Population of 55,000 + world ranking 136! This small country unexpectedly reached the 2026 World Cup

Who can think of it? The 2026 North American World Cup has not yet started, and the most exciting drama started in the qualifying rounds - it is not Messi's Argentina defending the title, nor the United Kingdom, France and Brazil competing for the championship, but a "small country" with a total population of 55,000 and a world ranking of 136. It has actually reached the threshold of the World Cup. Two more steps can rewrite the history of football!

Let’s first look at the favorites and then look at the dark horses: this small country is hidden in the standings.

Now when talking about the World Cup, fans are all staring at the traditional powers: Argentina wants to retain the championship, France, Brazil, England, and Portugal are holding back the championship. Morocco in Africa and Japan in Asia have also locked in their spots. But in the corner of Group L in Europe, the Faroe Islands, a small country whose sovereignty is under the control of Denmark, has quietly climbed to third place in the standings:

is only 4 points behind Croatia and 1 point ahead of the Czech Republic - you know, the entire population of this country is less than a community in China. In the past, it won a maximum of 2 games in the World Cup qualifiers. This year, it won 4 games directly. Even the Czech Republic was defeated by them 2-1!

3 consecutive wins + a winning team: They made the "impossible" a reality.

The Faroe Islands' operation is completely the football version of "Counterattack". The most brutal match was on October 12. Facing the stronger Czech Republic, they scored first in the 67th minute. After being equalized, they were able to win with a buzzer-beater and directly won 3 consecutive victories.

What’s even more awesome is that they completely broke the record in this qualifying round: they defeated the bottom Gibraltar twice, beat Montenegro 4-0, and defeated the Czech Republic. Their 4 wins completely tore up their previous "fish belly" label - you know, they had difficulty winning two consecutive qualifying rounds!

If you want to enter the World Cup, you only need two steps: win Croatia + wait for a "help"

Of course, if you want to realize the dream of the World Cup, the Faroe Islands have to pass two hurdles: they must win against Croatia next month (the runner-up team in the 2018 World Cup), and they must also hope that the Czech team will "drop the chain" - the Czech Republic will play against Gibraltar, which is at the bottom of the group and has lost all 6 games. As long as the Czech Republic cannot win 3 points, the Faroe Islands will get a ticket to the play-offs.

It seems difficult, but they have even achieved "from 0 to 4 wins". Who dares to say "impossible"?

Less than 15,000 men: Relying on youth training to achieve miracles

The football reporters of "L'Equipe" were dumbfounded and directly posted: "This is crazy! There are less than 1.5 men under 40 years old. A country with thousands of people can actually play like this, all because of spending money on youth training! "

Yes, the Faroe Islands have a small number of people and it is difficult to select talents, but the head coach did not show off and focused on youth training, and he managed to turn a limited number of people into a team that can fight hard. If they can really qualify, they will become the smallest participating country in the history of the World Cup - pick a team out of 55,000 people and compete with the top 31 players in the world. Just thinking about it makes you excited!

Now fans all over the world are staring: Can the Faroe Islands beat Croatia next month? Can you wait to come to the Czech Republic to “send warmth”? Do you think this small country can create the biggest upset in the World Cup?

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