If you love watching international football, you will probably be itching for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to get underway in November.

Brazil is amongst the favorites with the bookmakers to lift the prestigious trophy, but plenty of other teams have a genuine chance of winning the tournament.

The best betting sites rate France, England, Argentina, Spain and Germany as the biggest threats to the Samba Kings, and it will be intriguing to see who comes out on top.

Read on as we take a closer look at what to expect from the 2022 World Cup.

World Cup 2022 Group Stage

The 2022 World Cup begins with 32 teams in eight groups of four:

  • Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.
  • Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales.
  • Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.
  • Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia.
  • Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan.
  • Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.
  • Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.
  • Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.

The tournament becomes a straight knockout from the round of 16, with the winners of those matches progressing to the quarter-finals.

The eight teams are then whittled down to four for the semi-finals, where the teams will compete for a place in the final on December 18.

Players to Watch at 2022 World Cup

As befits the most important international football tournament on the calendar, some of the biggest stars on the planet will be strutting their stuff at the World Cup.

Lionel Messi immediately springs to mind, and the Argentina forward will never have a better chance of getting his hands on a World Cup winners’ medal.

Argentina qualified comfortably for the tournament, and their well-balanced squad looks to be a match for all of the well fancied teams.

Kylian Mbappe is another player worth watching as he bids to help France retain the trophy they won in Russia four years ago.

France is amongst the favorites to be successful in Qatar, but no team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962.

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Harry Kane (England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Sadio Mane (Senegal) are other players worth monitoring during the tournament.

Interesting Facts About 2022 World Cup

The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be played in November and December, making it the first tournament not to be staged in May, June, or July.

It will be the final World Cup featuring 32 teams, as FIFA has increased the number to 48 for the 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Qatar is estimated to have spent around $200 billion on infrastructure projects, despite the event being played in just eight stadiums.

All eight venues will be fully air-conditioned, providing comfortable playing conditions for the players and ensuring the fans don’t find the heat too oppressive.

World Cup Prediction

Just eight teams have won the World Cup – Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (2), Uruguay (2), France (2), Spain (1) and England (1).

Of that group, it is difficult to imagine Uruguay or England adding to their tally, while Italy has failed to qualify for the tournament.

Brazil will fancy their chances of winning the World Cup after impressing during qualifying, but they look too short in the betting.

The same applies to France, which leaves Germany, Argentina and Spain as the best value bets in the outright market.

Germany and Spain should both go a long way, but Argentina has been hugely impressive over the past few months and are strongly fancied to win the World Cup.

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