2026 World Cup Preview: Dark Horse Teams That Could Surprise

The biggest sporting event in the world is on the horizon. In popularity, it dwarfs the Olympics, the Super Bowl, or the Cricket World Cup.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico cohosting.

While everyone is aware of soccer’s powerhouse nations—Spain, Argentina, Brazil, England—there are several other teams that fans should get acquainted with. That’s especially the case with this year’s tournament, which is the biggest ever, having expanded from 32 to 48 teams. Here’s a look at some of those under-the-radar nations that could make names for themselves.

Canada

You simply can’t discount the advantage of playing on home soil. In the 22 prior editions of the World Cup, just two host nations have failed to advance from the group stage. Seventeen of the 22 (77.3 percent) have reached at least the quarterfinals, which may be Canada’s goal this summer.

Having that type of success may hinge on the form and fitness of captain Alphonso Davies, a seven-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich, who is in a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury. Davies is the only Canadian ever to score at a World Cup, and he’s scored only once. But Canada gets all of its group stage matches up north, and it could play both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches in Canada as well.

Norway

Norway is ranked 31st in the world, and there are over a dozen European teams alone higher in the FIFA Rankings. But two words give the Norwegians a shot at a deep run: Erling Haaland.

The Man City superstar is participating in his first World Cup—it’s Norway’s first appearance since 1998—and he’s arguably the best goal scorer in the world. He just won his third EPL Golden Boot in four seasons, and his prolific nature isn’t limited just to club. Haaland led the 2026 World Cup qualification in goals (16), which was four more than anyone else. Speaking of World Cup qualifiers, Norway won its group, which had Italy in it, and was perfect doing so, winning all eight of its WCQ matches.

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast may be that NCAA Tournament mid-major that dominated its regular season schedule versus inferior opponents, making one question how good they truly are. Well, the Ivory Coasters could only play who was put in front of them, and they handled those foes with ease. The nation did not concede a single goal over its 10 qualifying games, posting an 8-2-0 record. Its goal differential of +25 was the third best of any country in any confederation during qualifying. Ivory Coast has won a single match in each of its three prior World Cup appearances, failing to get out of the group stage in each, so just adding one more victory this year could finally have it in the knockout round.

Japan

While Ivory Coast had the third-best goal differential in World Cup qualifiers, Japan had the second-best mark at +30. That came even with Australia and Saudi Arabia being in its group, and both of those nations also qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Japan is ranked 18th by FIFA, so they’re on the fringe of being a dark horse versus a contender, but history has the Japanese leaning more toward the former.

That’s because Japan has played the most matches (25) in World Cup history without ever reaching the quarterfinals stage. In fact, no Asian country has reached the World Cup quarters since 2002 (South Korea). Japan is likely the best bet to end that drought, with No. 7 Netherlands the only team in its group superior, on paper, to the Japanese.

New Zealand

The lowest-ranked team in the 2026 World Cup bracket, New Zealand is 85th in FIFA rankings, despite there being just 48 teams in the tournament. In other words, the All Whites have nothing to lose this summer, and playing freely often leads to a team playing its best.

Leading New Zealand will be striker Chris Wood, a 34-year-old who has spent the last 18 years applying his craft across England. That includes a dozen years in England’s Premier League, and it was just in the 2024-25 season that Wood ranked fourth in the EPL with 20 goals for Nottingham Forest.

Panama

While the 11 on the field will decide how far a nation advances, one shouldn’t overlook what a great coach can do. Panama is led by Thomas Christiansen, who was born in Denmark, played for Spain’s national team, and coached all over Europe before joining Panama in 2020.

While the Panamanians haven’t won any titles under Christiansen, he’s had them playing above their skis. He had Panama as runner-up at the 2025 Nations League and 2023 Gold Cup, while making a quarterfinal appearance in the 2024 Copa America and a semifinal appearance at the 2023 Nations League. While it may be a bit much to expect Panama to finally break through and win their first tournament at the 2026 World Cup, the knockout stage is certainly possible after Panama finished 32nd out of 32 teams at their only prior WC appearance (2018).