FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Prediction: Group Stage & Knockout

April 29, 2022

There is a possibility to forecast which teams will go through the tournament to the final since the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 groups have been drawn.

After winning in Russia four years ago, France will travel to Qatar this November as defending champions, and Didier Deschamps’ team is likely to be among the frontrunners again in 2022.

According to FIFA rankings, Brazil is the No.1 ranked team in the world, and they are aiming to win the World Cup for the 6th time in their history from the first since 2002.

Every time the FIFA World Cup is full of surprises, a ‘dark horse’ will emerge, such as Croatia’s unexpected run to the final in 2018.

Play in Qatar won’t start for a few months, and a lot can happen in that time, but here’s a sneak peek at how the 2022 World Cup might play out:

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Prediction of Group Stage

Group A1 – Netherlands
Group A2 – Senegal

Qatar is the Group A Pot 1 team, but it couldn’t have had a tougher draw. The return of Virgil van Dijk, who missed Euro 2021 due to injury, will help the Netherlands. Still, Senegal established its quality by winning the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. While the Netherlands and Senegal are the favourites to advance, don’t overlook Ecuador, who might be a force to be reckoned with.

Group B1 – England
Group B2 – USA

After reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the final of Euro 2021 last summer, England has started preparing for the 2022 World Cup. Meanwhile, the United States has the most talented team. Gregg Berhalter and his young team may lack tournament experience, but they should be able to advance to the Round of 16 despite Iran posing a far more difficult battle than many expect.

Group C1 – Argentina
Group C2 – Poland

Argentina has the longest unbeaten streak in international football (31 games) and has finally provided Messi with the kind of support he lacked at previous World Cups. Mexico will be aiming for the last 16 (and beyond — the ‘Quinto Partido’ curse still exists), but Poland’s firepower, led by Robert Lewandowski, the best goalscorer in the game, should be enough to see them through.

Group D1 – Denmark
Group D2 – France

Denmark advanced to the semifinals at Euro 2021, and Kasper Hjulmand’s side followed that up with an outstanding World Cup qualification campaign. In Qatar, France will have to deal with the curse of the defending champions (no team has repeated as World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962). Didier Deschamps’ team has been weak since their victory in Russia in 2018, but this group might still be one of the most unbalanced.

Group E1 – Spain
Group E2 – Germany

Luis Enrique has revitalised a Spain team in desperate need of new ideas following a poor showing at the 2018 World Cup. With players like Pedri and Gavi, Spain is one of the most exciting and youthful teams in the world, and they should not be overlooked as potential champions. Germany is likewise going through a generational transformation, but it is still a threat in its midst. Despite the possibility that Japan, Costa Rica, or New Zealand could play spoiler, the two heavyweights are expected to advance.

Group F1 – Belgium
Group F2 – Canada

The 2022 World Cup will be a make-or-break tournament for Belgium, as they face the potential of a golden generation passing them by without ever winning a major title. Some may see Croatia as the favourite to win Group F, including Belgium, but Zlatko Dalic’s team is old. Meanwhile, having won the North American qualification tournament, Canada is a young, talented, and difficult opponent (CONCACAF). Canada hasn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1986, but this isn’t a team that will go quietly into the night.

Group G1 – Brazil
Group G2 – Serbia

As the world’s top-ranked team, Brazil has earned top billing in an otherwise stacked Group G after going undefeated in qualifying. Besides, Serbia and Switzerland went undefeated in qualifying, while Cameroon collected three points in five of its six encounters in the Final Round. All three teams have the talent to play for Brazil, but I’m going with Serbia. Serbia has an attacking talent advantage in Dusan Vlahovic, Dusan Tadic, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, which might be the difference.

Group H1 – Uruguay
Group H2 – Portugal

With a generation that included Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, Uruguay made the World Cup semifinals as recently as 2010. Darwin Nunez, Fede Valverde, and Ronald Araujo are all key players in a new Uruguayan generation. Portugal is transitioning into a new age, maybe under the wider shadow cast by Cristiano Ronaldo. Look for the Euro 2016 champions to make it out of Group H in what may be the 37-year-final old’s World Cup.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Prediction of Knockout

16 Round

Group A was paired with Group B, Group C with D, Group E with F, and Group G with H in the Round of 16, with winners in one group facing runner-ups. Due to their placement on opposite sides of the bracket, teams from the same group can’t face each other again until the final.

Left side of bracket:	Right side of bracket:
A1 – Netherlands vs B2 – USA	B1 – England vs A2 – Senegal
C1 – Argentina vs D2 – France	D1 – Denmark vs C2 – Poland
E1 – Spain vs F2 – Canada	F1 – Germany vs E2 – Belgium
G1 – Brazil vs H2 – Portugal	H1 – Uruguay vs G2 – Serbia

The defending champions’ curse might strike France in the last 16, especially if it faces an Argentina side that has made significant progress under Lionel Scaloni. Meanwhile, despite the threat of attackers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Jota, Brazil would fancy their chances of moving past Portugal.

The most intriguing last-16 matchup could be between Belgium and Germany. Roberto Martinez’s team is presently ranked No. 2 in the world. However, they struggled against an Italy team that preferred to play in a quick transition during Euro 2021. That strategy might be replicated in Germany.

Quarterfinals

C1 – Argentina vs A1 – Netherlands
E1 – Spain vs G1 – Brazil
B1 – England vs D1 – Denmark
F1 – Germany vs H1 – Uruguay

A reliable goal-scoring centre striker is something the Netherlands currently lacks, and Argentina does not have such an issue. On top of Messi, they have Paulo Dybala, Angel di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez in their starting lineup. Meanwhile, England should have Denmark’s number after defeating Denmark in the Euro 2021 semifinals.

A match between Brazil and Spain would be a proper show in the quarterfinals. Spain should have the structure to control games if they can make the most of the possibilities they create. Germany will also have the necessary experience to overcome a Uruguay team that is still developing.

Semifinals

E1 – Spain vs C1 – Argentina
B1 – England vs G1 – Germany

The semifinals in the World Cup are determined by the tiniest of margins, and there wouldn’t be much between these four teams. However, England’s current group has more experience than Germany at this stage, having competed in recent international championships.

Spain’s midfield might be the strongest at the 2022 World Cup, with Sergio Busquets revitalised by Xavi Hernandez’s arrival at Barcelona and the Camp Nou core capable of doing just as much for Spain in 2022 as it did in 2010. Messi comes close to winning the World Cup but falls short of restoring Argentina’s dominance.

Final

E1 – Spain vs B1 – England

Southgate prefers his England team to play with a sturdy anchor, so this would be a final decision in the middle of the pitch. During Euro 2021, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice were favourites, but Spain would be able to beat the Three Lions at their own game and cut off Harry Kane’s supply line.

At Euro 2021, there was a sense that Spain was on the verge of winning a championship, and it appears to be on track to succeed in Qatar two years later.

World Cup Groups Breakdowns: