Thirty-two teams. Eight groups. Four members each.
The World Cup 2018 is less than 40 days away, and the excitement is certainly increasing as the 32 nations that qualified are already gearing up for the big event in Russia.
A lot of things can happen in the tournament, and while there are those considered as “favourites,” it’s not far-fetched to see some surprises in the competition. After all, we’ve seen the likes of Costa Rica, Chile and Algeria defy the odds and surpass their underdog tags back in 2014.
Today, as part of our FIFA 2018 predictions, we take a look at each of the World Cup groups and identify the most likely teams to progress to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Note: Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the last 16, with matches played on a round-robin format. A win is worth three points, a draw is equivalent to one point and a loss is zero.
Group A
Nations: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Group A is called the “Group of Life” for a reason, so it’s no wonder why a powerhouse team like Uruguay is expected to dominate and breeze through to the next round.
Uruguay have the world-class players and the big-stage experience to back their top-billing label. They made it past the round of 32 in the last two instalments of the tournament, even making it to the semi-finals back in 2010.
However, while Uruguay are the obvious picks to top Group A, the second place is up for grabs.
Russia’s performance in the Confederations Cup last year won’t put their fans’ hopes up, but they are the hosts and home-court advantage should never be undervalued. Over the last four World Cups, only once that the host country didn’t make it past the group stage—South Africa in 2010.
In 2002, co-hosts Japan and South Korea topped their respective groups, with the latter eventually finishing fourth overall.
Saudi Arabia present an interesting case as well, thanks to veteran manager Juan Antonio Pizzi who has the experience on the big stage.
Egypt, perhaps, have the best shot out of the remaining three. Sure, they qualified for the first time since 1990, but who doesn’t want to root for Mo Salah and the fairy tale he’s writing?
Prediction: Uruguay (1), Egypt (2)
Group B
Nations: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
We could argue how Morocco and Iran can upstage the two heavyweights here or just agree that there’s no way Portugal and Spain would go out as early as the group rounds.
Two top 10 teams failing to make the cut in a four-nation group composed of another two teams ranked 36th and below? Now that’s sacrilege!
The only question left is who will go first and second. Both teams crashed out of the group stage in 2014, so it’s difficult to assess where they will end up this time.
Spain, 2010 champions, are the clear favourites considering the quality they have. With a lineup that features Sergio Ramos, David de Gea, Gerard Pique, Isco and Andres Iniesta, they are a team that can easily strike fear into their opponents’ hearts.
Nonetheless, while fourth-ranked Portugal are yet to win a World Cup trophy, it would be foolish to ignore the Cristiano Ronaldo factor. The Portuguese talisman is expected to fight for the top goalscorer prize and is well poised to do just that after scoring 15 goals in qualification.
Portugal and Spain are slated to meet in their group opener which could well decide the standings.
Prediction: Spain (1), Portugal (2)
Group C
Nations: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Twenty years after their first and only FIFA World Cup triumph, France are well positioned to not only make it past Group C but also contend for the trophy. And how can they not be with a deep and talented pool that includes Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann?
However, it won’t be a walk in the park for them in what is looking like a troublesome group. Australia, Peru and Denmark all booked their tickets to Russia through the qualification playoff—the hardest path there is to make it to the quadrennial affair.
All three teams are made and polished with grit and hard work, so it won’t be surprising to see them pull off upsets.
Looking at the three though, Denmark and Australia have the best shot at the second spot. Denmark have top-notch players like Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel who can make the difference for them. The same goes for the Australians who are also battle-tested in the World Cup, having qualified in its last three editions.
Prediction: France (1), Denmark (2)
Group D
Nations: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
D might as well stand for “Death” in this tough and unpredictable group.
Argentina are raring to reach the promised land in what could be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup. Nevertheless, as we discussed previously, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria pose huge threats.
Iceland have a knack for pulling off surprises as seen in Euro 2016, while Croatia are a really strong team—at least on paper. The Croats, in fact, have Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic forming what could be described as the most formidable midfield in the world.
Then there’s Nigeria, qualifiers in 2010 and 2014. They even finished second to Argentina four years ago before falling to France in the Round of 16.
Indeed, this one is a wide-open group where one can expect the unexpected.
Prediction: Argentina (1), Croatia (2)
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