To find the World Cup's Cinderellas, we have to start with the group stage
NPR
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Uzbekistan, Jordan, https://www.npr.org/2026/05/10/nx-s1-5796264/cape-verde-tiny-nation-massive-world-cup-dream" target="_blank">Cape Verde and https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5614157/curacao-to-cape-verde-small-nations-make-big-world-cup-history" target="_blank">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.