New Zealand

They're a plucky underdog nation from the South Pacific that punches above its weight just to qualify for the World Cup, usually scraping through via the Oceania region where competition is thinner than in most other parts of the world. Heading into 2026, the All Whites — as they're nicknamed — will be riding the boost of hosting the tournament alongside the US and Canada, which gives them automatic qualification and a massive home-crowd energy they've rarely had on the world stage. Watch to see if playing in front of passionate local fans can help them actually grab a result or two, because historically they've been respectable but rarely threatening, and this could genuinely be their best-ever shot at making a splash.