Why Ecuador, Japan and Norway are the dark horses at this World Cup

It was Morocco in 2022, Croatia in 2028 and Costa Rica in 2014. Which team will make an unexpected run in 2026?

By WhoScored

Every World Cup needs a dark horse: the team no nobody quite planned for that disrupts the natural order and is remembered more vividly than the finalists. Morocco did it in 2022, beating Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals. Croatia produced a fairytale run to the final in 2018. Costa Rica topped a group that featured three former champions – England, Italy and Uruguay – in 2014 before eventually losing to the Netherlands on penalties in the quarter-finals. And South Korea, who had never won a match at a World Cup, went all the way to the semi-finals in 2002. With 48 teams at this year’s tournament, there are a few candidates to make an unexpected run to the latter stages.