The dark horses in Russia

WITH just five days to go before the start of the Fifa World Cup, all the talk is on which of the 32 teams will walk away with the coveted trophy after the final in Moscow on July 15.

Only eight different nations have managed to win football's biggest prize so far. Three of them - Brazil, Germany and Italy - have won 13 of the tournament's 20 editions. Argentina and Uruguay have clinched the championship twice each, while France, England and Spain have one title each.

But as the old cliche goes, the ball is round and anything can happen in this sport. Croatia and Turkey - two countries that can hardly be described as football superpowers - shocked the world in 1998 and 2002 by finishing third, so it's not entirely inconceivable that one of the tournament's dark horses will somehow go the distance in Russia. BT Weekend puts the spotlight on five of these teams that are more than equipped with the talent and experience to go far in the competition.