The FIFA World Cup 2022 begins in around six months, taking place mid-season for most countries involved. And, already, people are starting to wonder who the runners and riders will be at the showpiece event. It’s sure to be another hotly contested tournament, but several nations stick out as the ones more likely to lift the coveted Jules Rimet.
If you check out the latest 2022 FIFA World Cup odds, it’s Brazil who are favourites with most bookmakers. And you’d say rightly so. They’re the nation that has won the tournament the most times (5), and they will head to Qatar with a squad boasting the talents of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Vinicius Jesus. However, Brazil, managed by Tite, will take on Serbia and Switzerland in the group stages, as they did in 2018, which did prove to be problematic for them in Russia.
France, in many people’s eyes, are the team to beat. And it’s based mainly on their star-studded squad. Didier Deschamps can call on the likes of N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and potentially Karim Benzema, should he be recalled, as they go in search of their third World Cup and their second in a row. They undoubtedly have the talent to be involved in the conversation about who will win the tournament. However, after a disappointing showing at the Euros, many questions are still to be answered.
England, who always seem to be there or thereabouts in terms of the betting odds heading into an international tournament, have been making steady progress under Gareth Southgate. They fared well at the last World Cup and built on that by being unlucky to lose on penalties in the Euros final. In the past, England have been one of the favourites because they’re England. But, if there is a team that is on an upward trajectory and improving all the time, it’s the Three Lions. It could finally be their year, ending over fifty years of disappointment on the big stage.
You’d suggest that Brazil, France and England are very much the standout candidates. And it’s not to say that other nations have no chance, but they potentially fall into the best of the rest category because there’s not really too much to split them. So, for example, Spain are a nation you will naturally expect to go well. They’re in a transitional period, but players such as Pedri and Gavi have come to the fore, and they could light up the tournament.
Spain are, however, in the same group as Germany in Qatar. And many will fancy the latter’s chances, potentially in a similar vein to how they view Spain’s chances. Germany did, after all, win the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. But, you could argue they have flattered to deceive ever since, which has seen them slip down the odds list. And the question is whether they, and the other teams in Qatar, have what it takes to better what the likes of Brazil, France and England bring to the table.