There may be another team not mentioned that might make a Cinderella run, and that is part of why people watch sports. The World Cup always creates stories no one saw coming.
Four teams are making their tournament debuts this year. Here is a look at each of them.
Uzbekistan, the White Wolves or Turanians, is ranked 50th in the world. They qualified through Asian qualifying, finishing second in a group with Iran, the UAE, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea. They finished only two points behind Iran.
At the World Cup, Uzbekistan was in a group with Portugal, Colombia, and DR Congo. Their best player is Manchester City center back Abdukodir Khusanov.
On paper, Uzbekistan is one of the weaker teams in the tournament. The odds are against them making it out of the group stage.
Jordan, Al Nashama, is ranked 63rd in the world. They qualified through Asian qualifying from a group with South Korea, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait. It wasn’t a comfortable run, as they finished second by only one point.
Musa Al-Taamari is their main man, who plays for Rennes in France. He is the first Jordanian player to play and score in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Jordan is now in a group with Argentina, Austria, and Algeria. They are one of the most unknown teams in the tournament and one of the least likely to reach the knockout stage.
Cabo Verde, Tubarões Azuis, is ranked 67th in the world. They qualified through Africa qualifying, finishing first in a group of Cameroon, Libya, Angola, Mauritius, and Eswatini. They finished four points ahead of Cameroon.
At the World Cup, they were placed in a difficult group with Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. It’s a hard draw, but if they stay disciplined, they could create chances when stronger teams commit too many players forward. That could open space for Dailon Livramento, who plays in Portugal’s top flight.
Cabo Verde does not bring high expectations, but they could surprise people and even make it out of their group.
Curacao, the Blue Wave, are ranked 82nd in the world. They qualified through North American qualifying from a group with Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda.
The group came down to the final day between Jamaica and Curacao. Jamaica were favorites and only needed to win, but Curacao held them to a draw and qualified for their first World Cup.
This is a team with a beautiful away jersey, and they will be easy to root for. Their qualification is a huge achievement because Curacao has the smallest population of any nation ever to reach the World Cup.
Their main player is Tahith Chong, a former Manchester United academy player who now plays for Sheffield United in the EFL championship. He may not have had a great season, but he is still the most talented player on the team.
Curacao were drawn into a group with Germany and two dark horses Ecuador and Cote d’Ivoire. They are unlikely to advance, but should be one of the most interesting debut teams to watch.
