The 2026 World Cup is just days away – and it’s the biggest one ever. Three host nations, 48 teams and 1,248 players. With such a large tournament, the chances are that at least one unfancied team will tear up the form book and go on a deep run in North America. Below, we rank the nations most likely to spring a surprise this summer. 1. JapanJapan seem to have been on the brink of a World Cup breakthrough for decades but have never made it beyond the Round of 16. It should not be forgotten that they beat both Spain and Germany in their group at Qatar 2022 before losing on penalties to Croatia. Observers of Asian football say this squad is better than 2022 – even without the injured Kaoru Mitoma. The Samurai Blue have talent throughout the side yet somehow feel more than the sum of their parts. A difficult path awaits with group games against the Netherlands and Sweden but they are capable of rising to the occasion. 2. SenegalArguably Africa's top side have been on the fringes of the top 10 in Fifa's rankings for a while – and with good reason. Forgetting the late rumpus that appears to have deprived them of the Afcon title, the team were worthy winners on the pitch in that tournament. Senegal's XI is packed with quality players from Europe's top five leagues and a 3-1 friendly win over England in Nottingham last year shows they do not care much for reputation. Senegal are fast, skilful and unpredictable. They have the firepower to trouble even the top sides. Attacking talents like Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye are well-known to Premier League audiences and ready to deliver on the world stage. 3. Morocco Had it not been for the resignation of Walid Regragui, perhaps more observers would be talking up the 2022 semi-finalists. Regragui orchestrated that historic feat four years ago but quit after January's Afcon left his relationship with the federation strained. Mohamed Ouahbi has stepped up and will lead a talent-packed squad this summer. He won the Under-20 World Cup last year, upsetting Argentina 2-0 in the final. It's a team packed with attractive, technical footballers like Bilal El Khannouss, Ismail Saibari and crown jewel Brahim Diaz. Morocco will almost certainly be a threat once again.Play01:24Morocco count down to World Cup return after historic run to 2022 semis4. ColombiaColombia are almost guaranteed to be a great watch given their abundance of maverick attacking talent. Who wouldn't want to watch a side boasting James Rodriguez, Juan Fernando Quintero and Luis Diaz? Throw in more talent like right-back Daniel Munoz and striker Luis Suarez (not that one) and you've got a side capable of doing some damage. 5. Norway “It will be stinking hot … the Scandinavians won't be used to that,” was the verdict of Graham Arnold, manager of Norway's group stage rivals Iraq. Arnold might just have a point with heat most certainly a factor for the European contenders this summer, but that hasn't stopped many tipping Norway to be the surprise package. Top attacking talent like Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa means it is the best Norway side in years. Norwegian football has been going through something of a revival, with Bodo/Glimt collecting major scalps in European competitions and the national team wiping the floor with the opposition – including Italy – in qualifying. 6. Ecuador Miserly Ecuador are also a team tipped to do well after an impressive performance in South American qualifying. They started the process -3 after fielding an ineligible player but still eased to qualification. They had two players on the pitch in the Uefa Champions League final with PSG's Willian Pacho and Arsenal's Piero Hincapie among their ranks. Throw in Chelsea's defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo and you've got a seriously strong base to work from. 7. Mexico Built in the image of grizzled veteran coach Javier Aguirre, the co-hosts might just cause a bit of a stir. Aguirre's Mexico are not exciting, but they are solid and will be hoping to replicate the quarter-final runs they enjoyed in 1970 and 1986 when they previously hosted the tournament. With no qualification campaign required, El Tri have had to rely on friendlies to build momentum. And while the standard of competition has varied considerably, they are unbeaten in seven, keeping six clean sheets. That run included creditable draws with Belgium and Portugal. On home turf at the Azteca, they'll be formidable foes. Win the group and they'd stay there for the knockouts. 8. TurkeyWould it even be a major tournament if Turkey weren't being touted as dark horses? They rarely live up to their billing but don't lack exciting talent with the likes of Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz among the most coveted young players in Europe.