With under a week to go until World Cup 2022 officially kicks off in Qatar, football fans across the globe are gearing up for a tournament packed with edge-of-your seat action and some impressive shows of talent – but the biggest question on everyone’s lips is whether England can finally reclaim the title, 56 years after they last brought football home.
After a stellar performance in the Euro 2020 tournament, which took place last year having been postponed from its original date due to the Covid-19 pandemic that swept the world, the Three Lions very nearly reigned triumphant and walked away with the cup, losing out only in a last-minute penalty shootout against Italy in the final. Since then, Gareth Southgate’s team have been busy polishing their skills in the hopes of going one better in the World Cup – and many England fans are hoping that this could finally be their year.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule has already been unveiled, with the opening match set to take place on Sunday, 20th November, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium at 7pm – before England face Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday, 21st in the first Group B tie.
But while we’d all like to see the Jewels Remet finally make a return to English shores, they aren’t the only team worth keeping your eye on this tournament, and avid sports bettors are already beginning to place eye-watering wagers on current favourite Brazil and reigning champion France, as well as some other likely contenders. Here, we take a look at some of the biggest and best predictions from the experts.
World Cup winners
With current odds of 4/1, Brazil is set to enter the tournament as the favourite to win, having cruised unbeaten through the qualifying stages. The only country in the world to have made it to every World Cup tournament ever held and having lifted the cup an impressive five times overall, it certainly has form – but whether or not its latest line-up can pull it out of the bag when it comes to the crunch remains to be seen.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting competition, with arch-rival and fellow South American team Argentina sitting pretty as the second favourite to triumph. To see these two in the final would guarantee an adrenaline-fuelled 90 minutes of action or more – but reigning champion France is also enjoying plenty of confidence from the bookies, currently ranked as third favourite to go all the way.
So, where does that leave England? Well, having been hotly tipped as the second favourite pick to win just months ago, they are now joint fourth with Spain, with odds of 8/1. Still, England fans are remaining confident that the team can do the nation proud and make it all the way to the final, just like they did in the Euros – so watch this space.
Dark horses
One of the most exciting things about every World Cup is the emergence of so-called ‘dark horses’ – in other worlds, teams that aren’t expected to perform particularly well but end up launching an impressive campaign that gives even the favourites a run for their money.
This year, the experts are predicting that Croatia could be one of the teams to watch. Having come runner up in 2018 it wouldn’t be a complete shock to see them progress in the tournament, but many football fans feel that they are past their best as we head into World Cup 2022. However, given that they usually held France to a draw at home before defeating them away in Paris, it’s clear that they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
How will England do in the World Cup?
The current consensus is that England could be set to put in a strong performance during the tournament, but some insiders believe they won’t make it beyond the quarter finals. This would be a disappointment to fans, who have seen them bow out at this stage many times before and have high hopes for the current team given their recent success under manager Gareth Southgate – and many continue to hope that they’ll go all the way and bring the cup home.
Wales, who have also qualified for the World Cup, are expected to put up a good fight in the group stages but are considered unlikely to make it beyond that. But fans across the UK would love to see them go further this time around, having only ever qualified for the tournament once, all the way back in 1958.
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