Estadio Azteca, the site of the opening game of the 2026 World Cup - Source: Unsplash
2026 World Cup: Four Underdogs Who Could Win Their Groups
On June 11th, North America will open its doors to the world as the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway. The upcoming edition of the tournament will be the biggest ever, with 48 nations competing, up from 32 in recent campaigns. As such, there will be far more underdogs in action compared to years gone by.
Mexico will raise the curtain when they welcome South Africa to what will surely be a raucous Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The two nations met in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup as well; the South Africans hosting Tshabalala’s iconic opener is still played on highlight reels to this day, and billions of fans the world over will be hoping for something similarly legendary this June.
Three teams are already confirmed to make their debut in 2026, with Jordan, Uzbekistan, and the tiny island of Cape Verde all set to make their bow. We are predicting that any of them will take the world by storm this summer, but some outsiders are certainly live underdogs, especially in the group stage. Here are four that we think could upset the odds and win their groups before going on to mount a deep tournament run.
Senegal
Online betting sites aren't too big on Senegal's hopes in North America. They have been drawn into the proverbial group of death alongside back-to-back finalists France and Erling Haaland's Norway. As such, the latest Bovada sports betting odds price them as a 13/2 underdog to win Group I, but the Lions of Teranga won't be disheartened.
Senegal has just been crowned champions of Africa for the second time in just four years. Led by the talismanic Sadio Mane, the West African nation swept all before them in Morocco, beating the likes of Sudan, Mali, and Mohamed Salah's Egypt to secure their spot in the final. There, they would meet the hosts, and they would somehow manage to keep their cool in an ill-tempered final to steal an extra-time winner courtesy of Pape Gueye's thunderbolt.
While many would fear facing both France and Norway in the group stage, Mane and Co. most certainly will not. They met the former of that duo back in the tournament opener in 2002, when Les Bleus were the reigning champions, and Senegal were debutants dreaming big. In one of the biggest shockers in World Cup history, it was the underdogs who emerged victorious courtesy of a first-half winner from the late great Papa Bouba Diop. If they can replicate those heroics 24 years on, they stand a great chance of winning Group I and doing so at huge odds.
Morocco
Four years ago, Morocco was the surprise package in Qatar. The Atlas Lions managed to top a testing group ahead of Croatia, Belgium, and Canada, with their 2-0 victory against the Red Devils one of the highlights of the entire tournament. Unsatisfied with that, Walid Regragui's side went on to upset both Spain and Portugal to become the first African semifinalist in history, before ultimately losing to France.
They too have just impressed at AFCON, despite falling short of their first continental crown in 50 years. They dispatched Cameroon and Nigeria en route to reach the final, where Brahim Diaz's dismal attempted panenka penalty at the death cost his side the title. However, they will have a chance to impress again in less than six months at the World Cup.
They have been drawn into Group C alongside record five-time champions Brazil, but the Selecao aren't the force of old. At one point during qualifying, they were in real danger of not even reaching the World Cup, embarking on a run of one win in six throughout. Superstars such as Neymar are no more, with an out-of-form Vinicius Jr. tasked with leading his country to a record-extending sixth crown.
Should he falter, then the door will be wide open for Morocco to top their group for the second straight tournament. Scotland and minnows Haiti round out Group C, and the Atlas Lions will be optimistic about beating both of them as well as taking the fight to Brazil.
UEFA Path C Qualifier (Turkey, Romania, Kosovo, or Slovakia)
There are still six spots up for grabs at the World Cup, with four European and two intercontinental qualifying playoffs set to decide the qualifiers in March. UEFA Path C in particular has a great chance of winning Group D, despite being underdogs. The co-hosting United States are the 11/10 favorites to win the group, primarily due to the vociferous home support they will receive at the tournament. And with neither Paraguay nor Australia set to pose much of a threat, the Stars and Stripes will be confident of their chances.
Another team that will be confident is the one that comes through UEFA's Path C playoff between Turkey, Romania, Kosovo, and Slovakia. The winner of the playoff is currently considered a 5/2 favorite to top Group D at the World Cup, even though we don't know who the exact team will be. The heavy favorites are the Turks, and if they live up to the billing, then they will fancy their chances of winning their quartet ahead of the Americans, Australians, and Paraguayans. We fancy their chances as well.
