Who is Going to Win the World Cup?

have been busy for months now, with predictions being made about all kinds of events, from the eventual winners to how many cards we will see in that first game. Soon the action will begin and we can all enjoy the football. But for now, here is a final look at the potential winners.

Big Favorites

France, as current world champions, is one of the big favorites to lift the famous trophy in Qatar. That comes as no surprise, considering they have a wealth of talent at their disposal – especially the speed and goals of Kylian Mbappe, four years on from his incredible displays in Russia.

But recent results have not been as impressive, with a Nations League campaign to forget and only one win since the end of March. There should be no problems encountered getting out of the group, but there is no guarantee that it will be as the number one team.

Brazil is a perennial favorite when it comes to World Cups – and this tournament is no different. Where France has been laboring through this year, the Selecao stormed the CONMEBOL qualifying campaign, becoming the first nation to qualify for the finals without losing a single game.

Friendlies since qualifying ended have been even more impressive, with the various stars from clubs around the world joining up to comprehensively beat the likes of Japan, South Korea and Ghana. If Neymar stays injury-free there could be another star being added to the Brazilian shirt by the end of the year.

Lionel Messi may have something to say about that though. After years of debates about whether he could match up with the seemingly incomparable Diego Maradona, Messi finally led his national side to a major international trophy when Argentina won the Copa America last year.

This year has seen more of the same, with Argentina going undefeated in qualifying before beating Italy in the Finalissima. A few morale-boosting big-win friendlies have gotten the fans even more excited and now Argentina will travel to the Middle East with a very good chance of winning it all.

Challengers

England has regularly been included in the top tier of favorites for this World Cup. But recent games and off-field issues have left the Three Lions looking less likely to claim a second-ever trophy.

Gareth Southgate, lauded for the way he had changed the atmosphere surrounding the England side just four years ago, is

for his timid approach and for not using the best players available. A group including Wales, Iran and the US could be just the beginning of his troubles in Qatar.

It has been a while since Spain was the elite nation in world football. But Luis Enrique has been steadily improving his squad and bringing in younger players to the point that it is now a genuine contender. They have qualified for the Nations League finals at the expense of Portugal and have lost just once this year.

Germany can also claim to have an outside chance of winning another World Cup. There have been some dark years in German football, with a woeful World Cup 2018 followed up by an even worse Euros. Nation League campaigns have been forgettable, to say the least, but there does seem to be a reawakening. Younger players coming through have reignited belief.

So, Who is Going to Win?

There are also the likes Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and even Denmark who could stake a legitimate claim as potential World Cup winners this year. But it is more likely to end up being one of the big favorites it seems.

For the romantic football fans, we are going to go with Argentina to win a third World Cup – and its first one since 1986. More importantly, we predict we will see Lionel Messi lift the one trophy that has always eluded him at what will probably be his final tournament.