Soccer's Most Dominant Victories: The 10 Greatest Blowouts Ever Recorded

In football, the majority of games are tightly fought affairs—particularly when clubs are well-balanced. However, this doesn't mean they're devoid of drama. A gripping 2–2 stalemate or a tight 2–1 victory can be electrifying, with both teams fighting fiercely for crucial points in an intense encounter.

Occasionally, however, all competitive balance disappears completely.

We're not referring to Manchester City's memorable 6–1 triumph over their rivals United in 2011, or Bayern Munich's devastating 8–2 destruction of FC Barcelona in the 2020 Champions League. We're discussing the genuinely one-sided encounters—the matches so unbalanced that you question whether they should have taken place at all.

Keeping this in mind, here are the 10 most overwhelming victories in senior men's elite football history. Prepare yourself—some of these results are nearly impossible to believe.

10. China 19-0 Guam (January, 2000)

Guam might be accustomed to difficult encounters on the global stage, but this represented one of their earliest and most devastating experiences.

During an Asian Cup qualifying match in January 2000, they suffered a crushing 19–0 defeat against China—a team positioned over 100 spots higher in the FIFA world rankings. Even with former Newcastle United goalkeeper Willie McFaul as their coach, Guam's roster consisted of amateur players: educators, university students, and banking employees who simply couldn't match China's professional team.

9. Iran 19-0 Guam (November, 2000)

We mentioned that Guam endured several heavy defeats. Merely 10 months following their 19–0 defeat to China, the Pacific island territory experienced an identical scoreline—this time against Iran during 2002 World Cup qualification.

Still under the guidance of manager Willie McFaul, Guam proved helpless against the Iranian team, who displayed no compassion. McFaul subsequently acknowledged, with considerable restraint, that the encounter "wasn't particularly enjoyable."

That's putting it mildly.

8. Kuwait 20-0 Bhutan (February, 2000)

Bhutan had completed their inaugural official international fixture just two days prior when they met Kuwait in the 2000 Asian Cup qualifying rounds.

As newcomers to the international arena, they managed to resist for only 18 minutes before allowing the first of four spot-kicks awarded against them. In an unusual and somewhat ungracious gesture, Kuwait's goalkeeper Ahmad Jassem even converted one of the penalties personally, extending the score to 19–0 in the closing stages.

To complete the dominant performance, Bashar Abdullah scored his eighth goal in the 89th minute.

7. Guam 0-21 North Korea (March, 2005)

Another devastating afternoon for Guam occurred in March 2005 during their second-to-last qualifier for the East Asian Football Championships.

Guam stood no chance, but North Korea were determined to enhance their goal differential—they were behind Hong Kong by approximately 18 goals. Against Guam, they displayed zero compassion, netting 21 goals to surpass Hong Kong and secure tournament qualification, where they would ultimately place third behind South Korea.

For Guam's goalkeeper Joseph Laanan, making his international debut that afternoon, it was a horrific beginning. Throughout his eight-match career, he allowed an incredible 79 goals.

6. Tonga 0-22 Australia (April, 2001)

"If you calculate the combined worth of the Australian squad and then divide it by five, you get the value of Tonga's entire economy."

These were the remarks from Tonga's manager at that time, Gary Phillips, following his team's complete 22-0 demolition by Australia in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.

Coventry City forward John Aloisi netted six goals that afternoon for the Socceroos.

5. Preston North End 26-0 Hyde (October, 1887)

Preston North End stood among the most powerful teams in English football during the late 1880s, and Manchester underdogs Hyde felt their complete strength in the opening round of the 1887/88 FA Cup, suffering a devastating 26-0 defeat.

This result still stands as the biggest winning margin ever achieved in an English football match at both FA Cup and league levels.

Preston would subsequently reach the tournament final, losing narrowly 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion.

4. Tahiti 30-0 Cook Islands (September, 1971)

The South Pacific Games serve as the Pacific area's equivalent of the Olympics, showcasing competitions in various sports including archery, track and field, boxing, cycling—and naturally, football.

In 1971, Tahiti served as host nation and delighted the local supporters in their second group fixture against the Cook Islands by finding the net an amazing 30 times while keeping a clean sheet.

The Cook Islands faced difficulties throughout the competition, suffering defeats in their following two games by scores of 16-1 and 15-1. It's safe to assume they felt relieved when the tournament concluded.

3. Australia 31-0 American Samoa (April, 2001)

Just 48 hours after demolishing Tonga 22-0 in World Cup qualification, Australia delivered another blow—this time obliterating American Samoa 31-0, establishing a global record for the biggest margin in an international football fixture.

The outcome was significantly affected by FIFA's decision that 19 of American Samoa's 20 squad members, who were born in neighboring Samoa, were ruled ineligible shortly before kickoff. Unable to summon their under-20 squad due to academic examinations, American Samoa was forced to field even younger, untested players, including two 15-year-olds.

Archie Thompson netted a record-setting 13 goals in the fixture but expressed mixed feelings.

"Setting the world record is a fantasy realized for me; such opportunities don't present themselves regularly. However, you must consider the opposition we're facing and begin questioning the situation. These matches shouldn't be necessary," he commented afterwards.

2. Dundee Harp 35-0 Aberdeen Rovers (September, 1885)

In only their second-ever fixture, Aberdeen Rovers met Dundee Harp in September 1885—but with merely 10 players available, they were significantly disadvantaged.

The outcome was an incredible 35-0 loss, with the defeat so comprehensive that the match official reportedly lost track of the goals. Initially, he even declared a 37-0 result before Harp's secretary intervened to verify it was actually 35.

1. Arbroath 36-0 Bon Accord (September, 1885)

In a remarkable coincidence, on the identical day Dundee Harp demolished Aberdeen Rovers 35-0 (September 12, 1885), Arbroath surpassed this by beating Bon Accord 36-0—establishing the record for the most decisive victory in men's professional football history.

Bon Accord allegedly arrived without appropriate football equipment, indicating the inevitable embarrassment to follow. Arbroath held a 15–0 advantage at the interval and scored another 21 goals in the second period, with seven additional goals ruled out for offside.

Incredibly, it's reported that Arbroath's goalkeeper, Jim Milne Sr., never made contact with the ball throughout the entire match, spending most of the game taking shelter from the rain beneath a spectator's umbrella—a bizarre scene in a record-breaking rout.