The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football. It is the trophy that all competing nations strive for – even more so than regional tournaments such as the Euros, Africa Cup of Nations and Copa América. To lift the World Cup means your country is the best, without parallel. It’s a great honour and the intensity of the competition makes for some incredible sporting moments and iconic plays.
As November approaches, we can start to prepare for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. This year, the tournament will be hosted in Qatar in the Middle East. Instead of the typical summer setting, it will be played in the winter, to counteract the ultra-high temperatures experienced in the country. As a result, most European club play is being put on hold for a couple of months. This adds to the excitement of the World Cup and it promises to be an amazing tournament.
But who is expected to get to the top? Which teams have what it takes to conquer their groups and proceed through the knockout stages? In this guide, we look at five of the international teams that are favourites to win the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina
Argentina have lifted the World Cup twice, in 1978 and 1986, and have had some truly legendary players like Maradona. The team has been consistently successful and the country has always produced some incredible talent.
They are one of the best South American teams and if you were to look at the odds at BestOdds or other platforms, you will see that they are one of the favourites. This is mainly due to the emergence of other players like Ángel Di María and an improvement in the team’s cohesion, which means they do not have to rely solely on the seemingly inexhaustible talents of Lionel Messi.
Brazil
Brazil are the current top World Cup winners, with an impressive five tournament wins spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s. They have arguably had some of the best footballing talent ever, including players such as Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Football is a way of life in the largest South American country – it’s part of their culture.
Today, the Brazilian national team has recovered from several unimpressive years, including that 7-1 battering by Germany. They have a squad of talented and experienced players, including the in-form Neymar. As a result, many favour them to claim their sixth cup in Qatar.
Spain
Since the retirement of legendary players like Iniesta and Xavi, the Spanish national team has been in the process of rebuilding but is still one of the top contenders. Their golden period of international football came after their 2010 World Cup triumph and back-to-back Euro Cups in 2008 and 2012.
While the current team may not have the same degree of talent as that iconic squad, they still play with the same elegant passing-orientated style and should easily progress through the group stages.
France
France are the current World Cup holders, following their triumph in 2018 in Russia. Although their team has had some pretty poor form in international matches during 2022, they are still expected to pull it together and make a strong push in Qatar in November. They have a talented team, including players who continue to have great club success, such as Benzema, Pogba and Mbappé.
England
This is one of the few tournaments in which England are not seen as underdogs, and for many, they are one of the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup. The English Premier League has already kicked off and we have seen displays of English talent that we can expect to see again in November. English fans will hope that the players remain fit and there are no injuries during the first half of the season that could hamper their aspirations. Their group has a few potentially tough matches against Wales and America, but they should still be the favourites to top the initial stage.
We hope you have found this article useful and now have a better idea of the favourites for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. This November, we can expect an incredible tournament with a vastly different setting to what has come before. Qatar is a dazzling place and its winter climate could prove difficult for some teams that aren’t used to intense heat. Regardless, there are a handful of teams that the bookmakers favour to lift the trophy, including Brazil, Argentina, France, England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
