Top four who can win this world cup have qualified for the next round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and while most of them know who they will face in the knockout stages, Brazil is still waiting to see who they will face next week.
The Brazilians still play Cameroon in their final group-stage match. Maybe they can win or lose because they are advanced to the next round. But how likely are their chances? And who are the four best contenders for this year’s trophy? In addition to Brazil, we have selected France, the defending champions, who were beaten by Tunisia in their previous group game, and will face Poland, Argentina, the country of Lionel Messi, the GOAT in the arena, and England, the country that invented football and once won the title.
Brazil on top
We start with Brazil. The odds are stacked in Brazil’s favor and the AI predicts that the Selecao will win the trophy this year They went through their group and won their first two games. However, they lost Neymar, on whom their entire attacking strategy rests. Brazil rarely displays the flare and vigor of the attacking samba they are synonymous with, and that may be because they have a conservative coach in Tite, who has managed just 27 goals in 78 games against his side.
The current team doesn’t play like Socrates and Zico’s flamboyant Brazil and they seem focused on winning, even by a single goal, to make their case. Plus for this side: They lost very few games under Tito. It has a balanced defensive and attacking formation with veterans at the back and younger players up front.
Note that both Serbia and Switzerland could not place a single shot on target against Brazil. They are now without Neymar, who is expected to return for the knockout stage.
Argentina and Messi
Argentina was shocked and the world was also shocked by their 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia. While it looked like they were taking the Saudi team as easy prey, the latter played the game of the year. This defeat casts doubt on Lionel Messi’s mission to win the cup.
Messi rallied in the next two games, winning them for Argentina, but will he be able to continue that run against bigger opposition? They look good at times and that is what gives their fans hope that Argentina is still a big contender in this tournament. Over-reliance on Messi shows that something is wrong with Argentina, but we never know.
England with backdrops
England has big goals and wants to go further than the semi-finals in 2018. They can if they keep playing as they did against Iran and Wales. Experts argue that they are better with the kits they used extensively during the 2018 World Cup. They are lower on the standards this time, but that shouldn’t be a problem because they can easily turn in goals from free kicks and corners. They are the team with the fewest odds so far, thanks to their incredible front line.
France Double?
Brazil won the World Cup in 1958 and 1962, with Pele as the star player. France is missing many of its star players but still has the potential to advance to the next round if they beat their next opponent, Poland, the surprise team of the tournament.
Kylian Mbappé Lottin, young and fabulous, is the reason they can win this World Cup. They breezed through the second round beating Australia and Denmark to give Tunisia the chance to grab three points with an extremely light squad in their final group match.
It is not at all surprising that France is still going strong in the competition four years after winning it in Russia. But pundits say they give away too many chances to opponents and hold the ball less than the other favorites, which could be a problem when they advance against tougher teams who excel in possession during knockout games.