Is Iceland expected to become a dark horse in the World Cup in Russia?

As a suspense creator and title spoiler, dark horse is an essential "X element" in the Football World Cup.

If you want to set a performance standard for dark horses, they must at least break into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Costa Rica team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the last World Cup is a well-deserved dark horse. Previously famous dark horses include the South Korean and Turkish teams in the Korea-Japan World Cup, and the Croatian team in the France World Cup.

The former dark horse legend left endless topics for the World Cup.

Now, 32 princes are about to gather in Russia. Which one will take up the banner of the new force that challenges the traditional power?

European teams may have the greatest hope.

Nearly all the Icelanders moved to France. One-tenth of the population of this small country of 320,000 came to watch the game at the Stade de France, witnessing the Icelandic team writing a new history with a winning goal.

The Icelandic team’s performance in the 2016 European Cup was unforgettable. Now, this small Nordic country has reached the top 32 of the World Cup for the first time, becoming the first country to participate in the finals with a population of less than 1 million. .

The Icelandic team is no longer a national team composed of semi-professional football players. The first batch of football teenagers that have been built since the beginning of the 21st century have grown into the national team, and most of them are now concentrated in the English league. , Icelandic League and Nordic League. The team's top star is Sigurdsson, who plays for the Premier League team Everton and is currently worth up to 30 million euros.

It will be difficult for the Icelandic team to qualify from Group D. Argentina, with Messi, is the seeded team in this group, Croatia is Iceland's old rival in Europe, and Nigeria is also strong.

The Icelandic team is not considered the favorite to qualify in this group, but they underestimated their opponents in the European Cup, and without exception they heard the "Viking War Cry" of the Icelanders celebrating their victory.

If Iceland, a little-known but capable of breaking through, can really make some achievements, it will naturally be a top-notch dark horse.

Content source: NetEase News