World Cup 2026 Underdogs

Jordan qualified directly to the World Cup 2026 after pulling a surprise in the Asia World Cup qualification group G. They were matched against favourites Saudi Arabia and two countries that are ranked below in the rankings – Tajikistan and Pakistan.

With 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss they finished the group with the same amount of points as Saudi Arabia, but due to the better goal difference top their group. On the final matchday they beat Saudi Arabia in an away match 2-1 and made history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history. 

Yet, the majority of Jordan players are relatively unknown to the football fans outside Asia. The biggest star is Mousa Tamari who at the moment plays in Ligue 1 for Stade Rennais while many others play in top flight middle east teams.

Jordan’s chances to win the World Cup are compared to 1000 to 1 while the chances of winning the group are 40 to 1. They are in the group alongside Argentina, Austria and Algeria so it is very likely that this team will end their journey after the group stages.

Iraq has some deep feelings for Mexico as they have qualified for the World Cup once in 1986 as the tournament was hosted in this particular country. However, they lost all three group matches and were sent home. 

For this year’s edition they had a very strong qualification stage as they finished the group with the perfect record. Iraq won all 6 matches against Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines.

Despite this, the team does not have any widely known stars with very few playing in the European top league. Z.Iqbal (FC Utrecht) and M.Doski (Viktoria Plzen) are expected to make the difference, but on paper the team looks weak.

Iraq also have 1000 to 1 chances to win the most prestigious tournament, but it is hard to see this team even exiting the group. They are in the death group with France, Norway and Senegal so at least a point in such a group for them would be a decent achievement.

South Africa is a more common name to the World Cup watchers as the country is getting prepared for their 4th appearance in the tournament. However, the team has never advanced beyond the group stage, so let’s quickly review their chances of doing so.

This African team deserves more respect than several other underdogs as they were competing in a very strong qualification group with huge favourites Nigeria alongside Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. 5 wins were enough for them to top the group as they have surpassed Nigeria and Benin by one point.

Yet, the names in the squad should not scare the other nations as Lyle Foster from Burnley is the only player that plays in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Their chances to reach the gold is 1000 to 1 so it is not surprising that this team is also included in this article.

South Africa are in the group with the hosts Mexico, South Korea and Czech republic as overall this group can be considered as one of the weakest. But the African nation is still the World Cup underdogs even alongside these teams as their chances to win the group are being compared to 13 to 1.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, held across the US, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, including a new knockout round. While favorites like Argentina, France, and Spain dominate the FIFA World Cup 2026 Power Rankings, underdog teams such as Jordan, Iraq, and South Africa could provide surprises.

Jordan makes its debut after a historic qualification, Iraq returns after a long absence, and South Africa aims to advance beyond the group stage. Fans can follow the full tournament schedule and place bets through top betting sites.