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

<p>It was Morocco in 2022, Croatia in 2028 and Costa Rica in 2014. Which team will make an unexpected run in 2026?</p><p>By <a href="https://www.whoscored.com/">WhoScored</a></p><p>Every World Cup needs a dark horse: the team nobody quite planned for that disrupts the natural order and is remembered more vividly than the finalists. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/11/moroccos-world-cup-odyssey-has-changed-what-it-means-to-be-the-underdog">Morocco did it in 2022</a>, beating Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals. Croatia produced <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/14/luka-modric-worlds-greatest-croatia-france-world-cup-final">a fairytale run</a> 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 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jun/29/sport.worldcupfootball2002">all the way to the semi-finals in 2002</a>. With 48 teams at this year’s tournament, there are a few candidates to make an unexpected run to the latter stages.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2026/jun/10/japan-ecuador-norway-dark-horses-world-cup-morocco-croatia-costa-rica">Continue reading...</a>