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The 2022 FIFA World Cup will kick off in a little over a week and it's time we assessed the teams and gauged their chances at the tournament. The World Cup is the biggest sporting spectacle in the world of football and it has always delivered a copious amount of thrills throughout its existence.
Every World Cup has one or more surprise contenders or 'darkhorses' that defy the odds to produce surprising results. The 2022 FIFA World Cup has its fair share of teams that can spring a surprise and upset the odds.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five teams that could cause upsets at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#5 Canada
Canada last played in a World Cup in 1986. But they have reason to be optimistic this time around as they have a number of top players in their squad.
Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies is one of the best in the business. Lille henchman Jonathan David will lead the attack and he has been in great goalscoring form this term.
In 14 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit, David has scored nine goals and provided three assists. Additionally, Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and Club Brugge winger Tajon Buchanan have both impressed in the UEFA Champions League as well.
They are not the final product just yet, but coach John Herdman has done a good job with his unit and he boasts a 67% win percentage after 46 games. Canada have been drawn against Croatia, Belgium and Morocco in Group F.
They will need to start on the right note and if they do, they might just be able to cause a couple of upsets at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#4 Senegal
Senegal are, by far, the best African team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, Sadio Mane picking up an injury will be a huge blow for the Lions of Teranga. But Senegal have named Mane in their 2022 FIFA World Cup squad and will be taking him to Qatar.
Senegal are the reigning champions of Africa and have quite a few players who are in good form heading into the tournament. High-profile players like Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia and Nicolas Jackson are all included in the squad.
Drawn against the Netherlands, Ecuador and Qatar in Group A, Senegal are fancied to make it to the knockout stages. They definitely have enough firepower to pull off a few surprises at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#3 Japan
Japan made it to the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They still have a team with several quality players but they have been drawn in a difficult group. Japan will face Spain, Germany and Costa Rica in the group stage.
The vast majority of Japan's first-team players currently ply their trade in European leagues. Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Schalke's Maya Yoshida will be key to their defence.
Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda, AS Monaco's Takumi Minamino, VfB Stuttgart's Wataru Endo, Freiburg's Ritsu Doan and Eintracht Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada are all familiar faces. If they can all play well together, they can cause problems for some of the best teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#2 Wales
Wales have made it to the World Cup after 64 years. They had to beat Austria and Ukraine in back-to-back knockout ties to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite having passed their primes, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey continue to be the main star attractions for the Dragons.
Both players are still capable of turning in solid performances and veteran midfielder Joe Allen could also play an important role. The young guard looks promising as well with the likes of Neco Williams, Dan James, Ethan Ampadu, Harry Wilson and Joe Rodon all capable of making a difference.
They've been drawn in Group B alongside England, Iran and the USA at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Beating England could be tough but Wales will fancy their chances against Iran and USA and they could very well go on to have a long run at the tournament.
#1 Serbia
It was clear from Serbia's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign that they are a unit that needs to be taken seriously. After all, they finished at the top of their qualifying group and forced Portugal to test their luck in the playoffs.
Serbia have a raft of extremely talented players. They have two proven goalscorers in Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the latter in particular being quite impressive for the national team in recent times. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been tearing it up for Lazio this season and he could play a pivotal role at the World Cup.
With players like Nikola Milenkovic, Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, Luka Jovic and Nemanja Gudelj providing ample support, Serbia look like a formidable unit. They have been drawn against Brazil, Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Even if they can't beat Brazil, Serbia will believe they can beat Switzerland and Cameroon. If they do that, they will take on the winner of Group H, which consists of Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea. It wouldn't be advisable to bet against Serbia if they come up against any of those teams.
