Qatar 2022 World Cup Predictions: Who’s coming out of their group in Qatar
The Qatar2022 FIFA World Cup will begin on Nov. 20 with the host country facing Ecuador in a game that, if we’re being be honest, isn’t exactly anyone’s ideal headline opener to the tournament. In the end, though, it still signifies the beginning of a four-year wait for the most-viewed sporting event in the world.
So, in this year’s competition, who can anyone expect or bet on to emerge from their group? In response to that, we have today, Odds to BetOn, put together the piece below on which countries they feel we come out triumph from their respective groups.
The Group A Teams:- Qatar – Ecuador – Senegal – Netherlands
Prediction: Netherlands to finish 1st Place, Ecuador to finish 2nd place.
The Netherlands are simply too talented on all fronts for them not to win in their group. Starting with their tough defense led by Virgil Van Dijk, to their midfield now led by Frenkie de Jong because Georginio Wijnaldum will miss the tournament due to a tibia fracture he suffered a few months back, and culminating with Memphis Depay at the helm of this potent attack. In addition to the presence of players in this team, they breezed through their World Cup qualification group with 33 goals in 10 games and suffered only one loss. The Netherlands should emerge on top of this group with little difficulty.
Ecuador on the other hand should compete with Senegal for second place. I believe it will be a competitive game between this two, but the South American squad’s talent and tenacity will ultimately prove too much for the Africans. Both nations have extremely quick and skilled players with the ball.
The presence of Sadio Mané of Bayern Munich is definitely expected for the Senegalese to make things interesting for Senegal on the sides. But Ecuador’s coming out of CONMEBOL means a lot, they compete with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and a few other nasty guys. In that manner, it differs from escaping with a group comprising Togo, Congo, and Namibia. The talent levels of their confederation opponents are a galaxy apart, and I expect Enner Valencia, Michael Estrada, and these other talented guys to pull away in the end.
Qatar is making its debut appearance at the World Cup, and it would not surprise me if they lost all three matches.
The Group B Teams:- England – Iran – United States of America – Wales
Prediction: England to finish 1st Place, Wales to finish 2nd place.
Where can anyone begin with England? The Three Lions have in the goal Pickford and Ramsdale; Alexander-Arnold, Walker, and Stones on defense; Rice, Foden, and Mount in the middle; Kane, Sterling, and Saka in the attack. Their bench cannot be overlooked as it boasts another set of incredible talents.
They can attack from the flanks, through the middle, and from long range, defend very effectively (just 3 goals conceded in 10 qualifying matches), and have great goalkeepers. Not to mention their consistent play, having reached the semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and losing the final of the 2020 European Championship to Italy just last summer. There should be no competition for first place in Group B. They are not only candidates for the group, but for the entire competition.
Iran had no chance of advancing from the group stage, despite finishing ahead of the Korean Republic in their qualifying group for first place. Aside from Taremi and Azmoun, they lack a sufficient number of players who compete on large enough teams/stages to impact their group competitors.
It will come down to Wales and the United States, with Wales holding a tiny advantage. Ben Davies and company have a formidable offensive unit with players like Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, and let’s not forget Aaron Ramsey, despite not having the most terrifying defense. The United States are returning to the World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament.
True, manager Gregg Berhalter has done an excellent job of rebuilding this American team, which features exceptional talent in Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic. However, they finished third in the CONCACAF qualifier, edging out Costa Rica on goal differential alone. One fewer point and they would have had to compete in the inter-confederation playoffs for a spot. In my opinion, the United States has yet to prove its worth on the international stage.
The Group C Teams:- Argentina – Saudi Arabia – Mexico – Poland
Prediction: Argentina to finish 1st Place, Poland to finish 2nd place.
Argentina is Messi, Messi is Argentina – and if in doubt, the likes of Lautaro, Di Maria, Julian Alvarez, Lo Celso, Otamendi are one of the few backbones this team possesses. These players are ranking No. 3 in the football world making them all legit contenders to win it all, with incredible amounts of quality on every part of the pitch.
Not to mention, this Argentine team went undefeated in their 17 qualification matches and tied 0-0 in their lone encounter against Brazil, perhaps the hottest team in the world right now. In the Copa América final last summer, they also overcame Brazil in a 1-0 victory. The Argentine team now boasts of the most tenacious and difficult teams to beat in the world. Without any doubt, this team will win this group without question.
Next in line are the Mexicans. An incredible and fascinating team. However, Mexico still doesn’t know if their best player (Raul Jimenez) – currently inactive due to his groin/hip injury – will be available. Furthermore, the fact that Mexico has been unable to replace their aging core of players with players of sufficient quality, resulting in a winless record in four matches against Canada and the United States, and other best teams in the CONCACAF qualifiers, has left the Mexican camp with many questions.
On the other side, Lewandowski, Zielinski, Milik, and the rest of Poland’s forwards have plenty of quality. Mexico will find it very hard to keep up with the Polish team’s speed of play. While the odds will be in favor of Poland to finish in second place easily, one should keep in mind that this Mexico team has advanced from the group stage in each of their last eight World Cup appearances.
Saudi Arabia clearly lacks the potential to compete with the other teams in their group, however, a victory over Mexico is not impossible.
The Group D Teams:- France – Australia – Denmark – Tunisia
Prediction: Denmark to finish 1st Place, France to finish 2nd place.
Europe’s confederation is too powerful to ignore. France is another serious contender for the current World Cup champions. Their 2018 triumph was their second in the competition (1998).
Their group competitors don’t pose much of a threat, and with Varane, Saliba, Kanté, Coman, Griezmann, Mbappé, and Benzema, a recent Ballon d’Or winner, it’s simply too lopsided.
They have too much speed on the flanks, too much talent in the middle, and too much experience to not win their group and potentially the cup. Did I mention that they are repeating favorites?
Denmark is no slouch either, as they dominated their qualifying group with 30 goals scored and none conceded. They only suffered one loss. Their roster may not be quite as elite as France’s, but it is close.
In the previous World Cup, Denmark and France were also drawn together, and both advanced out of the group stage. With Hojbjerg and Eriksen at the helm, they should have a few problems with Australia and Tunisia. It’s worth noting that Denmark defeated France twice in the UEFA Nations League this year (June and September).
The Group E Teams:- Spain – Costa Rica – Germany – Japan
Prediction: Germany to finish 1st Place, Spain to finish 2nd place.
The German team is strongly keen to establish itself after failing to go past the group stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and losing in the Round of 16 to England at the 2020 European Championship.
In their 10 qualifying matches, they emerged victorious nine times and defeated their opponents 36-4. Leroy Sané, one of their top players, was recently diagnosed with a torn muscle fiber in his left thigh, with no timetable for his comeback.
If he misses the World Cup, it will be a major setback for Germany. In Gnabry, Werner, Hoffman (as long as his shoulder injury isn’t serious), and the veteran Müller, they still have the necessary men and offensive potency to compensate. Sané might return for the Round of 16 if he misses the start of the tournament.
Spain has changed drastically since 2012. After winning the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish national team has appeared to struggle ever since, never recapturing the same level of danger and intensity shown under Aragonés and del Bosque.
They failed to advance past the group stage at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, were eliminated in the round of 16 at both the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup, and after making some progress, lost in the semifinals of the 2020 European Championship.
Evidently, Morata, Sarabia, Rodri, and the elderly Busquets have not been as effective as their predecessors and have struggled when tested. They are more than capable of finishing second without any competition, but I don’t see them doing much after that.
I don’t see Costa Rica or Japan being much of a threat to the Europeans.
The Group F Teams:- Belgium – Canada – Morocco – Croatia
Prediction: Croatia to finish 1st Place, Belgium to finish 2nd place.
This is a challenging group, to be honest. However, the Belgians look odds favorite to come out first in the group due to their superior ball skills. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them cup contenders, but they are unquestionably one of the most skilled teams presently in the world ranking.
With the creative genius of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne in the middle, as well as the threat of striker Romelu Lukaku, this well-rounded and experienced team will attempt to rebound from their 2018 World Cup semifinal loss to eventual champions France.
Going with Croatia for second place in this group is quite difficult. The Croatian were runner-up in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, losing the final to France 4-2. This team also boasts great talents whilst in the arsenal, they have seasoned leaders in the likes Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, as well as a long-range threat of Marcelo Brozovic.
Canada, however, is no slouch either. Even though this is only their second World Cup appearance, the flank pace of Alphonso Davies and Junior Hoilett, together with the goal-scoring of Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, makes them a formidable opponent.
They did not finish first in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament by mistake. I anticipate the race for a second to be incredibly close. Even though Morocco is hardly a pushover, I cannot see them maintaining up with their opponents.
The Group G Teams:- Brazil – Serbia – Switzerland – Cameroon
Prediction: Brazil to finish 1st Place, Switzerland to finish 2nd place.
This group clearly belongs to Brazil. The Scratch du Oro team has won the most competitions, with five World Cup wins and two other final appearances to their name.
The Brazilian team is undoubtedly the hottest squad in the tournament (and the world) right now, having gone undefeated in their 17 qualifying matches (14W, 3D) in a very difficult CONMEBOL confederation and losing just one match since the beginning of 2019 (Copa América final against Argentina).
Brazil over the years has excelled in every position: goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson, defenders Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, and Danilo, midfielders Fabinho, Casemiro, and Fred, and forwards Neymar, Antony, Vinicius, Firmino, and Gabriel Jesus. Impossible to keep up with their pace and quality on the ball, they are a juggernaut in every sense of the word, and despite falling short in recent World Cups, their standing as strong favorites for Qatar2022 FIFA World Cup has not changed. They ought to flee with this group.
That said, with the development of quality players such as Dusan Tadi and Duan Vlahovi up front, Serbia is a strong contender for second place in my opinion. These two players have become the face of this national squad and will attempt to wreak havoc on opposition defenders. Despite being evenly matched, Switzerland has the upper hand.
Not only do they have more accomplished players, but Xhaka, Shaqiri, and Seferovic all possess greater experience, skill, and depth. They advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 European Championship, whilst Serbia failed to advance past the group stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and hasn’t even qualified for the last two European Championships. Cameroon, despite its pace and quality, is the odd man out in this group.
The Group H Teams:- Portugal – Ghana – Uruguay – Korea Republic
Prediction: Uruguay to finish 1st Place, Portugal to finish 2nd place.
This group is saving the toughest in the entire tournament for the last. Because of the absence of a clear favorite, I would need to select one for the purposes of this article. I can assure you that Korea Republic will not go past the group stage, despite Son of Tottenham’s tenacious efforts. Even in their qualifying group, they were unable to defeat Iran.
Regarding the remaining three, though, the situation becomes more complicated. Because of Cristiano Ronaldo, it would appear at first glance that Portugal is the clear favorite. Even though he is still efficient, CR7 is not the same player he was in prior seasons.
Joo Cancelo and Danilo Pereira at the back, Ruben Neves, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva in the center all possess a great deal of talent. Diogo Jota, who suffered a calf injury on Sunday will miss the World Cup. This is a devastating blow to their chances and the primary reason I picked them to finish second, as I still believe they’re superior to Ghana despite Jota’s absence.
Uruguay will win this group because they possess the talent and are tenacious as hell. Possibly the world’s most physically and mentally challenging team. If senior captain Diego Godin recovers fully from his knee injury, along with Lucas Torreira and Rodrigo Betancur in the center, to complement their great assault of Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, and youngster Darwin Nez, this is a formidable opponent. They will enthusiastically engage you in mud wrestling. They can both score and play excellent defense, making them a nightmare for any opponent. Also, let’s not forget Uruguay’s 2-1 victory over Portugal in the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
And Ghana is merely an outlier. They have in their arsenal Premier League-level quality in Thomas Partey and Jordan Ayew, but the duo is not enough to advance to the tournament’s next stage for their nation.
