World Cup 2022: Who’re The Favourites to Win in Qatar?

Well, it’s that time again – the return of the FIFA World Cup, the largest sporting show on earth. This time round, the tournament will be taking place in the uncharacteristic season of winter, making allowances for the extreme heat of the Qatari desert summer. 

It is thought that approximately 5 billion people will tune in throughout the course of the competition from around the world, making it the most spectated event in history with around 65% of the world’s population catching some of the action.

France Looking to Retain Title

In 2018, France led a stunning campaign that culminated in victory against Croatia to award them their second ever World Cup title. And while Les Bleus are considered among the favourites to succeed this time around they must first contender with the so-called champion’s curse. 

This trend, which has resulted in defending teams failing to retain their titles – with France in 2002, Spain in 2014 and Germany in 2018 the most recent examples, will ensure 2022’s tournament is anything but a foregone conclusion.

Likely Winners

So who are the favourites to succeed in the desert sands in November? Below we’ll take a look at the most likely candidates to achieve glory in Qatar this winter.

The title is naturally prestigious, and is an accolade “certain teams” have sought to repeat for half a century. And of course it’s not just fans of individual teams that are invested in determining the likely victors of football’s greatest prize, but the global sports industry at large. 

The previous tournament, contested in Russia in 2018, made over £118 billion in sports betting turnover. This made it the most lucrative event for the industry ever, and it’s reasonable to assume that come November, that record will be exceeded.

Local regional comparison platforms for bookmakers in the Middle-East, such as ArabianBetting, will of course be ideally positioned to offer recommendations on venues to place wagers on more than just match outcomes for the 1.2 million global fans sports expected to descend on Qatar. 

For example, in its break-down providing recommendations for where to bet on World Cup 2022’s top assists, this platform demonstrates that two of the players with the highest assist counts in the qualifying run-up will be decked out in orange this winter in Memphis Depay and Davy Klaassen. 

Whether this will result in a definitive conversion towards wins is less likely, as although The Flying Dutchmen are tipped to break out of Group A and sink Qatar’s home campaign early, their chances of making it all the way to the final are vanishingly slim this year.

Brazil

The favourites to claim the title this time round are Brazil. Always a reasonable contender, with the highest number of wins of any team at five and the most recent coming in 2002, the side has demonstrated itself to be in keen form in the run-up to this year’s tournament. 

Tite’s squad, decked out with Casemiro, Neymar and Thiago Silva, has been on a run through qualifying and friendlies alike in spite of having lost out to Argentina in the Copa America finals in 2021. 

As for the Group stage, Brazil have been drawn alongside Switzerland, Serbia and Cameroon in Group G – which they should make short work of.

France

Curse or no curse, France are still looking like a close favourite to retain their crown. It is thought that once Les Bleus find their footing and are up to speed, they should sail to the latter stages of the tournament. 

But first they would have to contend with Group D. While Tunisia and Australia are not considered to be meaningful threats, Denmark have become a thorn in France’s side, having defeated them in the Nations League twice. 

While France should comfortably escape the group stages, this early opposition may prevent them from finding their rhythm.

England

For the first time in many years, England are looking like champion material with a rebuilt team that took them all the way to the Euros Final in 2020. 

Yet recent setbacks in the Nations League with a humiliating home defeat by Hungary and loss to Euro rivals Italy have rocked the squad and caused their odds with bookies to drift. 

Whether they can surmount this setback to get back on form in time for Qatar is questionable, but irrespective of recent challenges, England are still considered among the very best in the world right now.