4 Dark Horses to Watch at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Which underdogs are worth watching with the US out?
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Starting on June 14th, 32 nations will watch their national soccer teams compete for international glory. For a brief moment, 32 nations will have an equal chance of raising the World Cup trophy. In reality, only a handful of teams have any real shot of winning this summer’s FIFA World Cup. France, Germany, and Brazil are the favorites while teams like Spain and Argentina have an outside shot. Everyone else is just hoping to do their best and put on a good show.
But who should we expect to put on the best show? As a fan of Team Chaos, I’m always interested in the teams that will cause upsets and ruin pre-tournament predictions. Watching dark horses emerge is one of the most entertaining parts of the World Cup. There are always a few teams who overperform and experience an unlikely amount of success and this World Cup should feature several. Here are four dark horses to watch at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt
Over the last 30 years, The Pharaohs have both overachieved and underachieved at the international level. While experiencing an incredible amount of success at the African Cup of Nations over the last few years (winning three straight titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010 and finishing as runner-up in 2017), World Cup qualification has kept slipping through the Egyptians’ grasp. This will be their first World Cup since 1990.
Egypt has consistently shown they are one of the top teams in Africa. While they probably won’t top Uruguay in Group A, their dark horse status relies on their ability to advance over Russia and upset the entire host nation. Only once has the host nation failed to advance from the group stages, due to the huge home court advantage and favorable refereeing that comes with hosting.
After successfully navigating qualifiers, Egypt has found themselves in the very doable Group A with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and host nation Russia. Uruguay is rightfully expected to win every match while Saudi Arabia is projected to finish in last place in the group. That leaves second place, and a spot in the knockout rounds, as a tossup between Russia and Egypt. Provided they play well and Russia doesn’t find themselves with mysteriously beneficial calls, Egypt has a shot to make the knockout rounds for the first time. If Egypt can break Russian hearts and create some chaos for their opponent in the Round of 16, they will have lived up to their dark horse potential.
Who to watch: Mohamed Salah
Egypt’s dark horse potential rests firmly on the shoulders of Mohamed Salah. Salah is coming off of one of the all-time great individual seasons , winning Premier League Player of the Season, BBC African Footballer of the Year, and the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 32 goals this season (a Premier League single season record). Egypt may not boast the most talented roster, but with a Ballon D’Or contender like Salah on the roster anything could happen.
Unfortunately, Salah suffered a shoulder injury in the UEFA Champions League Final and has a short time to recover before the World Cup. Egypt’s first game is against Uruguay and the Pharaohs will need Salah healthy if they hope to compete in their opener. Egypt’s World Cup fate rests squarely on Salah’s shoulders — hopefully his shoulders will be healthy enough to carry that weight.
Iceland
There is no telling just how high Iceland can climb. It seems impossible that such a small nation could field such a competitive team. Iceland has roughly the same population as Lexington, Kentucky (around 350,000) and is the smallest country by population to ever qualify for the World Cup. Yet, they are a popular pick to shake things up.
Iceland advanced out of the group stage of their inaugural European championship appearance in 2016 after defeating talented Austria and tying eventual champions Portugal. In the knockout rounds, Iceland defeated heavily favored England before falling to France in the quarterfinals. While their success at Euro 2016 seemed like a bit lucky, their qualification for the World Cup has shown that they are the real deal. They definitely have the potential to give bigger teams problems and cause some chaos and they are in the perfect group to do so.
Iceland’s Group D opponents are incredibly strong teams. Argentina, with possible best player of all time Lionel Messi, is looking to win the entire tournament. Croatia is loaded with talent like Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. Nigeria is one of the strongest sides in Africa and can give any team a headache. On paper, Iceland has the weakest squad in their group. However, they have shown time and again over the last few years that they are ready to compete with any team. Hopefully they cause a fair bit of chaos at the World Cup, send two strong sides from their group home early, and perform their Viking chant a couple of times.
Who to watch: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Iceland’s roster is not loaded with star power. They are even managed by a man that is a part-time dentist. Gylfi Sigurdsson may be the only recognizable name on the entire team. Sigurdsson has been a Premier League mainstay for the last several years and has won Icelandic Footballer of the Year every year since 2012. He is an incredibly effective set-piece specialist and the most talented player on the squad. While Iceland has always played as more than a sum of its parts, they will need some strong performances from their best player to have a chance of advancing out of their group.
Morocco
Morocco will be playing in the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. After such a long period without any substantial successes, Morocco qualified for the World Cup and did so in resounding fashion. The Atlas Lions not only went undefeated in their final qualification group, but they did not concede a single goal.
A solid defensive showing is exactly what Morocco will need if they have any hope of advancing out of their group. Led by team captain and current Juventus player Medhi Benatia, Morocco’s backline will have to stifle the attacks of Portugal and Spain in Group B. While I like Morocco’s chances against Iran, Portugal and Spain are much more difficult opponents. Portugal is the reigning European Champion and have the (debatably) best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, while Spain’s team is immensely talented and features several players that won either the 2010 World Cup or Euro 2012. Upsets are possible, but both Spain and Portugal are looking to bounce back from their poor showings at the 2014 World Cup where both teams were eliminated at the group stage. If Morocco can bring their best defensive game, they have to potential to send a much more accomplished team home early.
Who to watch: Hervé Renard
The man on the touchline, Hervé Renard, has an impressive résumé at the international level. In 2012, he coached minnows Zambia to a shock victory over powerhouse Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations final. Then in 2015, he coached Ivory Coast to and African Cup of Nations final victory. Renard showed with Zambia that he can produce results even when he doesn’t have the most talented team. Hopefully he helps another underdog exceed their expectations. I’m hoping that after the World Cup his name will pop up as the USA continues their coaching search.
Belgium
While the rest of this list has been about dark horses that will hopefully make this tournament interesting, Belgium just might be a dark horse to win the whole thing. Belgium is currently in their golden age. The current Red Devils roster is the best it has every been and is more than likely the best it will be for decades to come. Their roster is stacked with players from the world’s top clubs and features world class talent like Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Vincent Kompany. The other dark horses on this list would be incredibly fortunate to make the quarterfinals, but only making the quarterfinals would be an immense disappointment for Belgium.
Belgium should easily win Group G. They should handily defeat both Panama and Tunisia, and they have the talent to take the top spot in the group over England. After the group stages, Belgium’s first knockout round opponent would be from Group H. Belgium is certainly more talented than any team in that group. They have a clear path to advance to the quarterfinal — they just have to seize the opportunity.
The only thing Belgium has to be worried about is squandering their potential. Roberto Martinez, while a decent coach, is not considered by many to have the skill to navigate the World Cup. Martinez has already alienated fans by refusing to call up Radja Nainggolan, who absolutely has the talent to be included in the 23-man roster. If the squad lives up to their potential and questionable coaching doesn’t get in the way, Belgium has the talent to go all the way.
Who to watch: Kevin De Bruyne
If Mohamed Salah didn’t have the season of a lifetime, Kevin De Bruyne would have run away with all of the Premier League individual accolades. While he didn’t win Player of the Season, he still helped Manchester City win the title, earn over 100 points in the regular season, and managed to lead the league in assists. Kevin De Bruyne will use his creative prowess to help set up teammates like Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard and serve as a huge piece to the potent Belgian attack. The Red Devils are loaded with difference makers, but Kevin De Bruyne may be the biggest one.
