NPR reports: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are making their World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand (just to name a few) have never made it past the group stage.
national | soccer | NPR | June 9, 2026 6:05 PM
To find the World Cup's Cinderellas, we have to start with the group stage
Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are making their World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand (just to name a few) have never made it past the group stage.
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This PeeDeeWire article is based on reporting from NPR and links readers to the original source for full context.
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