It is often said all 32 teams in the World Cup are competitive, since each of them overcome their respective rigorous qualifying campaigns to get to the grand stage. And while not all of them are successful in their pursuits, there have been dark-horses along the way who have caused mighty World Cup shocks. Let's take a look at the prospects of five teams who on their day can be a match for any opponent:
Ghana
Ghana will have no breathing space in their group against powerhouses Portugal and Uruguay and the mysterious South Korea, but they certainly have the depth of talent to cause an upset or two. The Black Stars, the last African team to reach the quarter-final, ensured a World Cup berth after denying Nigeria in the playoffs. Once again in a major tournament, the Ayew brothers – Jordan and Andre – are here, while the recent confirmation of the exciting duo Tariq Lamptey and Inaki Williams as Ghana internationals added firepower to the side. Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus and Southampton's Mohammed Salisu will be chomping at the bit to announce their grand arrivals, while Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has a fierce shot in him, besides being a brick wall for the opposition attackers. The Ghanaians still feel the pain of their heartbreaking last eight loss to Uruguay in 2010, and they have the perfect opportunity to set the record straight this time.
Poland
In all likelihood, the Qatar tournament will be the last World Cup for arguably Poland's greatest player of all time, Robert Lewandowski. The 34-year old has won all club honors possible for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich before he switched to Barcelona. The tall forward has also won a host of individual honors, including the Golden Shoe and Fifa's Best award multiple times, but flattered to deceive for the national side. Talking of one-man teams in the World Cup, there is perhaps no better example than Poland, whose fortunes depend so much on how Lewandowski does on a particular day. But if goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has a memorable campaign in his last World Cup, and the likes of Piotr Zielinski and Arkadiusz Milik put in productive displays, Poland may well turn out to be a banana skin.
Senegal
Center back Kalidou Koulibaly has hit back at the conservatism of the African sides, and said it is high time a team from their continent won the whole thing. Born in France to Senegalese parents, Koulibaly and his teammates will no doubt want to replicate the run of their compatriots El Hadji Diouf and Co in 2002. It was only the second occasion when an African team made it to the last eight. The African champions, having got past Mohamed Salah's Egypt in the World Cup playoff, will be led by star Bayern Munich and former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane. Others around Mane too have to contribute to ensure the Lions of Teranga advance past their group and into the knockout rounds, and who knows, even further.
Switzerland
The Swiss are known worldwide for their neutrality, a reason perhaps why none of the Switzerland sides of the past were talked up before a World Cup. But after topping the qualifying pool ahead of Italy, and given its squad and group opponents, there is a realistic chance that the “Nati” might repeat their best ever performance – reaching the quarters – which they last achieved in 1954 when they hosted the tournament. They could have at least emulated the feat in 2018, but imploded against Sweden in a 1-0 loss in the last 16, and the current lot led by the inspirational goalkeeper Yann Sommer will be looking to make up for the heartache. The defence will be marshalled by Manchester City's mathematical genius Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schar, who is enjoying a wonderful season with Newcastle United. Arsenal's temperamental midfielder Granit Xhaka and Nottingham Forest's Remo Freuler will assume responsibilities at the middle of the park while the Alpine Messi, 31-year old Xherdan Shaqiri is primed for one final tilt at the World Cup.
Wales
At long last, the Welsh dragons have finally qualified for the finals of the greatest show on earth for the first time in 64 years. After a long hibernation in international football, Wales also made it to the European Championship for the first time in its history in 2016. As if to make up for lost time, Wales created waves in the 2016 Euros, beating Belgium in the quarter-final, before losing to eventual champions Portugal in the last four. A similar run this year is not out of reach for Gareth Bale and his teammates. Rob Page's charges take on England in their last group stage match, and the fans back home would dearly love it if their team register a historic victory against their British rivals.