For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, it is going to be played during the Winter season so as to avoid the intense heat during the summer season in Qatar. Majority of the football fans would have loved to enjoy the World Cup during the summers, but it might have come in as a blessing for some football players who have underperformed in the 2021-22 season. This gives them an opportunity to perform better in the coming season and to get back in the national squad.
Every World Cup consists of 32 teams, out of which only one team will take pictures with the World Cup at the end of the tournament. Although, among them will be many surprises, many underperformers and disappointments, and some favorites to lift the trophy. Therefore, we would like to give our own early predictions for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The disappointments or the under performers
ENGLAND
Gareth Southgate’s men have an easy group with the likes of Iran, Wales and the United States and they will get through the group stages easily but I don’t see them going past the Quarter finals or even the Round of 16. A quarter final finish might be a good result for most nations but not England, especially a team filled with World Class players.
I do not see a lack of talent in the team but I do see a lack of tactical talent in the coaching staff, starting with the Manager. He has definitely brought the team together and they seem to be a good group but the performance on the field has been largely because of individual talent.
They were extremely lucky in the previous World Cup to reach the semi finals but they crumbled as soon as they met a good team in Croatia. They might have performed excellently in the recent Euros but I saw a lot of individual talent on display rather than a team. This was exemplified when the team got humbled in the Nations League against Hungary
Gareth Southgate has made the team solid defensively but he has to be able to make his team play in the front foot. He has to make use of the attacking talent he has in his Arsenal.
The Surprise of the tournament
SERBIA
Serbia was a big surprise when they topped the group during the World Cup qualifiers against the likes of Portugal. A goal from Mitrovic in the 90th minute against Cristiano Ronaldo’s team to book the ticket to the 2022 Qatar World Cup was quite majestic.
We are not saying that they will lift the World Cup or reach the finals but they can definitely cause some big upsets. They can definitely finish behind the Brazil National team and then continue their World Cup journey. I can see them seeping into the Quarter finals of the tournament as well.
With the likes of Mitrovic, Tadic and Savic, they definitely do have the firepower to cause some damage to the big teams. Young guns like Vlahovic will also play a big role in the 2022 World Cup. This team can definitely be the surprise of the tournament especially with Portugal in their Round of 16 group.
The underdogs
URUGUAY
If there is one team that has consistently well done but has always gone under the radar is Uruguay. This South American nation always perform well during the World Cup. They finished 4th in the 2010 world cup, the season where Diego Forlan won the Golden Ball and Luis Suarez showed off his goalkeeping skills. The following World Cup was not the best but they again reached the Quarter finals in the last World Cup.
They are a very strong team with good players all over the field. The likes of Edison Cavani, Diego Godin and Luis Suarez will do great with young players like Valverde, Darwin Nunez and Araujo. They have solid players in all the positions.
The new Manager Diego Alonso also looks fairly promising and he will do great with the raw talent that he has in his disposal. I can Alonso’s men doing well in this tournament as well. We will definitely see Uruguay up in the Quarters or the Semis with their aggressive attacking style.
Who knows they might even go all the way?
Runners up
GERMANY
So near, yet so far?
The German National might have been underwhelming in the 2018 World Cup and in the Euros but do not sleep on this rejuvenated German team. Hansi Flick has done an excellent job with The German squad. They had been regressing after winning the World Cup in 2014 with Joachim Low but with his departure, the German team is getting back to its best.
This is a very good squad, with still a few players from the World Cup winning squad. They still have the best goalkeeper in the world in between the sticks and the midfield is full of depth with the likes of Kimmich, Gundogan and Goretzka. This team can definitely go places especially with a manager who won the sextuple with Bayern Munich.
Although, I think the lack of a lethal striker might be the reason that Germany don’t lift the World Cup. Timo Werner looks like their main striker but I have not been impressed with the Chelsea man’s performances in front of goal. Otherwise, they look like a solid team with a very good manager.
The favourites
SPAIN
If there is one team that I am excited about is Spain. The Spanish national team had fallen from grace after lifting the World Cup in 2010 and the Euro 2012. They have lost great players like Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Casillas and the list goes on. They have not been able to recreate their success since then.
After the arrival of the ex-Barcelona Man in Luis Enrique, the Spanish National team has definitely improved, in the last Euros we saw the Spanish do extremely well and only lose out to Italy in the semi-finals. He is a very bold manager and has made some bold decisions like not calling Sergio Ramos to the national team and leaving out the high rated David De Gea. He has his philosophy and does not shy away from it.
The players in his disposal also very look promising, Pedri has been a revelation under him and has done extremely well. Midfield is where you win matches and the Spain’s midfield has definitely been the heart of it all.
This team might not be filled with superstars but it surely will produce a lot of superstars after the World Cup is over. I love the look of the team, mixed with both youth and experience. The manager looks promising and the team looks promising. They can definitely go on and lift the trophy.