So I’ve been thinking about El Salvador lately. Not the country itself, but their soccer. Saw someone arguing online about the worst World Cup teams ever, and El Salvador popped up. Figured, hey, why not dig into their World Cup story?
Started simple – just typed “El Salvador World Cup” into the search bar. Expected a quick summary, but nope. Found bits scattered everywhere. FIFA’s site had basic stats – appearances in 1970 and 1982, played six games, lost all six. Oof. That’s rough.
Digging deeper, wanted those human moments. Remembered that crazy Hungary game in ’82. Found grainy YouTube clips of that match. Saw that goal they scored early on! Then… the floodgates opened. Final score: 10-1. Felt awful watching it – Salvadoran defenders just chasing shadows while Hungarian players danced through them. Still the biggest loss in World Cup history.
Stumbled upon an old interview with Luis Ramírez Zapata. The guy who scored their only World Cup goal ever – against Hungary, right before the collapse. He sounded so proud but heartbroken. Printed that quote: “We showed heart even when the scoreline didn’t show it.” Choked me up a little.
Putting it all together was messy. Waffled between focusing on the dark humor or the tragedy. Settled on both. Typed up a timeline:
- 1970: Debut in Mexico. Lost all three games. At least kept Belgium to 3-0.
- 1982: The Hungary disaster. Scored first! Then got wrecked.
- 1982: Played Argentina too. Maradona stared them down but they held to 2-0.
Ended with why it matters. No underdog glory here – just reality. Their qualifying runs are usually disasters too. Found a Salvadoran fan forum later. They’re weirdly proud anyway. One post hit me: “We’re always the underdog, but we keep trying.” Sounds familiar.
