The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off this Sunday, and all eyes will be on Brazil.
The nation has not won a World Cup since 2002, but a talented squad highlighted by Neymar will bring high expectations. But there are plenty of other contenders that will look to challenge Brazil at Qatar, including defending champion France.
We’ll take a look at each group and identify who will emerge as the winner and the best bet to make. Odds are according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Group A
The Dutch are the clear favorites, and it’s not hard to see why. Louis van Gaal was brought back to manage the team in 2021 to help guide it back to the World Cup after failing to qualify in 2018. The Netherlands will lean on their defense led by Matthijs de Ligt and Virgil van Dijk, while Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay lead the attack. For Senegal, all eyes will be on Sadio Mané, but it features an interesting young squad that can make some noise in the knockout stages in the right matchup. For Qatar and Ecuador, expect a more defensive approach that is capable of stealing points if the powerhouses are caught off guard.
Group Winner: Netherlands -280
Best Bet: Group Straight Forecast — Netherlands, Ecuador +225
Group B
England is the toughest squad, but Wales and Iran are no slouches. For the United States, its performance will depend on how Gregg Berhalter aligns his squad. Based on the roster, it appears the manager will look to have his best players — Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Giovanni Reyna and Brenden Aaronson — on the field at the same time, at least that should be the best idea. The question for the United States will be how the defense holds up in front of presumed starter Matt Turner.
England, once again, brings in a talented squad with Golden Boot favorite Harry Kane leading the way. The 2020 European Championship left a bad taste in the team’s mouth, and it will look to rebound from that. England is an interesting team solely because of its manager, Gareth Southgate. Their style of play isn’t exciting to watch, but it fits the mold of international soccer and is the reason why England has made deep runs into tournaments. It tries to maintain possession and be efficient on the ball. It will be interesting to see how Wales and Iran handle that style of play, but if they can open some cracks in Southgate’s defense, they can shake up the group.
Group Winner: USA +500
Best Bet: USA to win Group A +500 or Group Straight Forecast — USA, England +500
Group C
At 35 years old, 2022 will be Lionel Messi’s last attempt to win a World Cup. Even at an older age, Messi has still shown he can be the best player in the world, but the routine question for Argentina is if the other players on the squad can support him. Mexican manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino is likely managing for his job. Mexican fans have high expectations for their team, and it feels like Mexico will have to finish in the quarterfinals at worst for Martino to keep his job. Robert Lewandowski can certainly help Poland make some noise, but it doesn’t feel like they have the fire power to compete in the group. Saudi Arabia are just hoping to get at least a point.
Group Winner: Argentina -250
Best Bet: Saudi Arabia to lose all group games +175
Group D
The loss of Paul Pogba will be a concerning one for France as it will need someone to step up in the midfield to fill the star’s loss. But France isn’t bereft with forward options led by Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema. Denmark became a fan-favorite after Christian Eriksen survived a cardiac arrest suffered in the middle of the Euros. The Manchester United midfielder will lead the same Denmark squad who made a semifinal run at the Euros, and they are capable of making noise, once again. Like Group C, Australia and Tunisia are unlikely to pull off an upset.
Group Winner: France -225
Best Bet: Highest scoring group +500
Group E
Expect Spain to retain possession and deliver beautiful passes, but the aggressiveness of the team will determine how far it will go. But their young midfield will be a tough handle for many teams. Germany have underdelivered in major tournaments, but the talent of the squad keeps it in contention for a World Cup title. Japan are an interesting dark horse candidate. Captain Maya Yoshida will lead a tough defense that can break a team on the counterattack if the game goes their way. Costa Rica can also make some noise in the right match environment.
Group Winner: Germany +115
Best Bet: Germany to win all group games +330
Group F
It’s now or never for the golden generation of Belgium. Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne have achieved their fair share of club success, but Belgium have not been able to put it together at the international stage. But their defense may be what holds them back and give Canada a chance to break out of the group. The tournament sets up well for an Alphonso Davies, and if Bayern Munich can flash at the big stage, the Canadiens might not back an early exit. Even at 37 years old, Luka Modri? is still playing at a high level. But it will be up to others on Croatia to step up for the Real Madrid midfielder. Morocco are not a powerhouse by any means, but it can deliver on the field and could catch a team off guard.
Group Winner: Belgium -190
Best Bet: Group straight forecast — Belgium, Croatia +160
Group G
As mentioned at the top, Brazil are the favorites among the public. The squad is immensely talented, and Neymar has grown his game to be more of a complete player. But will those high expectations be too much to handle? Cameroon are likely to be outmatched for second place, and Switzerland and Serbia will have to be at their best to make it out of the group.
Group Winner: Brazil -300
Best Bet: Group straight forecast — Brazil, Serbia +190
Group H
Portugal are practically a shoo-in to come out of the group. Their weakness, however, might be Cristiano Ronaldo. The 37-year-old is not always committed defensively and can, at times, put the attack out of sync. Bernardo Silva is the engine of the team, but a hiccup to their attack or defense could doom it in the knockout rounds. After Portugal, it’s a battle for second place between Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea. For Uruguay, it’s the last World Cup for its golden generation, but Luis Suárez is still playing well at 35, and Diego Godín remains consistent. For Ghana, low-scoring games will be how it makes it out of the group, and for South Korea, midfield play will make or break the squad.
Group Winner: Portugal -145
Best Bet: Portugal to win all group games +275
World Cup Winner
For semifinalists, I see Denmark (+400) going up against Germany (+200) and France (+150) facing off against Spain (+175). And for the final, I have Germany (+450) against Spain (+400). The odds on this exact final on DraftKings is +2500, meaning a $100 bet pays out $2,600.
For the winner, I predict Germany to take its first World Cup since 2014. Their odds to win the final are +1000, so a $100 bet pays out $1,100.
As for the player awards, I have Richarlison to win the Golden Boot (+2000) — Brazil will have to rely on Neymar being an all-round playmaker and others on the team to step up around him. For Golden Ball, I have Spanish midfielder Pedri (+3500), and for Golden Glove, I have Manuel Neuer (+900).
