The never-ending wait is almost over, for 2022 is the year of the most popular and exciting sporting event of all time. The world cup presents football fans all over the world with one month of breathtaking, history making and superstar creating moments. That time is almost here, so in the following article, I will be taking a look at 2 teams which I believe have the potential to win it all as well as one potential underdog. A few honorable mentions are Belgium, England, Argentina and Italy as well as Spain.
France:
The title holders have been able to maintain their rank as one of the best teams in the world. As seen with Spain and Germany in 2012 and 2014, world cup champions often take a fall in overall performance after winning the prestigious title. Lately France have shown promising results with the likes of Kyllian Mbappe, the talented Paul Pogba and everyone's favorite N'golo Kante. Managed by the legendary Didier Deschamps and captained by Tottenham's starting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the frenchmen tend to line up in a formation resembling the common 4-4-2 formation, however they often switch between the classic 4-3-3 formation as well. “Les Bleus” are currently experiencing a so-called golden generation, similar to Brazil, they have players of tremendous talent all over the pitch even on the bench. Despite what it may seem, it is not an easy job fitting in all of these fantastic players into an 11-man starting lineup. I truly hope that Deschamps gives Aurélien Tchouaméni and Houssem Aouar a chance to show the world what they have been cooking up in ligue 1 lately. Dimitri Payet is another player who has recently found his form playing for the legendary Marseille, regardless of his age.
Brazil:
When it comes to the world cup, the South American giants are no strangers to victory. With 5 world cup trophies in their cabinet, the selecao is the most successful national team of all time. This year they intend on grabbing a sixth one. Brazil is home to some extraordinary superstars, their current lineup contains some of the most expensive players in the world such as real madrid's wonderkid Vinicius jr, PSG’s captain Marquinhos, Leed United’s savior Raphinha and of course the most expensive signing in the world Neymar jr. Managed by Tite and captained by champions league winner Thiago Silva, the creators of the beautiful game are not only a fan favorite but also highly considered to be a trophy contender for this year's tournament. Brazil usually lines up in a 4-3-3 formation, making the most of their wingers at all times. The main issue with brazil is the lack of a poacher, the closest thing they have to a number 9 would be Everton’s Richarlison who has been struggling to find form since his participation in the summer olympics. Their second biggest issue would be their struggle with consistency. Despite not losing a single qualifying match, the “canarinhos” tend to make rookie mistakes and often end up on the lucky side of things when playing against weaker sides such as Ecuador and Peru. A few hidden gems to look out for are Antony, Lucas Paqueta and the talented Everton Ribeiro.
Denmark: (A Potential Underdog)
Every once in a while, the sporting world is blessed with a jaw-dropping underdog story. In the world of football, we have seen it in the likes of Ajax’s 2019 champions league run, Leicester City’s rise to the premier league title in 2015 and Croatia’s infamous journey to the 2018 world cup final. At the moment there is one nation which seems to be marching on the right path towards pulling off the impossible. Denmark shocked us all with their fantastic performance in the 2021 Euro Cup, and they don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Denmark's 9 wins out of their 10 qualifying matches, guaranteed their spot in the prestigious tournament, becoming the second country in the world to secure their spot. Managed by Kasper Hjulmand and captained by Simon Kjaer, the danes play a more fluid style of football. Usually starting with a 3-4-3, they are able to quickly adapt their formation to their opponents tactical style. This grants them a decent advantage, especially in important games. Mikkel Damsgaard and Kasper Dolberg are two fantastic players which you should keep an eye out for as they are both headed towards great success.