Main contenders for the 2022 World Cup.

With players now on their final international break, and less than two months before the first ball is kicked, the countdown for the 2022 World Cup is now truly underway.

But who are the serious contenders to lift the trophy in Qatar on December 18th?

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Brazil

Although no team has won the competition more times in its history, it has been 20 years since Brazil last won it, and that was the last time that the tournament was staged in Asia. However, they are currently the bookmakers’ favourites to win the Cup again, with the warm and humid conditions in the Middle East likely to favour them.
They also have strength in depth all over the field, as evidenced by the players they were able to leave out of their latest round of fixtures. With Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon in the same group, they should have no problem making it through to the tournament’s knock-out stages.

France

France are the defending champions, and with much of the same squad that manager Didier Deschamps had in Russia available to him again, they are tipped to once more go deep in the competition. Paul Pogba is suffering from an injury that could keep him out of the finals, but they have strength in depth to cope with his absence, if need be. Kylian Mbappé was one of the break-out stars of the last World Cup and, although still only 23 years old, is a better player now than he was then.

Argentina

Will this finally be the year that Lionel Messi gets his hands on the World Cup trophy? At the age of 35 this should surely be his last chance, and he remains integral to the hopes of his nation if they are to go far this time.
What is different this time is that their coach Lionel Scaloni has found a way to set his team up in such a way that they are not over reliant on their mercurial forward. They have one of the kindest opening groups with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland joining them.

Belgium

For a time Belgium was the number one ranked international team, but have yet to show they can cope with the pressures of a big tournament. Their squad is as good on paper, though, as any country possesses, and, if they can all stay fit, and play to their true potential, then they can be considered dark horses.

Germany

Few are talking about Germany as potential Cup winners, but it is never wise to write them off because the country has a winning mentality, and they have Hansi Flick now managing them, after enjoying great success with Bayern Munich.
The team cruised through qualifying – albeit they did not have the hardest group – but they scored 31 goals and only conceded two, providing the squad with a lot of confidence.
Under the previous manager Joachim Löw, there was a sense that the national set-up had become a little stale. However, there is a sense of rejuvenation around the squad now, and they could yet spring a surprise or two in Qatar.