The World Cup is almost upon us and in this article, we will give you our best value World Cup best ‘Dark Horses’ selections.
World Cup Best Dark Horses Selections
USA (66/1) ❌ Eliminated
Hosts of the World Cup have generally done well over the years, and the USA perhaps look best-equipped to make a deep run in the competition.
Six hosts have ended up winning the World Cup, two have finished runners-up, three have finished in third place, two have ended in fourth position, whilst five have reached the quarter-finals – something The Stars and Stripes have not achieved since a surprise run in South Korea/Japan back in 2002.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men were 11/8 favourites to win their group, and they did exactly that, wrapping it up after MD2 following back-to-back wins over Paraguay and Australia.
The USNMT were drawn against Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 32 and, despite being reduced to 10 men, went on to win 2-0 to set up a Round of 16 tie against Belgium.
However, their run was ended by the Red Devils, as they were defeated 1-4 by Rudi Garcia’s men.
Switzerland (80/1) Now (66/1)
Switzerland qualified for their sixth consecutive World Cup finals thanks to an unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign (W4-D2-L0), eventually finishing three points clear of nearest challengers, Kosovo.
Murat Yakin’s men also come into this tournament off the back of a successful Euro 2024, as they went unbeaten in the group stage (W1-D2-L0), knocked out reigning champions Italy 2-0 in the Round of 16, before being beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual finalists England on penalties.
The Red Crosses were favourites to win what on paper looks like a relatively soft group containing co-hosts Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Qatar, and despite somehow drawing against Qatar in their group opener, they managed to do exactly that following back-to-back wins over Bosnia & Herzegovina and Canada, before defeating Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32.
Switzerland have been knocked out of the Round of 16 in four of the past five World Cup finals, and they will hope that trend doesn’t continue as they take on a Colombia side that has impressed in the tournament.
Ecuador (100/1) ❌ Eliminated
Ecuador qualified for this summer’s World Cup thanks to a terrific qualifying campaign, as they finished behind only reigning World and Copa America Champions Argentina, despite starting with a three-point deduction.
The key to their success was an exceptional defensive record in which they conceded just five goals across their 18 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, recording an incredible 13 clean sheets.
Sebastian Beccacece’s men are paired in a group with heavyweights Germany, the Ivory Coast and debutants Curacao, and just about managed to qualify after drawing with Curacao and defeating Germany in their final two matches after beginning their campaign with an injury-time defeat to the Ivory Coast.
However, La Tri’s run came to an end in the Round of 32, as they were beaten 2-0 at the Azteca against co-hosts Mexico.
Senegal (125/1) ❌ Eliminated
Senegal qualified for their third consecutive World Cup finals and fourth overall as they topped their World Cup qualifying group, thanks to an unbeaten campaign (W7-D3-L0), scoring 24 goals and conceding just three times, finishing two points clear of the DR Congo.
Since then, it appeared Senegal had claimed their second Africa Cup of Nations title after beating World Cup 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in a controversial final, but they were stripped of the title two months later.
Pape Thiaw’s men were pitted in what would previously be known as a ‘Group of Death’, as they were drawn alongside beaten finalists in the last World Cup, France, free-scoring Norway, as well as Iraq, and after losing their opening two matches against the latter two, they squeezed their way into the knockout stages following a 5-0 thrashing of Iraq.
The Lions of Teranga were on course to reach the Round of 16 after they led Belgium 2-0 in the 85th minute in their Round of 32 tie, but they somehow managed to concede two goals in the space of three minutes before losing in extra time.
*all odds from Bet365 correct at the time of writing
Greg MacLean is a football tipster and betting analyst who has been writing on the Mr Fixit site for 4 years now, as well as having his own Private Telegram Channel. He is a Rangers season ticket holder and watches plenty of football not only here in the UK but all across Europe and all over the world. To keep up to date on everything, feel free to follow him on Twitter/X (GregMacLean_).
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