2026 World Cup: Five dark horses to watch

Norway have emerged as a popular dark horse pick for the 2026 World Cup and it's not hard to see why. Led by a certain Erling Haaland up top with Martin Odegaard just behind him, the Scandinavians have a squad filled with dependable figures like Fulham's Sander Berge and Brentford's Kristoffer Ajer, with enough elite quality sprinkled in to make them a serious threat. RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa could be one of the breakout stars of the tournament.

The Norwegians breezed through qualifying with a perfect eight wins from eight, beating Italy twice along the way, and have lost just one competitive game since October 2023. Drawn in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Iraq, they will fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages at the very least. Norway take on France in the final round of group fixtures in what could be one of the best games of the group stage.

View the latest Group I betting odds.

Tom Johnston of Ladbrokes said:

They're in a tough group with France and Senegal, but I fancy Norway to make a run at this World Cup. Erling Haaland is one of the biggest superstars at the tournament and he has Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard supplying him. They have reliable Premier League performers like Sander Berge and Kristoffer Ajer, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Alexander Sorloth providing support for Haaland. 21-year-old winger Antonio Nusa is one to keep an eye on. There won't be many teams wanting to draw Norway in the knockouts.

Asian powerhouses Japan arrive in North America full of confidence after pulling off a string of impressive victories against top-level opposition in the last year. They beat Brazil for the first time in their history 3-2 last October, before playing England off the park in a 1-0 victory at Wembley in March. Japan are in Group F with Sweden, Tunisia and Netherlands, and shouldn't be ruled out of a shot at winning the group.

Kaoru Mitoma will be a big miss through injury, but Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan shone at Qatar 2022 and Daizen Maeda finished the season in superb form for Celtic. The likes of Daichi Kamada, Wataru Endo and Ao Tanaka provide solid midfield depth, with the Samurai Blue possessing plenty of energy and technical quality throughout the team.

It's Japan's seventh-straight World Cup, and they've made it to the last 16 on each of the previous two occasions, suffering heart-breaking defeats to Belgium and Croatia. They surprisingly topped their group in Qatar ahead of Spain and Germany, and they could well surprise a few more big names in 2026.

View the latest Group F odds.

Ecuador are another underdog looking to make their mark at the World Cup, and given the recent history of teams in proximity to the host nations doing well - Morocco in 2022, Ghana in 2010, South Korea in 2002 to name a few - there is reason to believe. The South Americans have qualified for back-to-back World Cups and are in remarkable form, having not lost since September 2024 and finishing 2nd in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

They're in a tough-looking Group E with Germany, Ivory Coast and Curacao, but the presumed favourites of the group exited at the first hurdle in 2018 and 2022 so could carry some scar tissue. Ecuador's hopes will be built on their solid defence featuring Arsenal's Piero Hincapie and PSG's Willian Pacho, while Moises Caicedo has developed into one of the Premier League's best midfielders at Chelsea. In conditions that should suit them, the Ecuadorians will be no pushovers at all.

View the latest Group E odds.

Another European nation going under the radar is Switzerland, who qualified for the 2026 World Cup without fuss, going unbeaten through their qualification campaign. The Swiss are favourites to win Group B ahead of Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Qatar, giving them a good chance to advance to their fourth consecutive last 16 tie.

Granit Xhaka and Noah Okafor both impressed after signing for promoted clubs Sunderland and Leeds, while Breel Embolo and Ricardo Rodriguez are familiar faces at international tournaments. Long-serving keeper Yann Sommer may have retired, but Dortmund stopper Gregor Kobel is a more than adequate replacement, while Manuel Akanji is a rock at the back. Switzerland have upset a host of big names over the years - Spain in 2010, France at Euro 2020, Italy and nearly England at Euro 2024 - and a favourable-looking group could set them up for a deep run in North America.

View the latest Group B odds.

Matt Blogg of Ladbrokes said:

While I do think the favourites will dominate this World Cup, I can see Switzerland surprising a few people this summer, with a reasonably straightforward Group B giving them an excellent platform to go far into the knockouts. The experience of the likes of Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji coupled with the threat of Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye, and Noah Okafor strikes a nice balance, so I'm picking Murat Yakin's side as my dark horses.

Last but not least is DR Congo, who are the biggest outsider of teams listed here at 750/1 to win the World Cup. The Leopards have qualified for the first time in 52 years and find themselves in Group K along with Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

It's something of a golden generation for DR Congo, led by the likes of Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa, Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki and West Ham's Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Chancel Mbemba, Cedric Bakambu and Arthur Masuaku are among the other recognisable names plying their trade in Europe. The new World Cup format means they could benefit from qualifying as one of the best third-place teams, and from there, anything can happen.

View the latest Group K odds.

Cian Cheesbrough of Ladbrokes said:

It's their first World Cup in 52 years, but I think DR Congo might emerge as one of the surprise storylines from this tournament. With the likes of Noah Sadiki, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Yoane Wissa in their ranks, the squad isn't short of top-level talent, while qualifying out of Group K ahead of Colombia and Uzbekistan looks very achievable. They will also hopefully have viral fan Patrice Lumumba supporting them from the stands, so it's hard not to get excited by the potential of a successful run for DR Congo.

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