5. A small island with a population of 40,000, it won 9 points in the 4 rounds of the World Cup preliminaries! The starting price was 2.82 million, and it was slightly defeated by the World Cup runner

The 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup preliminaries is really a big year for the emergence of big dark horses. There is Cape Verde in the African region, and the Faroe Islands, ranked 136th in the world, in the European region. This "mini team" from the North Atlantic has made fans all over the world look up to it. The Faroe Islands, with a population of 54,000, defeated Montenegro 4-0 at home (ranked 80th in the world), winning their third victory in the past four rounds and scoring 9 points; they are only two steps away from reaching the World Cup for the first time in history!

The Faroe Islands, this Danish overseas autonomous territory located between Norway and Iceland, consists of 18 islands, with an area of ​​only 1,399 square kilometers and a population of less than 55,000 - almost equivalent to a Chinese county. But it is such a "football island" that managed to perform its own miracle in the European arena where there are so many strong players. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the biggest dark horse in the European division of this World Cup preliminaries.

Facing Montenegro, which is ranked 56 places higher in the world and worth 14 times more (starting price 2.82 million euros vs. 40.25 million euros), the Faroe Islands have no fear. They pressed aggressively from the start, with a ferocious rhythm and direct counterattacks. The core player Frederiksberg sent out god-level statistics of 2 shots and 2 passes. Sørensen scored twice. The home audience set off a sea of ​​blue and white again and again. When the fourth goal was scored, the audience stood up and cheered. Many fans burst into tears. At that moment, they really believed that the dream of the World Cup is no longer just a fantasy. This is the charm of football!

After this victory, the Faroe Islands' points reached 9 points, second only to Croatia and the Czech Republic in the same group with 13 points, temporarily ranking third in the group. In the past 4 rounds, they have 3 wins and 1 loss, and the only defeat was a 1-goal defeat against Croatia away from home. They have already beaten Gibraltar twice, and now they have defeated Montenegro. They have every chance to reach second place in the group and win the World Cup play-offs. It would be exciting if they take first place!

Because in the last two rounds, the Faroe Islands will face the Czech Republic at home and Croatia away. These two teams are direct opponents for promotion (Montenegro and Gibraltar have already been eliminated). As long as they score two upsets and score 6 points, all the impossible will become a reality. For such a team that has almost never been looked at before, this is simply a dream-like situation.

You know, in the 2018 World Cup preliminaries, they were beaten 5-1 and 6-0 by Portugal in two rounds, and Ronaldo scored four goals alone. Earlier, when they faced any traditional strong team, they almost always lost and calculated their victory. From a super fish belly to the current disruptor, the Faroe Islands are really awesome! Although their stadium only has a few thousand seats, it is always packed. Island residents will bring national flags, pots, pans, and trumpets to the scene to cheer. It is an island-wide festival. Today, this small island is ushering in its own "golden generation." Fredriksberg, Sørensen, Edmondson and others have emerged one after another. They have shown the world that even with a population of only 50,000, as long as they dare to fight, they can stand on the world stage.