Ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the fortunes of teams previously evaluated as "dark horses" are diverging.

Before the tournament's kickoff, teams such as Japan, Norway, Senegal, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico were selected as dark horses by leading global media outlets.

Now that the tournament is underway, Japan and Norway have been elevated to competitive teams capable of vying for the championship rather than mere dark horses, while Ecuador and Senegal have fallen short of expectations.

Competing in Group F, the "Group of Death," alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia, Japan surprised the world by dramatically drawing 2-2 in their opening match against a formidable opponent, the Netherlands.

Following that, on June 21, they faced Tunisia and secured a resounding 4-0 victory, scoring the most goals in a single match by an Asian nation in World Cup history. With one win and one draw (4 points), Japan has green-lighted its path to the round of 32.

Praise has poured in, with many noting that Japan's team organization and tactical execution demonstrated in this World Cup have already surpassed the level of the Asian continent.

Immediately after Japan's 4-0 victory, world-renowned Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimović praised the team in an interview with US broadcaster Fox, saying, "We should no longer call Japan a dark horse. Japan is a team that consistently delivers such performances; they are not a dark horse, but a genuine title contender."

He added, "A 4-0 victory and dominant performance at the World Cup are never down to luck. They come from the quality of the squad, team discipline, confidence, and players who perfectly understand their roles."

Norway, which reached the finals for the first time in 28 years by scoring a whopping 37 goals and winning all eight matches in the European qualifiers for the World Cup, also secured an early spot in the round of 32, led by "monster goalscorer" Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

Following a resounding 4-1 victory over Iraq in their opening Group I match, Norway defeated Senegal 3-2 in their second match on June 23. With two wins (6 points), Norway secured its advancement to the round of 32 alongside France.

Haaland, who poured in 16 goals during the European qualifiers, proved himself as Norway's star striker by scoring two goals in each of the consecutive matches in the finals.

Host nation Mexico, placed in Group A alongside South Korea (which was also designated as one of the dark horses), comfortably advanced through the group stage with two wins (6 points).

In particular, starting with a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their final group stage match of the 2022 Qatar tournament, Mexico went on to defeat South Africa (2-0) and South Korea (1-0) in this tournament, setting a milestone of three consecutive World Cup wins for the first time in the country's history.

Senegal, which advanced to its third consecutive World Cup after going undefeated in the African qualifiers (7 wins, 3 draws), is struggling in third place in Group I with two losses, falling behind France and Norway instead of creating a sensation.

While they still have a chance to advance to the round of 32 if they defeat Iraq—who also sits in fourth place with two losses—on June 27, a challenging schedule awaits them as they would have to compete against strong teams from other groups for a spot in the round of 16.

Ecuador drew significant attention before the tournament due to its solid back-four defense, which conceded only five goals in 18 South American qualifying matches, where they finished second behind Argentina.

Although they boasted a tight defense by conceding only one goal in the Group E matches, they suffered a 0-1 loss to Ivory Coast and drew 0-0 with Curaçao, a debutant team considered the weakest in the group. As a result, they now face a heavy burden in their final match against group leaders Germany, who have already advanced to the round of 32.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)