World Cup 2018: 5 unfancied teams that could go all the way at Russia 2018

#1 Belgium

Belgium have the star quality to match anyone at Russia 2018

Die Roten Teufel or The Red Devils are no longer a surprise package given the team’s exposure and quality of players but they are still something of an unknown quantity when it comes to tournament football.

Before the World Cup in 2014, they had been tipped to be among the likely candidates to win but hobbled by the incompetence of then-coach Marc Wilmots, the team never really got going and tamely lost out to Argentina in the quarter-finals. The same pattern was repeated at Euro 2016 where the team lost out to surprise package Wales, also in the quarters.

The jury is still out on coach Roberto Martinez’s ability to lead this very talented squad to glory in Russia but the team has breezed through qualification easily beating the likes of Greece & Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The team is blessed with great options in virtually all positions with even the problematic full-back positions having decent players in Thomas Meunier (right-back for PSG) & Jordan Lukaku (left back who is Romelu Lukaku’s younger brother and plays for SS Lazio).

Eden Hazard isn’t the only world class player on the roster with Kevin De Bruyne, Toby Aldeweireld, goalie Thibault Courtois among the best players in the world in their respective positions.

If Martinez & assistant Thierry Henry can get the squad to play as a team rather than a collection of individuals, they could go the distance.