Seven of the biggest wins in international football history

France recorded a record win in Euro 2024 qualification this week after thrashing minnows Gibraltar 14-0 in Nice.

Les Bleus had already qualified for next summer’s major tournament but remained in ruthless mood, with Kylian Mbappe hitting a hat-trick and creating three other goals in their record-breaking result. France scored seven goals in each half, in what was the biggest win in the 119-year history of the national team. Gibraltar, meanwhile, didn’t manage a single shot on goal.

Following France’s record rout, we’ve remembered some of the biggest wins in international football history.

Seven of the biggest wins in international football history:

San Marino 0-13 Germany

Germany had held the record for the biggest European Championship qualification win until this week, having thrashed San Marino 13-0 in 2006.

Lukas Podolski scored four times for the Germans, while Thomas Hitzlsperger, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Miroslav Klose all bagged braces. Michael Ballack, Manuel Friedrich and Bernd Schneider completed the scoring for Germany, in what was San Marino’s – a nation with a population of less than 30,000 people – worst ever defeat.

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Germany went on to reach the final of the 2008 European Championship, but lost to Spain.

France 14-0 Gibraltar

France showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas despite Euro 2024 qualification already being assured, as a full strength side tore apart Gibraltar in Nice.

Kylian Mbappe reached 300 career goals after scoring a hat-trick, while Kingsley Coman and Olivier Giroud each scored braces. France were two goals ahead inside four minutes as Gibraltar endured a nightmare start, with Ethan Santos opening the scoring inside three minutes with an own goal before being sent off on 18 minutes.

🇫🇷💥 HISTORY: France record their biggest ever competitive victory vs Gibraltar! 14 goals, crazy… 🥵 pic.twitter.com/QXZQZCAjTC

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 18, 2023

Didier Deschamps’ side outlined their status as favourites for next summer’s tournament, in a punishing performance that saw 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery celebrate a debut goal, after becoming France’s youngest post-war debutant.

Kuwait 20-0 Bhutan

The remaining games on this list feature lop-sided contents from Asian and Oceanic football, with Kuwait’s staggering 20-0 win over Bhutan only enough to feature fifth here.

Bashar Abdullah blasted home eight goals for Kuwait in the Asian Cup qualifier in 2000, while Jasem Al-Huwaid hit five of his own.

The Kuwait goalkeeper was even allowed to step up and score the 18th from the penalty spot.

That’s taking the p***.

North Korea 21-0 Guam

North Korea had FOUR different hat-trick scorers in the nation’s 21-0 embarrassment of Guam in 2005.

Kwang-Hyok Kim led the charge with seven goals for the North Koreans, in a huge win during the group stage of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship. Guam – a tiny island nation in the Western Pacific – lost all four group games at the tournament, conceding 49 goals and scoring just once.

Guam’s defeat was not their first taste of heavy losses on the international stage, having lost 19-0 to Iran and 16-0 to Tajikistan in the space of just three days during 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Australia 22-0 Tonga

Football might not be the favourite sport in Australia, but the Socceroos were the dominant nation in the Oceania confederation (OFC) before moving to the Asian football confederation in 2005.

The small Pacific islands who competed alongside Australia in qualification for major tournaments often received some heavy losses, including this 22-0 result in 2001. Former Portsmouth and Coventry striker John Aloisi scored six, Damian Mori claimed four goals, and Kevin Muscat hit a hat-trick of penalties.

It was a record international win at the time, but one that lasted just two days…

Tahiti 30-0 Cook Islands

Though neither side had joined FIFA at the time, Tahiti’s 30-0 win over the Cook Islands remains one of the most one-sided games in football history.

The 1971 fixture was only the second game the Cook Islands had played in competitive international football, and was sandwiched between 16-1 and 15-1 defeats to Papua New Guinea and Fiji respectively, in the South Pacific games.

A tough start.

Australia 31-0 American Samoa

Just two days after beating Tonga 22-0 in World Cup qualification, Australia set a new record after dismantling American Samoa in 2001.

Archie Thompson scored a record-breaking 13 times for the Socceroos, with David Zdrilic scoring eight of his own for Frank Farina’s side.

Happy Birthday, @10Archie Thompson!

Forever etched in to world footballing folklore. pic.twitter.com/YoYTkDxtgC

— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) October 23, 2020

Remarkably, Thompson, who scored 16 goals in seven international appearances during the calendar year for Australia, was then not called up for more than three years before a recall in 2004.

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