Surprise Nations Poised to Make a Splash at the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

No one was more excited for an expanded World Cup than these nations.

The moment it was announced that the World Cup would expand from 32 to 48 teams, footballing nations rejoiced. No matter your thoughts on FIFA’s expansion of seemingly everything in the sport, you can’t deny that a bigger playing field presents wonderful opportunities for countries that aren’t your typical football powerhouses.

The qualification process for the biggest sporting event in the world is nothing short of gruesome. Very few make it, especially from Africa and South America. It was survival of the fittest. Egypt three-peated AFCON in the 2000s but did not make any of the three world cups in that time span.

Nations that have never sniffed a World Cup or had not seen it in a long time finally stood a chance. And with the qualifiers winding down, there are surprise teams ready to join the big dance from across the continents. These are a few that could make a splash next summer.

Norway

It has not been an easy last few years for Norwegian football, as this current crop of players has been dubbed “a golden generation” with captain Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland leading the charge.

And while those two have put up the numbers, defensive struggles have plagued Norway over the past few years. Disastrous qualifying campaigns for multiple EUROs and the 2022 World Cup cast a huge cloud of doubt above the nation. However, this round of qualifiers has cleared the haze and the light is now visible.

Norway currently sits at 15 points through five games of qualifiers and a whopping plus-21 goal difference after a 11-1 victory over Moldova. Haaland finds himself at the top of the goal scorer charts for qualifiers with nine goals in five games. Their marquee victory so far was a 3-0 triumph over Italy in Oslo, which set the tone for a possible first World Cup qualification since 1998.

It has been a long 27 years for Norwegian football, but the “golden gen” is here to make its first big statement. Young stars like Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa are ready to help the established superstars make Norway a dangerous force.

Bolivia

If you had to rank the harshest places to play football in, Bolivia would sit near the top of the list. Thanks to its altitude, many South American stars have struggled to play in Bolivia — but it hasn’t been enough of an advantage to propel the nation to a World Cup for nearly three decades.

Part of the reason is that CONMEBOL qualification has been notoriously difficult, as only a maximum of five teams qualified under the previous 32-team format. That number might as well have been three, as Brazil and Argentina are perennial qualifiers. But with the expansion, eight South American nations can now make the final tournament, giving countries like Bolivia and Venezuela additional hope.

Heading into the final day of qualifying, Venezuela, who had never played in a World Cup, had a two-point lead over Bolivia for the final playoff spot, as they faced Colombia in Venezuela. Meanwhile, Bolivia was in the comforts of their high altitude and hosted Brazil. In typical South American fashion, chaos ensued as Venezuela-Colombia saw three goals happen in the first 10 minutes, with Colombia eventually winning 6-3. Meanwhile, Bolivia staved off the powerhouse Brazilian squad with a 1-0 victory to ensure a spot in an inter-continental playoff.

Now while their spot is not guaranteed, Bolivia have given themselves a strong shot at qualifying for the first time since 1998, and a key reason was their strong home record in qualifiers, with the altitude effect coming into play.

Cape Verde

No federation was happier to see the World Cup expand from 32 to 48 teams than the Confederation of African Football. In my opinion, CAF qualification has historically been even more grueling than CONMEBOL, as only five spots had been up for grabs prior to the expansion.

The CAF are now sending at least nine teams to the World Cup, which is a huge jump. Nations who never stood a chance under the old process are now looking at the prospect of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever. The most intriguing is Cape Verde.

Cape Verde are coming off a strong African Cup of Nations which they reached the quarterfinals, losing to South Africa on penalties. The qualifying stages has been just as successful, with their marquee win coming over Cameroon in a match that was essentially for first place in their group. With two matches left and four points ahead of Cameroon in second, Cape Verde is in the driver’s seat to secure a spot at the World Cup for the first time.

Jamaica

With three CONCACAF nations hosting and getting automatic spots, the North and Central American qualifying process is unlike the others. Only three automatic spots are up for grabs (in addition to two playoff spots), which makes the CONCACAF process a bit more difficult. With the three main hitters already qualified though, it allows the best of the rest to really stake their claim and qualify for the grand stage. In previous years it has been Panama and Costa Rica laying that claim.

This qualifier, it looks like Jamaica is ready to make their case as they have started strong in their qualifiers with two wins in two games. Led by Steve McClaren, the “Reggae Boyz” are ready to be at the World Cup for the first time since 1998. What makes Jamaica unique from the others, is the talent they can potentially call to their disposal, if they have their best negotiating skills at the table.

The nation of Jamaica boasts many talented footballers that choose to represent other nations, but the tide has slightly changed as of recent. Players like Michail Antonio and Demarai Gray who represented England once upon a time, chose to switch their allegiance to Jamaica. There have been rumors of Mason Greenwood joining, but according to McClaren, the maligned forward was not ready to decide just yet.

World Cup qualification might be the chip the federation can use to convince the fringe players to switch over. After all, what can be more intriguing than a spot at the World Cup?

Jordan

Finally, we have a nation that has already booked their spot at the World Cup for the first time in their history. With five rounds of qualifying, Asia has the lengthiest process of all federations, with the winner of the fifth round still having to play in an inter-continental playoff. Luckily for Jordan, they were able to qualify in just three rounds after a stellar campaign.

Few nations of Jordan’s size have enjoyed a better last couple of years in football. At the Asian Cup they shocked the world and made the final before ultimately losing to Qatar, but had some monumental victories in the tournament, such as their 2-0 victory over South Korea in the semifinals. It was that momentum that gave them a boost for qualifiers and they used it to their full extent to get an automatic berth.

Standouts include Rennes winger Mousa Tamari, whose seven goals and two assists proved to be clutch throughout the qualifiers. It is unknown what Jordan can do at the World Cup, but judging from their Asian Cup run, they have the mettle to make a run in tournament play.