of the 21st century World Cups.
Pitted against Brazil, Scotland and Sweden in their group, they managed to defeat the latter two while nullifying the-then three-time champions to a single goal victory.
They would eventually fall to Czechoslovakia in the knockout stage, but they captured the hearts of millions watching across the globe and it remains one of the great fairytale stories of the World Cup.
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Nigeria 1994: High-Flying Super Eagles Take The USA By Storm
Fresh off the back of their second Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria finally qualified for the World Cup after much expectation from their fans at home.
Their only defeat of the group stage would come against an Argentina side featuring Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta, but impressive wins over Bulgaria and Greece announced the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha to the world stage, and their vibrant following in the US was unlike anything seen before.
They were one of the most entertaining sides at the 1994 World Cup, displaying flamboyant trickery and racking up the goals all the while with gleaming smiles, but their journey would eventually come to an agonising end to eventual finalists Italy after Roberto Baggio equalised in the 88th minute, before scoring an extra-time winner.
Algeria 1982: The Disgrace of Gijon
Having gained revenge over Nigeria by qualifying at their expense following a defeat to the Super Eagles in the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria’s World Cup debut was nothing short of spectacular.
Up until the 1982 edition in Spain, no African side had delivered a performance of such quality and muster that the Fennec Foxes would go on to register.
Winners of the tournament eight years prior, 1974 champions West Germany presented Algeria their first stern test of the tournament, to which they replied in emphatic fashion winning 2-1.
THE DISGRACE OF GIJON 1982 pic.twitter.com/5K9Ph0Gcnh
— 🥇🥇 (@lotannamol) November 19, 2022
They would fall to defeat against Austria five days later before bouncing back to claim a hard-fought second victory against the Chileans to give themselves a chance of qualifying.
With Austria and West Germany set to face each other in the final fixture of the group, the former and Algeria were level on points with four (two points for a win).
What happened next would go down as one of the World Cup’s most infamous episodes, which has historically been labelled as the ‘Disgrace of Gijon.’
With Algeria and Chile having played the day before, a win by one or two goals for West Germany against Austria would secure safe passage for both teams at the expense of Algeria.
The Germans took the lead after 10 minutes, and the match was said to have progressively deteriorated as time went on, eventually finishing 1-0. Spectators would accuse both sides of match fixing, although FIFA found no indication of such allegations.
However, after a similar event happened in the previous tournament of 1979, they revised the group system for future tournaments, so that the final two games in each group would be played simultaneously.
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