Who are the 2026 World Cup underdogs?

Can Erling Haaland inspire a historic run for Norway?

Spain, France, England, Argentina, and Portugal are among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup. Many fans will be backing one of these nations to lift the trophy come the end of the tournament. However, there are plenty of teams who will be hoping to cause an upset and, on this page, we reveal the 2026 World Cup underdogs.

1. Norway

We must go back to 1998 to find the last time Norway qualified for the World Cup and they reached the round of 16. This time, they have the formidable Erling Haaland in attack and having one of the world’s top strikers makes Norway dangerous. If they can keep things tight at the back, Norway have the talent going forward to hurt teams and it will be interesting to see how they navigate a group containing France, Senegal, and Iraq. The Norwegians were explosive in qualifying, scoring 37 goals in their 8 group matches, making them the top goal scorers. If they can continue that rate of scoring at the World Cup, expect to see Norway’s odds tumble.

2. South Africa

When it comes to the 2026 World Cup betting odds, South Africa are a true underdog. This is the third major international tournament in a row for South Africa, which shows progress. Bafana Bafana qualified by finishing above Nigeria in their group, and their squad is full of domestic league players. With co-hosts Mexico, South Korea and Czechia in their group, South Africa know it will be tough — but there are no big favourites here. For fans who want to follow Bafana Bafana’s journey closely, Bettors is your gateway to continental football news and betting education ahead of the tournament.

3. Ecuador

Due to the format of World Cup qualification in South Africa, six of the ten teams automatically qualify for the finals. However, that does not diminish the performance of Ecuador, who finished second in the table despite having a 3 point penalty for the use of false birth documents for a player in the previous qualifying campaign. Ecuador are strong defensively and conceded only 5 goals in 18 qualifying games. With Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapié, Pervis Estupiñán, and Joel Ordóñez at the back plus Moisés Caicedo in central midfield, Ecuador have a strong base. Only two teams scored fewer goals in qualifying than Ecuador so they must create more chances but a solid defence is a good foundation to cause a shock.

4. Canada

The draw has been kind to the co-hosts and they face Qatar, Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Having reached the semi-final of the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, Canada have since defeated Ecuador, Colombia, USA, Romania, Wales, and Ukraine. Canada have improved defensively under Jesse Marsch and have kept 8 clean sheets in their last 11 fixtures. The fitness of Alphonso Davies will be key and if the Bayern Munich star can remain fit, Canada will be an underdog to watch at the 2026 World Cup.

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