Curaçao, Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan: the debutants ready to shock the world

Every World Cup needs a fairytale, and 2026 has four nations writing theirs for the first time: Curaçao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan all make their World Cup debuts this month.

Curaçao's story is barely believable. With a population of roughly 156,000, the Dutch-Caribbean island is the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup. Veteran coach Dick Advocaat has built a side of Dutch-developed professionals — including the Bacuna brothers and former Manchester United winger Tahith Chong — that defends in numbers and breaks with real pace. They open against Germany in Houston.

Cape Verde topped their African qualifying group ahead of Cameroon — no fluke, but the culmination of two decades of steady progress powered by a global diaspora. The Blue Sharks open against Spain, the world's No. 1 team, in Atlanta.

Jordan rode the momentum of their run to the 2023 Asian Cup final all the way to direct qualification. Winger Musa Al-Taamari of Rennes is the star, and a date with Messi's Argentina on June 27 in Dallas already has all of Amman counting down the days.

Uzbekistan bring Central Asia to the World Cup for the first time. Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov headlines a golden generation a decade in the making. Add returning nations like Haiti (first since 1974), DR Congo (first since 1974 as Zaire), Scotland and Norway (both first since 1998), and nearly a third of the field is tasting this stage for the first time in living memory.