World Cup 2026: Can Georgia, Slovakia, Slovenia make history?

The 2026 World Cup expanded to 48 teams has given hope to many mid-level football nations.

Slovakia just defeated "tank" Germany to lead Group A, Slovenia competed fiercely with Switzerland and Sweden while Georgia "declared war" with European champion Spain, determined to compete for the top spot in Group E during FIFA Days in September.

"Unknown" Caucasus region

After an impressive performance at Euro 2024 in their first appearance and reaching the round of 16, Georgia has shown remarkable maturity. They are no longer considered "underdogs" when the squad has bright stars such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Georges Mikautadze...

Georgia's strength also lies in the Nations League, where they often make good use of matches against opponents of equal strength to accumulate points and gain promotion. Currently, Georgia is capable of entering the group to compete for a play-off spot and if the draw is favorable, they can completely dream of their first World Cup in history.

Slovakia created the biggest earthquake in World Cup qualifying when it defeated Germany. Photo: UEFA

Ready to surprise

Compared to Georgia, Slovakia has much more experience in major tournaments. They participated in the 2010 World Cup and many Euros, most recently Euro 2024. The core of the Slovakian team is still very reliable with central defender Milan Škriniar, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka or Ondrej Duda. Although there are no world- class stars, Slovakia has uniformity and good organization.

With their character and stability, Slovakia is clearly one of the teams with the potential to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, even if they have to go through the play-off round.

Youth and certainty

After more than a decade of absence from the World Cup, Slovenia is showing signs of a comeback. The Eastern European team still has top-class goalkeeper Jan Oblak, a solid support in the defense. Notably, Slovenia owns one of the most potential strikers: Benjamin Šeško, who just joined Man United for more than 70 million pounds.

Although lacking in squad depth, with discipline and the ability to explode in the knockout round, Slovenia can completely become a "dark horse" in the play-off round.

In the context of Europe having only 12 direct World Cup spots plus 4 play-off spots, the chances for mid-level teams are certainly not easy. They will hardly be able to take the top spot in the group when having to compete with powerhouses like France, Germany, Portugal or England. Therefore, the second place in the group to compete for the play-off is a possible goal for Georgia, Slovakia or Slovenia.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/world-cup-2026-georgia-slovakia-slovenia-co-lam-nen-lich-su-196250908212415068.htm