The FIFA World Cup has been full of controversy, excitement, and upsets after the group stage. But perhaps the most talked-about topic of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the FIFA underdogs. This year has seen many teams qualify for the first time (or first time in a very long time), which has attracted a lot of attention from fans across the world. Not only are these FIFA underdogs qualifying, but many are also causing unpredictable upsets. Below is some of the highlights of the group stage, where some of the most unlikely teams have rose to fame and success!
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Australia
As an Australian myself, no list would be complete without mentioning Australia. While we are pretty world-renowned for our sporting achievements, often cleaning up at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and many other track and field, team sport and individual sporting events worldwide, football is not usually our forte. At least with the men’s teams. Our Matildas (or Tillys – yes, we nickname everything) are a different story.
The fact is, most Australians call football soccer and do not pay it any attention, usually. We are not familiar with the rules, and many people don’t have a preference when you ask Ronaldo or Messi? A question that sparks debate and passion amongst many worldwide.
In the first match, Australia were the clear FIFA underdogs with about a 15% chance of winning compared to group favourites Turkiye. In a stunning upset, Australia won 2-0. How did this happen? How did a team with a combined net worth of 77 million beat Turkiye, a team with a 600 million dollar net worth, and one player with a net worth of 90 million?
- A Masterclass in Goalkeeping: Australia’s goalkeeper Patrick Beach had the best game in Socceroos history for a goalkeeper, marveling in 8 saves. Instead of playing the veteran Maty Ryan, Popovic played 22-year-old Patrick Beach.
- Defense Block: The Socceroos created a defensive block of 4-5 players, forcing the Turkish team to strike from further out and defended the ball with passion.
- Fast and Tall Socceroos: Socceroos boasted 4 players in the top 10 fastest speeds in the first week of the group stage. On top of that, many players are above 190cm, with a key defender, Harry Souttar, measuring a huge 198cm. It is hard to get around this giant.
While the second game ended in a 2-0 defeat against USA, Australia has passed the group stage and will reach the knockouts. While given not much hope to pass the knockout stages, if they display more fight like in their game against Türkiye, they could make more upsets throughout the tournament.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde has been one of the best stories of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far – entering as clear FIFA underdogs and already becoming internet sensations. Making their first-ever appearance at the tournament, they have taken two impressive draws from their opening two matches in Group H. First, they held Spain to a shock 0–0 draw in their World Cup debut, producing a disciplined defensive display and frustrating one of the tournament favourites.
They then followed that up with an even more eye-catching 2–2 draw against Uruguay, twice coming from difficult moments to earn another point. After two games, Cape Verde sit on 2 points in Group H, level with Uruguay and still very much in contention to reach the knockout stage heading into their final group match against Saudi Arabia. For a debutant nation of Cape Verde’s size, it has already been a remarkable tournament, and their performances have shown they are far more than just outsiders making up the numbers.
Curacao
Curaçao’s World Cup campaign has been a tougher one than Cape Verde’s, though their hopes are not quite over yet. Their first-ever appearance at the tournament began in brutal fashion with a 7–1 defeat to Germany, leaving them with a mountain to climb in Group E from the outset.
However, they responded impressively in their second match by holding Ecuador to a 0–0 draw, earning the nation’s first-ever World Cup point. Goalkeeper Eloy Room was the standout figure, producing a superb performance to keep Curaçao in the game and, with it, in the group-stage picture. After two matches, they sit bottom of Group E with one point, behind Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador, and the damage done to their goal difference in the opener means qualification remains unlikely, but the FIFA underdogs are not hanging in the towel just yet.
Even so, recovering from such a heavy opening loss to take a point on the World Cup stage was a major achievement, and it leaves them heading into their final group match against the Ivory Coast with at least a faint chance of forcing their way into the top-three race.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have had a solid if slightly frustrating World Cup so far. They began their campaign with a narrow but important 1–0 win over Ecuador, a result that immediately put them in a strong position in Group E and gave them a real chance of pushing for qualification.
However, they were unable to build on that in their second match, losing 2–1 to Germany despite putting in a competitive performance against one of the tournament favourites. After two games they sit second in the group on three points, behind Germany but still ahead of Ecuador and Curaçao, meaning qualification remains firmly in their hands heading into the final round of fixtures.
Their last group game against Curaçao is now a huge one, as a win would almost certainly be enough to send them through, while anything less could leave them relying on other results. Overall, Ivory Coast has put itself in a decent position, but they still have work to do to turn a promising start into a place in the knockout stage.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
The DRC has been another impressive underdog of the FIFA World Cup series. At the time of writing, they are ranked 2nd in Group K – above Portugal. The DRC has an impressive run up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the African Cup of Nations, they drew with the AFCON winners of 2025 Senegal in their second time meeting and were only ousted by Algeria, a very strong team.
Considering the hardship facing the DRC, their road to the World Cup has been impressive – as has their first games. They drew with Portugal 1-1 in what is considered one of the tournament’s largest upsets thus far.
Interestingly, part of the teams request to FIFA was that their unofficial hype man was granted a visa to support them in the USA. Michel Nkuka Mboladinga is a Congolese soccer superfan famed for posing as a living statue during DR Congo national team games. While supporters around him chant, jump, and celebrate, Mboladinga stands upright and completely still for the full 90 minutes—sometimes even longer—with one arm raised. He is often posing in a colourful suit and pays homage to the country’s first Prime Minister – Patrice Lumumba who lead the country to independence over Belgium.
The team is undoubtedly skilled, ranked the 28th best team. Still, an upset such as tying with Portugal was not exactly expected. It is promising for the DRC’s future at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Can FIFA Underdogs Win The Tournament?
In modern World Cup history, the trophy has almost always been won by the traditional heavyweights: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Spain and Uruguay. Those teams usually have the deepest squads, the strongest domestic development systems, and enough quality to survive the seven-match grind of a World Cup. An underdog can absolutely make a deep run — think of teams like Croatia reaching the 2018 final, Morocco making the 2022 semi-finals, or South Korea reaching the last four in 2002 — but actually going all the way is a much bigger ask.
To win the tournament, an outsider usually needs not just one upset, but four or five outstanding performances in a row against elite opposition, plus a bit of luck with injuries, refereeing decisions, momentum and the knockout bracket.
It might be a bit longer before we see Australia, the DRC, or Cape Verde in the final. Realistically, many will be knocked out in the next stage. However fans across the world can dream and an upset is all apart of the game.
