CORNERFLICK
The 2026 World Cup is being tipped to produce another surprise team, and Ecuador, Japan and Norway look the strongest candidates from the source notes.
Ecuador arrive with the sort of defensive record that makes knockout runs possible. In South American qualifying they conceded only five goals in 18 matches, kept 13 clean sheets and went 19 games unbeaten. Sebastián Beccacece has built a side around organisation rather than risk, with Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié and Willian Pacho at the core. The obvious concern is scoring, leaving much of the burden on veteran striker Enner Valencia.
Japan have already shown they can upset major powers. They beat Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup and have also posted strong results against England and Brazil. Hajime Moriyasu has spoken openly about aiming for the title, while Takefusa Kubo, Daichi Kamada, Daizen Maeda and Ayase Ueda form a settled attacking group.
Norway return to the tournament after 28 years away, led by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. They scored 37 goals in eight qualifying games, with Alexander Sørloth, Antonio Nusa, Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup adding depth in attack. Experience at major tournaments remains the main question.
The expanded format means there is more room for an outsider to break through, and all three sides have a case.