Two Underdogs That Could Take the 2026 World Cup By Storm 

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States is well and truly center stage in the sporting world at the moment, and one of the major talking points has been the impressive performances of the underdogs. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami caused a stir when they beat Portuguese giants FC Porto in their second game of the tournament, with the mercurial Argentine smashing home a stunning free kick to secure the victory. Brazilian side Flamengo also created headlines when they deservedly knocked off two-time Champions League winners Chelsea.

However, the biggest upset so far was certainly Botafogo's 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians were - and perhaps still are - looking like the team to beat at the Club World Cup. They thumped Inter Milan 5-0 in the recent Champions League final before kicking off their Stateside action with a 4-0 drubbing of Atletico Madrid. 

However, the Fogão are champions in their own right, having won the Copa Libertadores last season, as well as the Brazilian Serie A. And in their clash against the reigning European champions, they proved to be more than a match. Igor Jesus's 36th-minute strike was enough to secure a shock victory and prove that South American sides are more than capable of hanging with their European counterparts. However, with so many upsets unfolding, it got us thinking about next summer and the international World Cup. 

Online betting sites make the usual suspects the frontrunners. The latest odds from the popular Bovada site currently have Spain listed as the 11/2 frontrunner, with France, Brazil, and England not far behind them. But what of the underdogs? Well, here are two that we think could impress. 

Norway  

Norway has been threatening a breakout for some time now. Ever since the emergence of prolific striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, the Landslaget have built a team capable of competing with the very best. However, simply threatening a breakout isn't enough. 

No team in Europe is on a longer major tournament qualifying drought than the Norwegians. It's been a quarter of a century since they last walked out on a grand stage, namely at Euro 2000. You have to go back a further two years for their last appearance at the World Cup. However, now the time finally seems nigh for Norway to qualify and end their barren spell. 

They have kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in perfect style, winning all four of their opening games, scoring 13 goals and conceding just two. While their 4-2 win against Israel was impressive, it was their 3-0 home triumph against Italy that truly put the rest of the world on notice. Norway didn't just scrape a win; they dominated, racing into a three-goal halftime lead with Haaland netting the third, before comfortably managing their way through the second period. 

Next summer, the bookies consider Norway a distant 50/1 outsider. As such, there will be long odds on them embarking on a deep tournament run, perhaps even reaching the quarterfinals. That would certainly be considered an achievement, but the Norwegians know that first and foremost, they have to secure qualification. Anything less would be an unmitigated disaster. 

Canada 

There's something about the host nation at a World Cup. Russia came within a penalty kick of reaching the semifinals in 2018, while South Korea did reach the final four in 2002. Next year, Canada will be in that role, alongside both the USA and Mexico. But while those two have somewhat struggled in recent times, the Maple Leafs are riding the crest of a wave. 

Back in 2022, a stellar cast led by Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years. They followed that up with a run to the Copa America semifinals last summer, and now they are on the hunt in the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup. At next year's World Cup, they are considered a whopping 150/1 outsider, but we think they have more than enough about them to reach the knockout stages, and who knows where beyond there.

Both Davies and David remain the stars of the show. They are two players who have gone on to reach superstardom in Europe, with the latter expected to secure a huge move this summer following the expiry of his contract with French side Lille. The emergence of Promise David over in Belgium helped to lead Union Saint-Gilloise to the Pro League title last term, while central midfielders Stephen Eustaquio and Ismaël Koné provided a strong spine to Jesse Marsch's team. 

The former Leeds United boss will be hoping for a best-ever display next summer in front of an adoring home crowd, and we can certainly see them making an impression. Of course, that depends on a favorable group stage draw, but don't write them off in any of their fixtures in 12 months' time.