India, July 10 -- There's no story like an underdog story. From history to literature to fantasy - be it a handful of Athenians holding off a Persian invasion in 500 BCE, Edmond Dantes escaping his prison chateau to rebrand himself the Count of Monte Cristo, or two puny Hobbits destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom - nothing quickens the pulse and stirs the imagination quite like an against-all-odds triumph.

In sport, there are some moments when underdog stories are the only ones that matter.

So, France's total domination so far and Brazil's shock exit last week notwithstanding, the early stages of all football World Cups are inevitably the songs of the unsung. Expand the field to 48 teams instead of 32, as this 2026 editio...