The underdogs to look out for in the World Cup 2022

Over the years, the World Cup has provided us with some of the greatest surprises in the sport's history. The number of teams expanded from 24 to 32 in 1998. Once this transition had taken place, it opened up the possibility of smaller nations entering the competition and upsetting the odds. However, even though some of these smaller underdogs have often put in spirited performances, it is usually one of the former winners who emerges victorious once it gets to the business end of the competition.

Today, we will explore which teams could be dark horses for this year's competition and upset the bigger and more traditional nations. Usually, at least one team emerges from the back of the pack to give the bigger nations a run for their money. World Cup soccer 2022 is the perfect setting for a giant-killing. It is probably the best possible platform. For the neutral, this is what makes the game so entertaining. However, it isn't very pleasant if your country is on the receiving end.

While some countries mentioned in today's article may not seem like underdogs, they are compared to the tournament favorites. We will break it down and give you our pick of the teams we think could go the furthest in this year's competition in Qatar.

Denmark

With a tight-knit squad of high-quality players, Denmark is always one of the nations to keep an eye on in the World Cup. Throughout the years, they have nurtured phenomenal talent in their ranks, such as the Laudrup brothers Brian and Michael, as well as Peter Schmeichel and Christian Eriksen.

Last year, they reached the semifinals of the Euros, and they currently find themselves in the top 10 in the world rankings. While analysts may not fancy them to go all the way, their teamwork and spirit could push them to a surprise position in the tournament.

United States of America

The United States will be looking to prove a point in Qatar. Not only are they hosting the next tournament in the region but they also did not qualify for the tournament in 2018. The Americans have always been seen as rank outsiders, despite qualifying for the tournament on more than one occasion.

However, their superstar Christian Pulisic, the most expensive North American footballer of all time, will be hoping to put in a good showing and drive them beyond the group stages – not only to salvage some pride for his country but to try and win favor back at his club Chelsea, where he has been linked with a move away.

The US team also have other Premier League stars in their setup, such as Brenden Aaronson, the second most expensive American player of all time. Both Pulisic and Aaronson are in the prime of their careers. This tournament might be happening at just the right time for both of them to have the maximum impact.

South Korea

If you're looking for a team to fly under the radar and challenge the higher-ranked teams, South Korea is the pick for many sports bloggers and journalists. They have one of the best attacking players in the world, Son-Heung min, and center-back Kim Min-jae, who is beginning to make waves at Napoli. The young defender picked up the Serie A player of the month award last month.

While they may not have the depth of Brazil or France, the South Koreans will be happy to work hard in the background. If they get the opportunity, they may just surprise one of the top five teams, much like they did to Germany in the 2018 World Cup.

Uruguay

It might be unfair to refer to a team that has won the World Cup twice as 'underdogs’ – especially a team that includes young Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez, Luis Suárez and Fede Valverde. Although Luis Suárez is edging towards the end of his career, he is a serial winner who has won everything there is to be won in football, except the World Cup.

Whether he can add this to his trophy list this late in his career is probably unlikely. However, while other analysts and enthusiasts are being distracted by their South American counterparts, Argentina and Brazil, this could provide ample opportunity. In theory, it could provide the perfect setting for the likes of Suárez and Núñez to mount an offensive and inspire the Uruguayans to a decent run in the competition.