Ecuador

They're a solid, hardworking South American side that doesn't always get a ton of attention but tends to punch above their weight when the big tournament comes around. Heading into 2026, they're riding some real momentum after making it out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which got a lot of people to sit up and notice them. Keep an eye on their young attackers — Ecuador has a knack for producing exciting, fast forwards who can catch bigger teams completely off guard.