Hiram Moreno
The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar has already begun and the World Cup held this time in the Middle East sees 32 teams fighting to lift the coveted trophy, although to do so they must first advance from this round, and in the first round they will have to win the trophy. Today, at JefeBet we analyze each of the groups and tell you which teams are the favorites in the Qatar 2022 group stage.
As usual, the European teams are the teams to beat – it’s not a coincidence that the World Cup has gone to a UEFA country since 2006. However, if international soccer has shown us anything it is that there is always room for surprises, and the level shown by other national teams suggests that the road will not be easy for anyone.
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Favorites in the Group Stage Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
Group A
- Favorite to win the group: The Netherlands
- Runner-up: Senegal
- Eliminated: Ecuador, Qatar
Group A contains hosts Qatar, although it seems unlikely that the Arab country can make it beyond this round despite its years of development leading up to this event.
In addition to Qatar, Group A also contains two-time tournament finalists the Netherlands, who are expected to command the zone with an iron fist. Joining them are Ecuador, who are making their first appearance in the World Cup since Brazil 2014, and Senegal, who are contesting the tournament for only the third time and for the second consecutive edition.
In our opinion, the Netherlands have what it takes to advance as group winners. We believe Senegal could be the team to accompany the Dutch, although with Ecuador having won the opening match and the Africans playing without their main star, Sadio Mané, a surprise from the South American country should not be ruled out.
[Full bettting preview of Group A here]
Group B
- Favorite to win the group: England
- Runner-up: United States
- Eliminated: Wales, Iran
A priori, Group B of this 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar looks like one of the most evenly matched of all, since although England seems to be the favorite to lead the group, the recent performance of Three Lions indicates that a slip-up is quite likely, with the 1966 World Cup champion coming into the tournament on the back of dismal results.
The United States and Iran could take advantage of this to earn valuable points against the European giants, each having performed remarkably well in their respective qualifying campaigns. Nor should we forget Wales, who will be playing in their first World Cup since 1958 and who have performed well in recent European Championships, although the team with Gareth Bale as its main player is not as strong as in the past.
Beyond the recent bad moment, at JefeBet we believe that England can advance as top of the group, with the American team being the one to get the other ticket to the next round over Iran and Wales, who, although they will fight, will not get enough results.
[Full betting preview of Group B here]
Group C
- Favorite to win the group: Argentina
- Runner-up: Poland
- Eliminated: Mexico, Saudi Arabia
Group C contains one of the main favorites to win this World Cup, Argentina. The South American team comes into this tournament after a qualifying campaign in which it did not lose a single match and brings with it an unbeaten streak of 36 matches without defeat, with its last loss occurring in July 2019 against Brazil.
Another incentive for the Argentine team, which has already won the World Cup twice (1978, 1986), is to have Lionel Messi, considered one of the best players of all time and who will possibly have his last adventure in this competition, adding the coveted cup to his trophy cabinet.
Argentina clearly starts as the opponent to beat in Group C but… Who will join them in the knockout round? Will it be the Mexico that has been eliminated in the round of 16 in the last seven editions of the tournament? Lewandowski’s Poland, which, despite its individual stars, has failed to make it out of the group stage this century? Or Saudi Arabia, whom many have in a role of mere spectators?
We believe that among all of them, Poland could be the one to get the second place. Despite disappointments in recent international tournaments, the quality of the squad is undeniable, with Robert Lewandowski being one of the best strikers in the world in recent years.
[Full betting preview of Group C here]
Group D
- Favorite to win the group: Denmark
- Runner-up: France
- Eliminated: Australia, Tunisia
Here is the group where the reigning champions, France, will be aiming to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups. However, this may be complicated by the fact that the French team is coming off the back of a disastrous performance in its most recent international tournament, the UEFA Nations League, and the loss of 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
This will be music to the ears of one of their direct rivals, Denmark, who are appearing in consecutive editions of the World Cup for only the second time in their history. The Danes have earned their status as a dark horse in this competition, having been the surprise package at last year’s UEFA EURO 2022 by reaching the semi-final, topping their group in the play-offs, and beating France in their group at the last UEFA Nations League.
Rounding out the group are Tunisia, who will be looking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their history in what is already their sixth attempt, and Australia, who have also failed to advance out of the group stage since Germany 2006 despite having qualified for every World Cup since then.
We don’t think the African and Asian teams will do well against two big rivals, with Denmark and France advancing from the group, although at JefeBet we are confident that the Danes could once again finish above France as they did in the last UEFA Nations League.
[Full betting preview of Group D here]
Group E
- Favorite to win the group: Spain
- Runner-up: Germany
- Eliminated: Japan, Costa Rica
If you ask any soccer fan what he or she thinks is the Group of Death in this 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, will surely tell you that the E, and there are enough reasons to think so since the group is made up of two world powers in the sport such as Spain and Germany, in addition to two teams that always give something to talk about in their confederations such as Japan and Costa Rica.
However, are we right to underestimate the two underdogs in this group? Those with no fish memory will recall that Costa Rica found themselves in a similar situation in Brazil 2014 and managed to record their best World Cup performance in their history despite being in a very tough group, and Japan came close to sending home a giant like Belgium at Russia 2018 during the Round of 16.
Beyond this, at JefeBet we don’t want to put too much stock in these teams and will go with the big boys, with Spain topping the group and Germany joining them in the qualifiers as group runners-up.
[Full betting preview of Group E here]
Group F
- Favorite to win the group: Belgium
- Runner-up: Croatia
- Eliminated: Canada, Morocco
From the group of death, we jump to what is possibly the most unbalanced group in this entire phase, Group F, which contains Belgium, Croatia, Canada and Morocco.
Belgium knows that this is its last chance for the so-called golden generation of Belgian soccer to win an international tournament after falling short in Brazil 2014, where they reached the quarterfinals, and in Russia 2018, where they took third place after losing in the semifinal to the eventual champions, in what has been their best World Cup appearance to date.
There is also Croatia, who reached the final of the last World Cup only to lose 4-2 to France in a match that is still fresh in the memory of many soccer fans due to the spectacle. However, it looks unlikely that the Balkan country will be able to repeat such a performance in what will be its sixth appearance at a World Cup.
Joining them will be Canada, who proved that good work pays off by reaching their first World Cup since 1986 by topping their qualifiers ahead of CONCACAF giants such as Mexico and the United States. Also not to be forgotten are Morocco, who had a perfect record in the second round of the CAF qualifiers and crushed the Republic of Congo 5-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round.
From our point of view, Belgium could comfortably top the group, as they have done in the previous two World Cups, and Croatia will be the runners-up, although they should not underestimate their American and African counterparts as they have done a good job to get this far.
[Full betting preview or Group F here]
Group G
- Favorite to win the group: Brazil
- Runner-up: Switzerland
- Eliminated: Cameroon, Serbia
Fighting to take the label of the toughest group at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar from Group E is Group E, which, while containing one of the favorites to win the tournament, Brazil, looks set to be more hotly contested than many might think at first glance.
Brazil, a country with a long soccer tradition that has not missed a World Cup since the first one in 1930, winning a total of five since then (more than any other country in the world), is considered one of the main candidates to take home the trophy, even more so after overcoming its complicated qualifying campaign in CONMEBOL being undefeated, but in front of them will be teams that will not be intimidated.
Facing them will be Switzerland, a team that has managed to reach the knockout round in three of the last four editions of the competition without a lot of spotlight or big names, and which reached the round of 16 at the last European Championship. There is also another European team like Serbia, which, although on paper seems an easy opponent, topped their group in the UEFA qualifiers and sent a big team like Portugal to the playoffs.
Cameroon, which will be making its eighth appearance at the World Cup, has only managed to advance beyond the group stage on one of the seven previous occasions, and it seems unlikely that it will be able to do so in Qatar 2022. At JefeBet we think Brazil will lead Group G and Switzerland will do well to advance to the round of 16, but watch out for Serbia!
[Full betting preview of Group G here]
Group H
- Favorite to win the group: Uruguay
- Runner-up: Portugal
- Eliminated: South Korea, Ghana
The last group of this competition will be Group H, which looks like it could be anyone’s game, as the country that in theory is the powerhouse arrives at this big party of international soccer in a rather eventful manner.
As mentioned, Portugal had to go through the dreaded UEFA playoffs to reach this World Cup, and while the team has some great players who play for the best clubs in European soccer, everything seems to indicate that the team is far from being fully integrated.
This could play in favor of two-time world champion Uruguay, which arrived at Qatar 2022 coming from behind after winning in its last matches of the CONMEBOL qualifying campaign and has reached the knockout round in the last three World Cups, with that memorable third place in South Africa 2010, a tournament in which it overcame precisely such a group rival as Ghana in the quarterfinals.
In Ghana’s three World Cup appearances, that venture to the quarterfinals remains its best result to date, and it will have a hard time achieving that feat again. Another team that could continue to live on past glories is South Korea, whose main figure is world-class player Heung-min Son, and which will want to get through this group stage to try to equal its role in the 2002 World Cup in its country, where it reached – with much controversy included – the semifinals.
Anything could happen in Group H, but our prediction is that Uruguay will pull off the upset and lead the group at the end of three rounds, with Portugal doing enough to book the remaining ticket to the Round of 16.
[Full betting preview of Group H here]
