The ten biggest upsets in sports history: From 5,000-1 Leicester to the Miracle on Ice

Everyone loves an upset, right? They give sports fans hope that, just sometimes, David can beat Goliath and that the established order isn't always what it's cracked up to be. 

We have looked at some the biggest shocks across a range of sports and picked out our top ten.

Leicester win the Premier League – 2016

There is only one place to start. Andrea Bocelli's Nessun Dorma, Jamie Vardy's Red Bull addiction and Gary Lineker in his underpants. The 5,000-1 miracle which changed football betting forever. 

Leicester had only maintained their Premier League status on the final day of the the 2014-15 season so after a summer which saw manager Nigel Pearson replaced by a supposedly past-it Claudio Ranieri, it was no surprise to see they were among the favourites for relegation. 

The Foxes had other ideas. Led by the tireless N'Golo Kante, the brilliance of Riyad Mahrez and the goals of Vardy, Leicester survived and then some, winning the Premier League title at ante-post odds of 5,000-1 – an outright price which has not been seen in football since. 

USA beat the Soviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice' – 1980

A shock so big it has been dubbed a miracle, the USA's win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics is not only the biggest shock in ice hockey, but also one of the biggest in sport. 

The Soviet Union were four-time gold medallists and had a side full of professionals. The United States' team, on the other hand, were made up of college-level amateurs. 

A win for the USA was inconceivable yet, somehow, they counter-attacked brilliantly to secure a 4-3 victory. A true 'Miracle on Ice'.

Emma Raducanu wins the US Open – 2021

Emma Raducanu was 400-1 to win the 2021 US OpenCredit: Tpn

An eye-catching run to the fourth round of Wimbledon created some buzz around Emma Raducanu, but even her biggest fans couldn't have predicted what she would go on to accomplish just a few weeks later. 

The Brit qualified for the US Open ranked 150th in the world but utterly dominated the field, winning the entire thing without dropping a set, landing pre-tournament odds of 400-1 as she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. 

Ben Curtis wins the Open Championship – 2003

Stopping Tiger Woods at his peak proved difficult for some of the biggest names in golf, but not Ben Curtis, who rocked up to the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George's as a 300-1 shot and decided to play the best four rounds of his life to make a mockery of the odds. 

Ranked 396th in the world, Curtis was a no-hoper in every sense. He was one over after the first round but played out of his skin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to finish one stroke ahead of Thomas Bjorn and Vijay Singh. He remains the lowest-ranked player to win one of golf's four Majors. 

Greece win the European Championships – 2004

Placed in a group alongside hosts Portugal, Spain and Russia, boasting an ante-post price of 100-1 and having never won a match at a major tournament, Greece were expected to bow out at the earliest stage at Euro 2004. 

Instead, Otto Rehhagel's defensive tactics proved too much for holders France, the Czech Republic and Portugal (twice), who were all beaten en route to Greece's stunning Euros success. 

England win third Ashes test – 1981

Much like Leicester's Premier League title win, this third-Test success for England in the 1981 Ashes series has led to the disappearance of such high odds in cricket. 

Australia had declared on 401-9 and bowled their foes out for 174, leaving England to follow-on and 500-1 shots to win the third Test at Headingley. 

However, Australia snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as Ian Botham's 149 not out and eight wickets for Bob Willis helped England become only the second team in history to win after being forced to follow-on. 

Shaun Murphy wins the Snooker World Championship – 2005

Shaun Murphy's stunning 2005 World Championship success earned him the nickname 'Magician'Credit: VCG via Getty Images

While not the only qualifier to win the Snooker World Championship, Shaun Murphy's success stands above the wins of Alex Higgins, Terry Griffiths and Zhao Xintong as it came during the Ronnie O'Sullivan-dominated era and at odds of 150-1. 

The 22-year-old defeated Chris Small and Peter Ebdon as well as all-time greats John Higgins and Steve Davis before beating Matthew Stevens 18-16 in the final to land the Crucible crown and become the second-youngest world snooker champion in history. 

Japan beat South Africa at the Rugby World Cup – 2015

Having managed just one World Cup win and coming up against two-time champions South Africa, pre-game odds of 80-1 for Japan to prevail in their tournament opener looked pretty fair. 

Eddie Jones was not interested in the bookies' opinion, however, and he led Japan to a stunning 34-32 victory. The result was so spectacular it has been dubbed the 'Miracle of Brighton' and led to a film being made of the same name. 

The New York Jets win Super Bowl III – 1969

The first match to be named the Super Bowl was always going to go down in history but the New York Jets made sure the match was to be remembered for more than just lexicology. 

The Indianapolis Colts were 18-point favourites heading into the clash but were soon stunned by the Jets, who won 16-7 to validate Joe Namath's famous guarantee that New York would triumph. 

The victory was notable not only for the upset, but also for validating the AFL's quality, speeding up the merger which would lead to the NFL becoming the global spectacle it is today. 

Blowers wins at 300-1 – 2025

Our final entry happened only a day ago, when the Nigel Hawke-trained Blowers became the longest-priced winner in the history of British racing at odds of 300-1.

The five-year-old had pulled up as a 200-1 no-hoper on his only previous run for Hawke and been beaten by almost 60 lengths in a Larkhill point-to-point. But the gelding got the better of a gruelling battle with 5-4 favourite On The Bayou at Exeter to become the second three-figure runner in a week to oblige after It's Bobsled Time won at 250-1 at Naas on Monday.

Honourable mentions to Blowers' fellow 300-1 victors He Holds No Fear and Sawbuck, who both landed bumper odds in Ireland.

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