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Every tournament or competition in the world has a team which overperforms to an extent. This 'fairy-tale' that sports promises is something that excites fans. In the recent past we have seen teams like Leicester City win the Premier League, Atletico Madrid usurping the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid etc. Even teams like Burnley, Southampton and Newcastle United have clinched unlikely European spots in the last few years.
In the past few World Cups, teams like Costa Rica, Senegal, Ghana, South Korea and Turkey have all made impressive and unlikely runs in the competition. Costa Rica topped a group with heavyweights England, Italy and Uruguay. They were eliminated by the Dutch in the quarterfinals in 2014 on penalties. South Korea and Turkey both made it to the semi-finals in 2002 and the African teams always surprise in the World Cup.
This year has a few wild-cards as well, so let's look at which teams may pull off a surprise at the World Cup.
#5 South Korea
In a group with Germany, Sweden and Mexico, South Korea aren't fancied at all. Germany are the obvious favorites in this group, with most people pegging Mexico or Sweden to take the second berth with Die Mannschaft. However, South Korea are getting lost in the discussion. Led by their talismanic forward Son Heung-Min, South Korea are underdogs in every right of the word.
South Korea may not have the deepest squad, but their talent cannot be disputed. Their captain Ki Sung-Yueng has been a star in the Premier League for quite a few seasons. They have the young and exciting star Hwang Hee-Chan and can trust midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol. Their organised system saw them finish runners-up behind Iran in the AFC Qualification.
The friendlies haven't been kind to South Korea. In 5 friendlies, they have one win, one draw and three losses. However, I believe that they have enough oomph to impress in the tournament. They have been drawn against Germany, Mexico and Sweden, and feel they should be able to get through the group stage and face either Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland or Costa Rica in the next round. Unless they face Brazil, they may just get to the quarters of the tournament.
#4 Peru
Peru are the biggest surprise packages in the World Cup this year. Edging out bitter-rivals Chile, Peru took the qualifier berth and beat New Zealand to book their plane to Russia. The draw has been kind to them, as they have been given France, Denmark and Australia. Of course these teams all pose a massive threat, but Peru have the ability to at least make it past this group. The return of banned captain Paolo Guerrero is a massive morale booster as well.
Even though they are ageing, Christian Ramos and Alberto Rodriguez are two great bets for central defense for Los Incas. Along with that they also have a great backup in the form of Anderson Santamaria. In the midfield they have players like Yoshimar Yotún, who can play in a multitude of positions, including defensive midfield. Christian Cueva and co. are also present in the midfield. Peru's main strength is going forward, with players like their captain Paolo Guerrero, Jefferson Farfan and Andre Carillo.
The threat of teams like Denmark and France, in particular, will be a challenge for Peru to overcome, but the cohesiveness of this squad may just enable them to get through the group, and possibly progress further. They weren't fancied in 1970, when they made an unexpected run to the quarters, and they aren't fancied now. If the team pull together, they could face one of Argentina, Nigeria, Iceland or Croatia in the next round. This may be daunting, but Peru may just pull it off and go further than anyone ever thought they could.
#3 Senegal
No strangers to pulling off a few surprises, Senegal will be looking forward to escaping a relatively easy group of Poland, Japan and Colombia. Even though most would peg them to lose out to Poland and Colombia, Senegal have the power to overpower their opposition. Captained by West Ham United's Cheikhou Kouyaté, the team of Sadio Mane and co. will be looking forward to making a run in the cup.
This is probably the best crop of Senegalese players in recent history. Having the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly in the back, and Keita Balde Diao up front must be reassuring. Koulibaly has the likes of Mbodji to rely on, whereas the midfield has their captain Kouyate with players like Cheikh N'Doye and Alfred N'Diaye. Much like Peru, the primary strength is in front of goal. Players like M'Baye Niang, Diafra Sakho, Sadio Mane and Keita Balde will lead the attack for Senegal.
Getting out of this group means that they would face either England, Belgium, Panama or Tunisia. It won't be easy if it is either of the first two, but would this even be a World Cup if a heavyweight didn't get knocked out by a minnow? Senegal seem highly likely to surprise fans this tournament.
#2 Nigeria
Nigeria may be a part of the proverbial group of death, with teams like Argentina, Croatia and Iceland also in the mix. However, this doesn't mean that the Super Eagles should be written off. Nigeria may not have stars of yesteryear to help them, but they have a young crop of hungry players. Under captain John Obi Mikel, players like Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Alex Iwobi will be hungry to prove something to the world. Along with Wilfried Ndidi, Troost-Ekong etc. Nigeria may be the surprise package of this year.
Talent may be leaning towards the attacking side for Nigeria, but stability in the midfield and a relatively experienced defense may just form the winning combo. Players like Ndidi and Mikel will anchor the midfield, while Ekong can be led by the experienced Elderson Echiéjilé. Even though they have functional players across the team, their stars are up front. Iheanacho may have misfired for Leicester City last season but he has 8 goals in 18 appearances for Nigeria. With Moses and Iwobi feeding him balls, he could be a very deadly force up front.
I honestly think that Nigeria may just get out of their group and make a deep run. If they do get out of their group, they will most likely face France, Peru or Denmark.
#1 Morocco
In a group with Spain, Portugal and Iran, it is easy to count out Morocco, who don't necessarily have any big names in their squad. They are captained by Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia, who is their key man.
The goalkeeping position is up for grabs between Girona keeper Yassine Bounou and Numancia keeper Munir Mohamedi, but both are good enough to do a solid job in goal. Along with them, the defense has captain Benatia, Manuel Da Costa and youngster Achraf Hakimi. There are players like Hakim Ziyech, Younes Belhanda and Karim El Ahmadi playing in the middle of the park. Going forward, unlike the other teams, Morocco do not have a lot of firepower, but they do have utility players like Aziz Bouhaddouz or Youssef En-Nesyri.
Even though Morocco are in a challenging group, they will face Spain, who have had a managerial crisis at the last minute, and Portugal, whose ageing team may not perform the same way they used to. If they do progress, it would probably set up a clash with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay or Egypt. This seems like a relatively simple draw, if they make it through.
