Nothing is set in stone yet in the upcoming World Cup 2018.
Brazil, Germany, France, Spain and Argentina may be the favourites to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy in Moscow, but in a competition where the only option is to win, there could be a few surprises every now and then.
While the chances of the other 27 nations aren’t that high against the heavyweights of world football, there are still a few who can be considered promising dark horses.
Today, we take a look at five teams which have the most realistic chance of succeeding in their respective groups and pulling off a surprise or two in Russia.
Belgium
The Belgians have never won a World Cup nor a European Championship, but there’s a reason to believe they can finally break that curse.
Currently third in FIFA’s world ranking, Belgium have shown they have what it takes to play with the best after going undefeated in Group H of Europe’s football World Cup qualification. In fact, they are the first European nation to qualify for Russia 2018!
Their performance in Euro 2016 somehow dropped their stock, but they should easily dominate the group stage where they were drawn in Group G alongside minnows Tunisia and Panama. Only England, young and rising under Gareth Southgate, pose a tough challenge for them.
They have a plethora of talent with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, two of Europe’s best playmakers. There’s also Romelu Lukaku who, at 24 years old, is already their all-time record goal-scorer. Throw in Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and captain Vincent Kompany and they have a threat all over the field.
Indeed, coaching is the only question mark for them, something which boss Roberto Martinez will hope to provide an answer to this Summer.
Croatia
When it comes to talent and quality, Croatia shouldn’t be counted out as well. After all, who in their right mind would write off a team that features Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic—unarguably the best midfielders in the game?
Although many would say they are only a strong team on paper, that should still be enough to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
They face tricky opposition in Group D that includes Argentina and Iceland. The Argentines, seeking to win the coveted trophy under Lionel Messi, are almost assured of a spot in the knockout stages. This means Croatia could be battling with Iceland for the second and final qualifying spot in the group.
Iceland, authors of a magical Euro 2016 story, are the favourites behind Argentina. However, Croatia are more than capable of upsetting them, just like they did when they beat the tiny nation 2-0 earlier in the qualification process.
If their key players can replicate their club form, the Croats can undoubtedly make a nice run in this year’s tournament.
Egypt
Mo Salah.
That’s the name everyone should remember when talking about Egypt.
They are one of the biggest longshots to win the competition, but Salah’s sensational form that led to his 2017-18 PFA Player of the Year award will surely have their foes thinking twice when playing them.
Salah has proven that he can take over games at a moment’s notice, a characteristic which should be crucial in their World Cup bid. With the way things are brewing, we could even see a story similar (or better) to James Rodriguez’s exploits for Colombia back in 2014!
Egypt are pitted in the relatively easy Group A aptly called “Group of Life” (in contrast to the usual Group of Death), and they can well take advantage of the opportunity to make it to the quarter-final stage.
They qualified for 2018 World Cup for the first time since 1990, so that adds to their motivation to succeed and inspire a nation hungry for football glory.
Colombia
After mentioning Colombia and Rodriguez, it would be wrong not to include them on this list of promising dark horses.
Colombia made it to the eight of the World Cup in 2014, so they are expected to improve from their previous performance. Fortunately, they are in a good position to make it past the first round, having been drawn in a wide open group together with Poland, Japan and Senegal.
Experience will be the key for Colombia; and although they barely qualified, it should be remembered they made life hard for Brazil during the qualifying and managed to pull off a 1-1 draw against the Neymar-led squad.
That’s a morale-boosting “win” against their 2014 quarter-final tormentors and further proof they have grown by leaps and bounds.
Russia
Who could forget about World Cup 2018 host nation Russia?
Millions of Russian fans will be hoping to see their countrymen succeed in the tournament, and they will do their best to make things as uncomfortable as possible to their opponents. That’s what home-court advantage is all about!
Of course, Russia need more than just psychological advantage to win—even Brazil were humiliated on their own turf. Not to mention that they failed to turn heads during the Confederations Cup last year.
However, with the presence of star goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and the superb Fyodor Smolov, fans can dream of a berth in the knockout rounds, at least.
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