With 2025 drawing to a close, attention turns to a year packed with unforgettable sporting shocks — from Crystal Palace’s historic FA Cup success to David Munyua’s fairytale rise on darts’ biggest stage.

Underdog stories are sport’s lifeblood, and this year delivered them in abundance across football, tennis, darts and beyond.

Here, looks back at the biggest upsets of 2025.

Palace and Newcastle stun English football

We begin in English football, where two cup finals produced moments that few saw coming.

Crystal Palace arrived at the FA Cup final as heavy underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City — a side many expected to lift yet another trophy. While Palace were far from pushovers, City’s pedigree made them overwhelming favourites.

Instead, the final delivered drama in abundance. Eberechi Eze finished a devastating counter-attack, Dean Henderson somehow escaped a red card before later saving a penalty, and Palace held firm to secure a famous 1–0 victory.

The win sealed not only Palace’s first FA Cup triumph, but the first major trophy in the club’s history — a moment made even sweeter when they followed it up by defeating Liverpool in the Community Shield months later.

Liverpool, meanwhile, also fell victim to an upset of their own. Despite going on to win the Premier League, the Reds were beaten 2–1 by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak secured Newcastle’s first major domestic trophy in 70 years, sparking unforgettable celebrations among the travelling Geordie faithful.

Plaisier and Munyua light up Ally Pally

The PDC World Darts Championship rarely disappoints when it comes to shocks, and 2025 was no exception.

World number 92 Wesley Plaisier stunned former world champion Gerwyn Price with a ruthless 3–0 victory in the second round, dismantling the ninth seed in straight sets.

“I can’t believe it, I’m so over the moon. It’s my biggest victory ever,” Plaisier said afterwards — sentiments shared by a stunned Alexandra Palace crowd. Remarkably, Price even posted a higher match average, making the upset all the more extraordinary.

If that result raised eyebrows, David Munyua’s run stole hearts. The first Kenyan ever to compete at the World Championships, Munyua recovered from two sets down to beat world number 18 Mike De Decker 3–2 in a thrilling encounter.

His flair on stage, fearless finishing and emotional celebrations quickly turned him into a cult hero, earning him a place in Ally Pally folklore.

PSV complete the impossible in the Eredivisie

PSV’s Eredivisie title win will be remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in Dutch football history.

With seven games remaining, Peter Bosz’s side trailed Ajax by nine points. What followed was a flawless run — seven wins from seven — combined with a dramatic collapse from their rivals.

Ajax’s downfall included a first-ever home defeat to NEC Nijmegen and a crushing 99th-minute equaliser conceded against FC Groningen. PSV, meanwhile, produced their own late drama by edging Feyenoord 3–2 in a pivotal clash.

Against all odds, PSV surged to a 26th league title, snatching the crown in the season’s dying moments.

Vacherot’s Shanghai fairytale

Valentin Vacherot produced one of the most remarkable tennis stories of the year by winning the Shanghai Masters — becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in the tournament’s history.

Ranked 204th at the time, the Monegasque only entered the draw after late withdrawals. He made the most of his chance, defeating Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune and Alexander Bublik en route to the final.

There, he overcame his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 to complete a dream run that stunned the tennis world.

Vacherot’s career has since skyrocketed, climbing to world number 31 — proof that Shanghai was no fluke.

Arminia Bielefeld’s Pokal dream

German second-tier side Arminia Bielefeld enjoyed a magical DFB-Pokal run, reaching the final after eliminating four Bundesliga opponents.

Following an opening-round win over Hannover, Bielefeld went on to beat Union Berlin, Freiburg, Werder Bremen and holders Bayer Leverkusen — a remarkable sequence in a competition often dominated by Germany’s elite.

Their journey ended with a 4–2 defeat to Stuttgart in the final, but the memories of their giant-killing run will live long in the club’s history.

A season to forget for Real Madrid

Rounding off the list is an upset of a different kind. Real Madrid are usually the benchmark across every competition — but 2025 saw the Spanish giants fall short on all fronts.

They were beaten to La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup by fierce rivals Barcelona, while Europe brought further disappointment.

Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal in stunning fashion, with Declan Rice scoring two unforgettable free-kicks, before suffering a heavy 4–0 defeat to PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

For a club accustomed to silverware, it was a season that underlined just how unpredictable sport can be.