Blog

The FIFA World Cup 2022 will take place in a little more than a month and a half - the start of the tournament is scheduled for November 20, 2022. The competition will be held in Qatar and will host 32 teams from around the world. In this format the world championship will be held for the last time - in 2026, 48 teams will compete in the final stage. 

Our opinion to TOP-8 teams who will qualify to 1/4 stage:
1)Brazil
2)France
3)Argentina
4)Netherlands
5)Spain
6)Germany
7)Denmark
8)Belgium

Let's go through the list from top to bottom.

1. Brazil

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Pentacampeons performed much below their expectations - the team with Neymar at the peak won the group, beat Mexico in the 1/8 but lost to the future bronze medalists in the quarterfinals - 1:2 to the Belgians.

Four years later, the Brazilians are the main favorites of the tournament. Betting company analysts offer odds of 5.80 for their victory. Tite's team will go to Qatar with the same Neymar but the line-up also includes the restless Vinicius, Roberto Firmino, Coutinho, Militao, Casemiro and many other stars.

The main rivals of the Brazilians will be the current champions - the French. Now the form of the team is depressing - the French did not win any of the first four matches of the League of Nations and flew past the playoffs. But by the main event of the four-year period, they should be in perfect order - only the trio of Mbappe - Benzema - Griezmann will terrify any team in the world.

Fabian from TopSportie predicts the Brazilians and their loyal fans to at least pass to the 1/4 stage and what magic will begin to happen in Qatar stadiums when the top 8 teams of the tournament remain, we will see very soon. There were a lot of doubts all these 4 years on the topic that this tournament should not have been held in the winter in any way, and I am sure that this factor will make us surprised more than once during the main football festival of the planet.

Brazil group in QATAR:

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.

We expect here to qualify Brazil and Serbia but the main opponent for Serbia in fight for 2nd place will be Switzerland. This group looks to be the high scoring group and we can´t wait to see the start of it.

The level of Brazilian team is absolutely on another stage comparing with other national teams in this group so we secure a calm qualification here to the play-off stage and obviously will bet for Brazil at the group stage to get big money for our customers.

 

2. France

Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

Can France defend their crown? Bookmaker odd 7.30

The French will be looking to defend their title at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and become the first team to do so since Brazil lifted the trophy in 1958 & 1962. Stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, Hugo Lloris and Aurelien Tchouameni are ready to appear on the world stage again to try and take Les Bleus to back-to-back victories. However, four of the last five World Cup winners failed at their next tournament, unable to advance beyond the group stages. This includes France's 2002 team, who failed to progress after winning the trophy for the first time in 1998. So, can they break the 'holder's curse' this time around and have a successful tournament?
France will meet old friends in Group D. They saw off Australia and Denmark in 2018, a group they won before winning the entire tournament in Russia. This year they are also joined by Tunisia but will hope that history will repeat itself and take them to glory.
With such strong teams in Group D, some would say Tunisia will need a miracle to succeed in this tournament. Their last World Cup ended in the group stage and they have never made it further than this in their history. French fans could be in for a thrilling rematch of the 2018 games where Les Bleus beat the Argentines 4-3, as France will face a team from Group C in the round of 16 if they make it out of the group. The other teams from Group C are Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, all of which would make life slightly easier for the French. 

Their potential quarter-final opponents could include England if Gareth Southgate's side makes it that far. And then in the semis, they could face Brazil or Portugal before heading to Lusail for the final and the chance to defend their trophy. 

The French football team features some of the game's biggest names. At the moment, no one is more talked about than Kylian Mbappe, who burst onto the scene in Russia and scored the goals that helped them lift the trophy four years ago. 

Along with other famous figures such as Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema and N'golo Kante, France has more than enough talent to win the tournament again.
French fans hope that the complacency they saw during Euro 2020 does not return this year in Qatar. Mbappe missed the crucial penalty in the round of 16 shoot-out against Switzerland. France had been leading 3-1 with 15 minutes of normal time to play, but two quick goals from the Swiss forced the shoot-out, and France were out of the competition. This year, Mbappe will be looking to avenge his fatal penalty miss.
So, how will France fare in the 2022 World Cup? Could fate bless this team of talented players to lift the cup for the second time? There's not long until we find out on Qatar's national day, 18th December.
 

3. Argentina

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Odd for their victory: 8.20

FIFA World Cup 2022: Last chance for Argentina's Lionel Messi?

After a poor showing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, manager Jorge Sampaoli was sacked, and replaced with ex-international player Lionel Scaloni. The turnaround as a result has been incredible. The new and improved team have gone unbeaten in over three years and won their first Copa America since 1993 and the 2022 Finalissima.

Scaloni was never a star for Argentina during his playing days, but TopSportie analytic Fabian believes he has the right mentality to be a top-level manager,

"He was a player who didn't stand out. He played in the national team, but he was never a big star. He formed a good group with experienced players - Di Maria, Messi, Otamendi. I think his biggest strength is psychology, how he gets to the players, and how he knows how to talk to them. And how he prepares for the matches. He understands all of that. I think mixing the experience of players like Messi and the younger players makes the team a World Cup candidate."

Almost 40 years since that last World Cup victory, Argentina have another all-time great leading their squad in Lionel Messi. Messi has already won a gold medal at the Olympics and a Copa America. He also came close to winning the 2014 World Cup but lost to Germany in the final. Superstar Messi will be looking to go out on a high by winning what will probably be his last tournament in Qatar. So, can this be a fairytale final tournament for Messi?

Argentina are heavily favoured to win group C. A win would set them up with the runner-up from Group D, which includes France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia, in the round of 16. They will likely be hoping that France will win that group, so they can avoid the world champions early in the knockout stages and give themselves a better chance of reaching the quarter-finals and beyond.

This would lead to a quarter final against a side from Group A or B. The possible candidates for this include Senegal, Netherlands, England or Wales. This path would then bring them to Lusail for the semi-final ahead of potentially playing there again for the final on December 18th.

Argentina and the rest of the world could be saying goodbye to one of football's greatest players as the tournament ends in December. It's been 18 years since Lionel Messi's burst onto the international stage. He still holds the title of the youngest player ever to represent Argentina and made his debut at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Along with a stellar club career, he's achieved almost everything a player could hope for, apart from winning a World Cup. Fabian explains that every fan will be happy to see Messi win the tournament if it isn't their home nation.

"Many fans around the world hope that their nation wins. But if not, to see Messi achieve something so huge at the end of an incredible career, I think it's a big moment for all of the fans." "It's going to be something they tell their children, 'I saw Messi play for Argentina', and as I say, it will be the perfect end to a national team career if he wins the World Cup."  So after a glittering 17 year career at international level, the World Cup stage gets ready to say goodbye to Lionel Messi. He’s been a joy to watch for almost two decades in blue and white, but will he get the romantic ending many people want to see for him? We will find out when the tournament kicks off.

Get your exclusive World Cup Qatar 2022 pass in the store. You will receive over 25 exclusive predictions for the World Cup during the tournament and for sure this competition will bring you not only emotions but also a good additional income.