KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Former football stars Abbas Saad and Fandi Ahmad have tipped Germany as the dark horse of the World Cup, while warning that refereeing controversies and political distractions risk overshadowing the tournament itself.

Former Australian international turned pundit Abbas Saad, said the expanded tournament makes it harder than ever to predict a winner, but he believes only a handful of teams are genuine contenders.

“It’s very difficult, honestly,” he told Malay Mail when met.

“I broke it down into five teams — Spain, France, Germany, England and Argentina. Anybody from those five can win it.”

While France and Spain remain among the favourites, Abbas said Germany have quietly emerged as a serious threat.

“I think Germany is my dark horse,” he said.

“England is one of the favourites. You’ve got Spain, France, England and Argentina as the top four favourites but nobody is talking about Germany.”

Fandi agreed, saying Germany looked different from previous tournaments.

“Germany this year are different,” he said.

The Singaporean football legend noted that modern football had evolved significantly, with teams becoming fitter, pressing higher and transitioning faster than before.

“Most teams are high pressing now,” he said.

“The trend is tactical defensive football — absorb pressure and attack.”

Fandi also singled out Japan as one of Asia’s strongest hopes, praising their ability to break quickly from deep positions.

“They make runs from deep and they are all sprinters,” he said. 

“They’re very good counter-attacking teams.”

Abbas said Japan appeared the most likely Asian side to make a deep run, while South-east Asia still had some way to go before matching the continent’s elite.

“I’m hoping Japan will go far,” he said. “They’re probably capable of going the furthest from Asia.”

The pair also discussed a series of controversies that have surfaced during the tournament, ranging from refereeing decisions to allegations involving political symbolism by match officials and the much‑maligned hydration breaks.

Hydration breaks have been described as a deceptive way for advertisements to play during these pauses, and at some matches, despite the cool weather, match officials have been seen delaying the restart to allow the ads to fully play out on television.

The former stars questioned the widespread use of hydration breaks, arguing that stoppages can disrupt momentum and alter the flow of matches.

Abbas said it disrupts momentum, especially for teams on an attacking flow, while Fandi said it allows the opponents to recover, so it’s a double-edged sword.

“It could be an advantage for teams who are under pressure because they get a chance to recover and reorganise,” Abbas said.

Fandi agreed that such breaks should only be used when weather conditions genuinely warrant them.

“If you’re in Mexico and it’s 40 degrees, we can understand that but it was raining in Canada and they still took a drink break. It doesn’t make sense for me.”

Abbas said officiating remained one of football’s biggest variables.

“One bad officiating decision, a red card or a mistake can change the dynamics of the game,” he said.

As for Fandi, he lamented the growing presence of politics around the sport, citing incidents such as Iranian players being whisked straight back to their hotel after matches and the alleged white‑supremacist hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans during one of the games.

Fifa have cleared Evans of any wrongdoing following an investigation, stating it found “no evidence” that one of the referees at the World Cup breached its code of conduct

“Isn’t it a shame that politics is involved in our sport?” said Fandi.

“This is the world game. This is supposed to bring the whole world together.”

“Whatever is happening outside football should stay outside football. Everybody should be treated with respect and integrity.”

The 2026 Fifa World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. 

For the first time, the World Cup will include 48 teams ― up from 32.