2022 World Cup Rundown
For the first time, the 2022 World Cup will take place during the northern hemisphere’s winter due to 100+ degree summer temperatures in the host country of Qatar.
The favorites might sound familiar: Brazil, France, Argentina, Spain, and England all have a better than 10% chance of winning it all. But potential surprises lie in the hands of Uruguay, Denmark, or even Switzerland. With 32 teams, 64 games, and over 800 players, there is a lot to talk about.
This will be the final World Cup with 32 teams before it expands to 48 in 2026. Split into eight groups, each team will play the other three nations in its group once. The top two teams from each group will move on to the knockout stage. Each knockout round is one match, with extra time and penalty kicks if necessary. Now let’s break down the tournament by group!
Group A – Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar
In group A, the weakest group in the tournament, The Netherlands is a strong favorite to advance to the knockout stage. They have the best all-around squad in the group and one of the best defensive lines in the tournament headed by Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk.
Senegal is the most likely runner-up due to their pacey attack led by Bayern Munich forward, Sadio Mane.
Ecuador could make a run for second, but the final match in the group between them and Senegal is almost certain to decide who advances.
Qatar, despite playing host, will most likely be one of the first teams eliminated.
Group B – England, United States/Wales, Iran
Due to the United States missing out on the World Cup altogether in 2018, just a handful of players have any experience on the biggest stage. The U.S. will need a star-like performance from Christian Pulisic to pick up a result against England on Black Friday, where they are heavy underdogs. Even with a loss, they have a decent chance to make it out of the group, especially if they can win the opening match versus Wales.
Iran is the most likely to finish bottom of the group, but they’re far from a weak squad. Led by striker Sardar Azmoun, who has scored more than one goal every two games in 62 international appearances, they could make a statement.
Wales is a solid squad, but they’re missing star power. Their best player is arguably still Gareth Bale, who’s moved onto the MLS after up-and-down years at Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid. Nevertheless, they’re the biggest threat to stealing the runner-up spot from the U.S.
England, who won Euro 2020, are the strongest favorites of any projected group winner. Striker Harry Kane is the favorite to lead the tournament in scoring and the Three Lions could finally break their 50-year championship drought.
Group C – Argentina, Mexico/Poland, Saudi Arabia
The third group likely comes down to a two-way battle for second place between Mexico and Poland. Odds-makers consider the two squads to be perfectly even, but since they play each other in the first round of matches, they have the opportunity to separate themselves pretty quickly.
Argentina has the third best odds to win the World Cup in Lionel Messi’s last attempt at winning the biggest prize in world football. Despite an injury to forward Paulo Dybala, they’re undeniably one of the most complete squads in the tournament, and should win this group.
Robert Lewandowski is one of the best players on the planet and if he can be as prolific for country as he is for club, Poland could strike fear into France in a potential Round of 16 matchup.
Group D – France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
France, the defending World Cup champions, come into the tournament without the backbone of their squad, N’Golo Kante, but they have incredible depth and are one of the favorites to lift the trophy once again.
Denmark reached the knockout stage in 2018 and the semifinals of Euro 2020, and could be the Cinderella story of the tournament, with a chance to end Messi’s international career in the Round of 16.
Tunisia and Australia have each qualified for six world cups, but with one combined appearance in the knockout rounds (Australia 2006), they haven’t had much tournament success. That’s unlikely to change this time around.
Group E – Spain/Germany, Japan, Costa Rica
Spain vs. Germany will be one of the most exciting matches in the tournament. Both teams have top-tier talent all around and at least one will surely shed the disappointments that both countries experienced in the last World Cup.
Costa Rica was the last team to qualify for the tournament and they don’t present any threat to the clear favorites in the group.
Japan finished 8-0-0 in their qualification group with a +44 goal differential, but they are unfortunately stuck behind two of the tournament favorites in this group. This is the group with the least predictable winner, but the most predictable top two.
Group F – Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Belgium have long been one of the most interesting squads at the international level; they are full of individual talent and have had a top two FIFA world ranking for five consecutive years. However, they haven’t won a major tournament in 122 years. Surprisingly, they have the worst odds of any group favorite to win the entire tournament, but the ceiling for this squad is as high as any.
There’s much more debate about second place in this group. Croatia made the final in 2018, and while they’ve regressed since, they are superior to both Canada and Morocco.
Morocco rolled through World Cup qualifying, winning every match by an average of 3 goals. Unfortunately, this group is nothing like what they faced in qualifying, and they’ll struggle to pick up more than a couple of points.
The Canadians will be fun to watch because they have a true superstar in Alphonso Davies. The real intrigue with Canada is to see if they can beat Morocco and avoid losing a World Cup match for the first time ever.
Group G – Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
Brazil is the favorite to win a record sixth World Cup, hoping to add to the most prolific World Cup history of any country.
This is almost identical to Group E in 2018, with Cameroon replacing Costa Rica. This group will likely end up the exact same way, with Brazil and Switzerland advancing and Serbia falling just short. Cameroon doesn’t pose much threat, although they do have the best World Cup resume of any of the African nations.
Group H – Portugal, Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana
Cristiano Ronaldo’s career is nearing its end and his play has continued to decline this season for Manchester United. He and Portugal have 18-to-1 odds to win the tournament, the second-worst among group favorites.
Uruguay has a fascinating mix of older stars in their final tournament such as Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Godin and top young talent like Fredrico Valverde and Darwin Nunez. This makes them a threat to beat Portugal finish first in the group.
South Korea stunned Germany in the last World Cup but failed to qualify for the knockouts. If Heung-Min Son can shine on the brightest stage, they could stoke fear into the clear group favorites.
Ghana has an impressive World Cup record in their limited experience – they’ve qualified for the knockout rounds twice in three group stage appearances, but they’re almost certain to be on the outside looking in after their final group stage match vs. Uruguay.
The 2022 World Cup is atypical in many ways, but it is sure to provide the usual intrigue and entertainment. Plenty of stars will get the chance to make their mark on the world’s biggest stage. Will there be a first time winner? Will Messi or Ronaldo ride off into the sunset victorious? Can the United States make a much anticipated statement? The answers to these questions and more begin on November 20, when Qatar hosts Ecuador.