The 2026 FIFA World Cup has just begun, but we have already seen some dark horses that may somehow find the strength to ruin the top contenders’ party in North America.
This is the biggest World Cup ever and is proving to be a truly complicated and unpredictable one. We know there are several teams capable of going all the way, so much so that even betting enthusiasts are having a hard time deciding who to trust for the final victory. To address this uncertainty, betting sites have made bonuses and rewards available. These promos can be viewed and compared on platforms like oddschecker, which is a true must-visit: users can take advantage of these offers to try and predict some of the tournament’s most surprising results, without the risk of losing their own money.
The Samurai who stopped the Oranjes
The first underdog that comes to mind is Japan. The Samurai didn’t impress in their debut, playing quite poorly in the first half against the Netherlands, but in the end, they managed to tie the clash, 2-2, and win their first point of the tournament. In their second match, they easily defeated Tunisia, with a 0-4 that explains well how big the difference was between the two sides.
Japan is playing without two important players: Wataru Endo, who didn’t manage to recover after the operation he underwent in February and is now retired from the National team, as confirmed by himself on his social networks, and Kaoru Mitoma, the midfielder who plays for Brighton and won’t be available until the beginning of next season. However, they managed to find a way to win, betting on their speed and accuracy. The Japanese are not tall, nor particularly strong, but they are extremely well organized and know what their strengths and weaknesses are.
Morocco, the African champions who want to shock the world
After an unprecedented decision by the African Football Confederation (CAF), Morocco became African champions because of the temporary decision taken by Senegal to leave the pitch during the Africa Cup final, after a doubtful penalty kick awarded to Morocco. That penalty never became a goal, and Senegal deservedly won after coming back from the locker rooms, but the Moroccan Federation filed a complaint, and the CAF decided to accept it.
Now, Morocco wants to show the world that it can win even without doubtful help. In Group C, they tied with Brazil and won against Scotland. The African team is leading the group, with 4 points, the same amount as the Pentacampeones. The last game will give us the final table, but Morocco could win the group by defeating Haiti, a low-tier team, and scoring a lot of goals.
The beacon of this team could be an 18-year-old player born in France, Ayyoub Bouaddi, who plays in Lille but could easily move to a bigger club should he keep up with his performance against Brazil in this World Cup. Bouaddi is the frontrunner for the Young Player Award and has been playing very well in France. He made his first UEFA Conference League start aged just 16 and three months.
On his 17th birthday, he delivered a dazzling performance against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Can Australia truly deliver?
Another team that deserves to be mentioned here is Australia. The Socceroos lost quite badly in their second game, against the USA, but the USA is one of the hosting nations and is playing quite well under the Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino. In their debut match, the Australians played in an effective way against Turkey, winning 2-0 with a goal in each one of the two halves. They might still qualify and have good chances to do that, but must be aware of Paraguay, the team tied with them, at 3 points, in group D, but have to go back to the way they played in their first game, forgetting what they did against the States, because it wasn’t good.
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