In soccer, most matches are closely contested—especially when teams are evenly matched. But that doesn’t mean they lack excitement. A tense 2–2 draw or a narrow 2–1 win can be thrilling, with both sides battling hard for the points in a competitive showdown.
Sometimes, though, all of that goes out the window.
We’re not talking about Manchester City’s famous 6–1 win over rivals United in 2011, or Bayern Munich’s 8–2 demolition of FC Barcelona in the 2020 Champions League. We mean the truly lopsided games—the ones so one-sided, you wonder why they were even played.
With that in mind, here are the 10 biggest wins in senior men’s top-level soccer history. Brace yourself—some of these scorelines are almost unbelievable.
10. China 19-0 Guam (January, 2000)
Guam may be used to tough outings on the international stage, but this was one of their earliest and most brutal lessons.
In an Asian Cup qualifier in January 2000, they were thrashed 19–0 by China—a side ranked over 100 places above them in the FIFA rankings. Despite being coached by former Newcastle United keeper Willie McFaul, Guam’s team was made up of amateurs: teachers, students, and bank tellers who simply couldn’t compete with China’s professional squad.
9. Iran 19-0 Guam (November, 2000)
We told you Guam had taken a few beatings. Just 10 months after their 19–0 loss to China, the island nation suffered the exact same scoreline—this time at the hands of Iran during 2002 World Cup qualifying.
Still led by manager Willie McFaul, Guam were no match for the Iranian side, who showed no mercy. McFaul later admitted, with some understatement, that the experience “wasn’t too pleasant.”
You can say that again.
8. Kuwait 20-0 Bhutan (February, 2000)
Bhutan had only just played their first official international match two days earlier when they faced Kuwait in the 2000 Asian Cup qualifiers.
As newcomers on the big stage, they managed to hold out for just 18 minutes before conceding the first of four penalties awarded against them. In a rare and somewhat unsporting move, Kuwait’s goalkeeper Ahmad Jassem even took one of the penalties himself, increasing the score to 19–0 late in the match.
To cap off the overwhelming victory, Bashar Abdullah netted his eighth goal in the 89th minute.
7. Guam 0-21 North Korea (March, 2005)
Another brutal day for Guam came in March 2005 during their penultimate qualifier for the East Asian Football Championships.
Guam had no chance, but North Korea were desperate to improve their goal difference—they were trailing Hong Kong by about 18 goals. Against Guam, they showed no mercy, smashing in 21 goals to overtake Hong Kong and qualify for the tournament, where they would eventually finish third behind South Korea.
For Guam goalkeeper Joseph Laanan, making his international debut that day, it was a nightmare start. Over his eight-game career, he conceded a staggering 79 goals.
6. Tonga 0-22 Australia (April, 2001)
“If you add together the value of the Australian team and then divide it by five, then you have the value of the Tongan economy.”
Those were the words of Tonga’s coach at the time, Gary Phillips, after his team was comprehensively beaten 22-0 by Australia in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.
Coventry City striker John Aloisi scored six goals that day for the Socceroos.
5. Preston North End 26-0 Hyde (October, 1887)
Preston North End were one of the most dominant forces in English soccer during the late 1880s, and Manchester minnows Hyde experienced their full power in the first round of the 1887/88 FA Cup, where they were crushed 26-0.
The result remains the largest margin of victory ever recorded in an English soccer match at either FA Cup or league level.
Preston would go on to finish as runners-up in the tournament, narrowly losing 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion in the final.
4. Tahiti 30-0 Cook Islands (September, 1971)
The South Pacific Games are essentially the Pacific region’s version of the Olympics, featuring competitions in sports like archery, athletics, boxing, cycling—and, of course, soccer.
In 1971, Tahiti hosted the Games and thrilled the home crowd in their second group match against the Cook Islands by scoring a staggering 30 goals without conceding a single one.
The Cook Islands struggled throughout the tournament, losing their next two matches 16-1 and 15-1. Safe to say, they were probably relieved when the games finally ended.
3. Australia 31-0 American Samoa (April, 2001)
Just two days after crushing Tonga 22-0 in World Cup qualifying, Australia struck again—this time annihilating American Samoa 31-0, setting a world record for the largest victory in an international soccer match.
The result was heavily influenced by FIFA’s ruling that 19 of American Samoa’s 20 squad members, born in neighboring Samoa, were ineligible just before the game. Unable to call up their under-20 team because of school exams, American Samoa had to field even younger, inexperienced players, including two 15-year-olds.
Archie Thompson scored a record-breaking 13 goals in the match but wasn’t entirely pleased.
"Breaking the world record is a dream come true for me; that sort of thing doesn't come along every day. But you have to look at the teams we are playing and start asking questions. We don't need to play these games,” he said afterward.
2. Dundee Harp 35-0 Aberdeen Rovers (September, 1885)
In just their second-ever match, Aberdeen Rovers faced Dundee Harp in September 1885—but with only 10 players on the field, they were severely outnumbered.
The result was a staggering 35-0 defeat, with the loss so overwhelming that the referee reportedly lost count of the goals. At first, he even awarded a 37-0 scoreline before the Harp’s secretary stepped in to confirm it was actually 35.
1. Arbroath 36-0 Bon Accord (September, 1885)
In an astonishing twist of fate, on the very same day Dundee Harp thrashed Aberdeen Rovers 35-0 (September 12, 1885), Arbroath went one better by defeating Bon Accord 36-0—setting the record for the biggest win in men’s professional soccer history.
Bon Accord reportedly showed up without any proper football kit, foreshadowing the inevitable humiliation. Arbroath led 15–0 by halftime and added another 21 goals in the second half, with seven additional goals disallowed for offside.
Remarkably, it’s said that Arbroath’s goalkeeper, Jim Milne Sr., didn’t touch the ball once all game, spending much of the match sheltering from the rain under a spectator’s umbrella—a surreal image in a record-breaking rout.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Biggest Wins in Soccer History: Ranking the Top 10.