Who Is Everybody’s World Cup Dark Horse?

It's probably a bit early to be previewing the World Cup with club football still very much at the forefront. Yet, I keep being drawn to Japan and the form they've shown in recent years.

While they may have been friendlies, Japan beat Germany and Brazil while scoring an outrageous amount of goals in almost every match.

Of course there are well-known stars like Kubo and Mitoma, but this team is all about playing as a collective. An impressive combination of high pressing and an ability to sit in a low block when needed.

I genuinely think they have a good shot at beating their best ever tournament finish and reaching the Quarter Finals.

I'm really interested to hear everybody's thoughts on Japan's chances, but also who you think could be a dark horse. I'm thinking about starting a mini-series examining the potential dark horses.

As for Japan though, I wrote an article for World Football Index if anybody is interested in reading more here: https://worldfootballindex.com/2026/03/world-cup-2026-dark-horses-are-japan-set-for-a-historic-feat/