On Top of the World

THE WORLD CUP in Qatar in 2022 is less than 80 days away. On Sunday, November 20, Qatar and Ecuador will play their first match at Al Bayt Stadium. The tournament will be held in the Middle East for the first time, and domestic leagues will be paused to allow it to be played in cooler temperatures. The knockout stages begin on Saturday, December 3, with the final scheduled for December 18 at Doha's Lusail Stadium. Who will be in that final? Who will prevail? Read on to get a better insight.

France will defend their World Cup title in 2022, with 32 teams competing in eight groups. According to the most recent live sport betting odds, Brazil is the favourite to win the trophy. Let’s take a closer look at some of the teams we believe have a chance of lifting the coveted cup in December.

Belgium

Belgium is expected to advance far in the World Cup. However, in major tournaments, the Red Devils invariably flatter to deceive. Despite having many world-class players, they consistently fall short on the sport's biggest stages. Belgium is the favourite to win Group F in Qatar, where it will face Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. The Red Devils are expected to advance easily to the knockout stage. However, I believe they will finish outside of the top two. Let us not forget that Croatia reached the World Cup final in 2018. Furthermore, Canada and Morocco are both capable of frustrating the world's best teams on their day.

Netherlands

The Oranges are back with a vengeance after missing the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The European powerhouse has a new roster that includes some of the best young and experienced players in the world who are sure to impact the biggest stage once again. As long as they don't slip up against some weaker teams, the Netherlands should be able to advance pretty easily to the next round.

Denmark

The 2021 European Championship semi-finalists are in the same group as France but have a very high ceiling. Denmark finished third in the European Championships regarding expected goals, with 1.55 goals per 90 minutes. Denmark then completely dominated World Cup Qualifying, albeit against a relatively weak group. Denmark went 9-1-0 (W-L-D) in ten qualifying games with a +27 goal differential. Denmark should improve its underlying attacking metrics now that Christian Eriksen is fully recovered while relying on defender Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to anchor the defence.

England

The Three Lions are undoubtedly one of the best squads in international football. The Three Lions have been drawn in Group B with Iran, Wales, and the United States. They will fancy their chances of going far and going one step further than their European Championship campaign, in which the Azzurri defeated them at Wembley. The Netherlands is the strongest opponent they can face in the round of 16, and a quarterfinal meeting with Argentina or France is likely if England wins their group.

Argentina

Could this be Lionel Messi's best chance at winning the World Cup? Argentina is currently on the longest unbeaten streak in international football (31 games) and has finally provided Messi with the type of support system he lacked in previous World Cups. On top of Messi, their frontline includes Paulo Dybala, Angel di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez.

France

If France wins their group, they will face the second-place team from Group C, which includes Argentina, Mexico, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, in the round of 16. You'd think it's entirely manageable. In the quarterfinals, either the winner of Group B (most likely England) or the second-place team from Group A will compete. With the Netherlands heavily favoured to win that group, Senegal, Ecuador, or Qatar would finish second. As a result, France's path to the semi-finals would most likely take them through either our fifth-ranked team or one ranked no higher than 23rd.

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Premier League's second-oldest outfield player. Ronaldo has already had two hat tricks since his last birthday. The man is simply a phenomenon and will look to make even more history at the World Cup later this year. The Portuguese forward scored in each World Cup in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. He hopes to become the first player to score in five different World Cups during this World Cup. Despite his advanced age, he remains Portugal's go-to man in football. Despite critics' claims that his star is fading, few would bet against him inspiring his country to unprecedented success.

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