Germany's Nick Woltemade (11) reacts after he missed to score during the penalty shootout during the World Cup round of 32 match against Paraguay in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, on June 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
It has been a mixed week for underdogs at the World Cup. Ahead of the tournament, Japan, Ecuador and Senegal were our picks to give the traditional superpowers of football a run for their money. All three teams, despite appearing strong ahead of this edition, scraped out of their groups, only to fall at the first hurdle in the knockouts. On the other hand, we also saw Paraguay eliminate a lacklustre German side, and 2022 semifinalist Morocco defeat the mighty Dutch on penalties. To use a cliché, we should expect the unexpected, as the ruthless nature of knockouts shocks those who emerged from a cushioned group stage.Most of the Round of 32 matches have been thrillers. England, Brazil and Belgium all needed late comebacks to win, and seven of the first ten matches were decided after the 85th minute — extra time and tense penalty shootouts included. As is often the case in games of fine margins, refereeing decisions came under scrutiny: Julian Nagelsmann called it a “scandal” after Germany’s potential game-winning goal against Paraguay was ruled out; Senegal were left seething when Belgium were awarded — and converted — a controversial penalty deep in extra time; and the USA’s standout player Folarin Balogun was sent off for inadvertent contact with Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemović. The Video Assistant Referee was the convenient villain in these cases.Finally, for anyone rooting for the underdogs to pull off a surprise, Asia’s best had no answer. A record nine AFC teams made it to the World Cup this time, but the larger representation did not matter, as seven of them failed to make it out of the group stage, and Japan’s exit meant that all Asian countries were out before even the Round of 16. Reporting from the States, The Hindu’s Ayon Sengupta noted that with this World Cup, the gap between football’s established powers and the rest of the world is narrowing, and much of the hope for a fairytale dark-horse run now rests on the shoulders of African nations. Published - July 03, 2026 01:14 pm IST
