The greatest sporting carnival in the World is almost upon us.  The FIFA World Cup, hosted by Qatar, running from 20^th November, culminating in the final on 18^th December 2022.  32 teams doing battle for the most sought-after trophy on Earth.

Will it be the Brazilians adding to their current tally of 5 World Cups?  Will it be the Germans equalling Brazil’s record?  Can the French be the first back-to-back winners since Brazil in 1962?  Will we see a new team on the list of winners, such as Croatia who went down bravely in the previous final?  Will the Dutch finally do it after being 3 times runner-up?  Does our favourite team, Australia have a chance?

In FIFA World Cup history, there have been many amazing players who have graced the pitches.  Super stars such as Bebeto, Pele, Diego Maradona, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta and Andres Brehme have held the trophy as winners, while superstars such as Lionel Messi, Ferenc Puskas, Johan Cruyff played in the final but could not get their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy.

Who will it be this year?  Which teams and players will shine, and which ones will disappoint?

The competing FIFA World Cup groups are broken up as follows:

Group A – Qatar Ecuador Senegal Netherlands

Group B – England IR Iran USA Wales

Group C – Argentina Saudi Arabia Mexico Poland

Group D -France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia

Group E – Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica

Group – Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G – Brazil Serbia Switzerland Cameroon

Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, Korea Republic

Group A

The Dutch will be looking to go one better than their runners-up efforts of 1974, 1978 and 2010 and at 12.00 are good value.  Gone are the days of Cruyff and Johan Neeskens, Marco Van Basten, Ronald Koeman and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst but the new generation has some potent players such as Virgil Van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong.  They are near certainties to qualify for the second round in a relatively easy group.  Can they go all the way?  Their team is good enough to do it in this very open of FIFA World Cups.

Senegal are on their way to their 3^rd ever World Cup.  The team who charmed the world in 2002 with players such as El Hadji Diouf are looking to go better than their 2002 performance when they reached the quarter final.  Led by Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane, they are a great chance of qualifying for the second round but not sure they have the class and personnel to go further.

Ecuador on the other hand have qualified for their 4^th ever FIFA World Cup.  It was in 2006 that Ivan Keviedes and his troops qualified for the 2^nd round and they will be looking to improve on that record.  Players such as Robert Arboleda. Moises Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento will be looking to write their own story at the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup.  It is a tough ask to win the group but at 2.00 are ok value for the second round qualification with Senegal seen as their main obstacle.  However, we have doubts about the Ecuadoreans and their ability to cope with the conditions in Qatar where it is expected to be hot and humid.

Qatar, the hosts are playing in their first ever World Cup.  Nobody expects anything from them but underestimate them at your own peril.  The current Asian Champions have been preparing for this moment of truth for over a decade and will be a lot more used to the hot and humid conditions that are expected in Qatar, than any of their opponents.  Their goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, supported by Abdelkarim Hassan and Akram Afif have plenty to prove.  History is on Qatar’s side as South Africa in 2010 was the first host nation not to qualify for the second round. If you are after a long shot, Qatar at 6.00 to qualify for the 2^nd round is great value.

Group B

The English will be looking to improve on the 4^th place at Russia 2018.  Their country currently has the most popular football league in the world with some of the greatest players in the world plying their trade in England, but will that transfer to silverware for the 3 Lions?  Any team with players like Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mason Mount would be in with a chance.  Question marks will be upon whether the players themselves can adapt to the humid conditions as the English team will be arriving from their early winter.  Considering their competition, they are near certainties to qualify for the second round.

Iran will be playing in their 6^th World Cup.  Despite being a traditional Asian powerhouse, players like Khodadad Azizi, Ali Daei and Ali Karimi never managed to qualify for the 2^nd round.  Playing in their neighbouring country, they may have a slight advantage over their opponents in that acclimatising to the Qatari conditions won’t be as big a factor as it is expected to be for their opponents.  There is the battle off the pitch to deal with, with politics expected to play a part, as it did back in France 98 when Iran defeated the USA 2-1.  In that match, there was only 1 yellow card issued out.  Can the generation of Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakakhsh do better than their predecessors?  5.00 is a great price for a 2^nd round appearance if you like an outsider.

USA are looking to rebound after missing out on the previous FIFA World Cup.  They qualified on goal difference ahead of Costa Rica.  However, this American team is full of players playing in some of the top leagues in the world.  Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronsen, Malik Tillman and Antonee Robinson will be looking to do their nation proud and show that they belong at the FIFA World Cup.  We can’t see the Americans going through to the second round but at the FIFA World Cup, stranger things have happened.

Wales will be playing at the FIFA World Cup for only the second time in their history.  The most famous incident in their World Cup history was that they were the first team to ever concede a World Cup goal to a 17 year old Pele in the 1958 World Cup.  Their most famous player is former Tottenham and Real Madrid player, Gareth Bale who is playing for Los Angeles FC these days.  He will be supported by players such as Ben Davis, Ethan Ampadu and James Daniel.  Like England, they are expected to struggle in the Qatari weather conditions, and it may prove to be their undoing.  They will have an advantage over Iran and USA in that they know group favourite England probably better than anyone else.  That may prove to be the difference between qualifying for the second round or missing out altogether.  With no Pele to deal with, Wales has a well-balanced team which will be competitive.  We can’t see them winning the group but at 2.10 are decent odds to make the second round.

Group C

In what is looking like being Lionel Messi’s final FIFA World Cup, the question remains, will this finally be the World Cup that will cap off a remarkable career and bring the FIFA World Cup Trophy back to Argentina for the first time since 1986?  He will be eager to put past comparisons with Daniel Pasarella’s and Diego Maradona’s World Cup winning teams aside, once and for all.  Messi will be backed up by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Atletico midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.  Second in the Conmebol qualifiers to Brazil, much is expected from Argentina who have one of the easier groups to navigate out of compared to other highly fancied teams.  Reaching the final is certainly not out of the question for Argentina.  We see plenty of value in their price for reaching the final and also winning it.

Saudi Arabia has been an Asian powerhouse for the last 30 or so years but only once have they qualified for the second round of a FIFA World Cup, courtesy of a famous Saeed Owiran wonder goal against Belgium in 1994.  They have generally disappointed on the big stage.  Strong in qualifying and playing in conditions that they are used to in neighbouring Qatar, it remains to be seen if they can pull off a surprise.  Despite their geographic advantage over their group opponents, we don’t expect Saudi Arabia to escape the group phase with much stronger teams in their group.

Mexico meanwhile have always been a Concacaf powerhouse.  Stunning in the group phase in Russia 2018, they got knocked out in the second round by Brazil.  They will be desperate to put behind their previous failure and make the most of this world cup.  Their great goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is expected to wear the 1 jersey and he will be supported by players such as Cesar Montes, Raul Jimenez, Jorge Sanchez and Hector Herrera.  They came first in the Concacaf qualifying and they did it in style.  6.00 is good value to top the group if you believe that Argentina will slip up.  1.90 to make the 2^nd round is also worth considering if you aren’t confident that they will beat Argentina.

Poland, whilst not regular qualifiers to FIFA World Cups, have a rich world cup history.  1974 and 1982, they enchanted the world with players like Lato and Boniek.  This latest generation of Poland is led by their charismatic striker Robert Lewandowski.  He will be supported by Kamil Glik, Jan Bednarek and Poitr Zielinski.  They struggled on the big stage 4 years ago and we expect that it will be more of the same in 2022.

Group D

Will we be hearing Allez Les Bleus for the second time in 4 years after the World Cup Final?  Many experts believe the French are a good chance of winning back-to-back FIFA World Cups which has not been achieved since 1962.  Hugo Lloris, Antoinne Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe are expected to be backing up from the last world cup and look like being joined by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.  However, the French will need to break the trend of recent world cups in order to escape the group phase.  Since 1998, only Brazil have won a world cup and gotten out of the group phase in the following world cup.  In fact, it was the French who started this awful trend when after being World Champions in 1998, they failed to score a single goal in the 2002 World Cup.  We at Apple iSports are not overly superstitious and believe that France will give this World Cup a major shake and at a minimum, a semi final appearance.  3.50 to make the final is good value in our opinion.

Australia was the 2^nd last team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a disappointing qualifying campaign that saw them need a penalty shoot-out victory over Peru in the intercontinental play-off.  Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan who have been in every squad since the 2006 World Cups, have retired, as has the previous captain Mile Jedinak.  Matt Ryan is expected to go to his 3^rd World Cup and he will be supported by Kye Rowles, Aaron Mooy and Matt Leckie.  They have been handed a difficult group and will struggle to make it out of the group.  We still love them and will support the boys in green and gold.

Denmark will prove to be a strong team in this group.  They have a well-balanced team with players like the charismatic Kasper Schmeichel in goals, along with Joachim Andersen, Jannik Vestergaard and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.  They are an excellent chance to get out of the group and if you are superstitious and believe that France won’t make it out of the group phase, the 4.00 price for Denmark to win the group looks like a bargain.

Tunisia will be playing in their 6^th ever World Cup but they have yet to experience a match in the knock-out phase of a World Cup.  They will see Australia as a beatable opponent and will try to get a result against the 2 European teams.  Their goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said will be protecting their goals and supported by Montassar Talbi, Mohamed Dragar, Aissa Laidouni and Seifeddine Jaziri.  After topping Group B in the African qualifiers, they then had to qualify via a home and away play off against Mali.  Great in Africa, it remains to be seen if they have the artillery to make it into the second round.

Group E

An interesting group, containing the 2010 Champions and the 2014 Champions.  The Tika Taka may not be around anymore, but the Spanish team are as strong as ever and will be one of the teams to watch.  A country that has so many class players such as Jordi Alba, Sergi Busquests, Thiago Alcantra, Rodri, Alvaro Morata among many others.  They deserve to be among the favourites to win the FIFA World Cup, and in a World Cup where there is no clear favourite, may be a good bet.  The 4.00 odds for Spain to make the final is also a tempting bet.  Definitely one of the teams to watch.

There is a saying in football and that is, “never underestimate the Germans”.  Whether they are ahead 3-0 or behind 3-0, they play exactly the same way.  4 times world champions (3 as West Germany and once as Germany) and 3 times runner-up, they are one of the most successful teams in FIFA World Cup history.  They are always at the business end of most World Cups.  Gone are the days of Fritz Walter, Gerd Muller, Karl-Heinz Rummenige and Lothar Mattheaus but the current German team has some classy players such as, Toni Kroos, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rudiger, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller who were part of that 2014 victory.  They had a disaster of a World Cup in Russia2018 which was very un-German-like, therefore the need to right the wrongs of the past have never been so crucial to this proud footballing nation.  As with Spain, they have a genuine chance of lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy this December and a great chance to reach the final.

It is unfortunate that Asian powerhouse Japan has been drawn alongside two favourites for the World Cup.  Since the 90s, Japan has been synonymous with success in Asia.  They have qualified 3 times for the second round, including that heart breaking loss to Belgium at the previous World Cup in Russia 2018.  They have some outstanding players who are currently playing or have played for European clubs such as Takumi Minamino, Maya Yoshida, Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda and Hidemasa Morita.  We all love an outsider and a good value bet, and the FIFA World Cup history has been littered with giant killer stories, but we cannot see Japan get past the 2 European teams in their group.  Their odds to win the group or to qualify for the 2^nd round are just not tempting enough, despite the fact that they have experience playing in the Middle East.

The last team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup of 2022 was Costa Rica who needed to defeat an (in some people’s opinions) unlucky New Zealand team via a 3^rd minute goal in the Intercontinental Play-off.  They were equal to the USA in the Concacaf qualifiers but missed out on automatic qualification on goal difference.  They will be desperate to prove that they belong at this FIFA World Cup.  Keylor Navas, Kendall Waston, Celso Borges and Joel Campbell will be wanting to prove their doubters wrong, as they did when in the 2014 World Cup, came first in the group of death against the more fancied Italy, England and Uruguay.  We agree they are a brave team though cannot see them getting past Germany and Spain.

Group F

Belgium are clear favourites to win this group and it is no wonder why.  Their national team is full of class players who play for some of the top clubs in the best leagues.  The Hazard brothers Eden and Thorgen, Romelo Lukaku and Thomas Meunier just to name a few.  The Belgians finished 3^rd at their last world cup and will be looking to go better than that effort.  There is a sense though, that the team from 4 years ago has peaked and won’t be among the semi-finalists, never mind the finalists.  However, on their day, they are capable of beating anyone.  Winning the group, as short as the odds are, is almost a certainty.

Canada is playing in its first world cup since 1986.  Nobody gives them a chance, though they were most impressive ion their qualifiers.  Their squad is made up of a mixture of players who ply their trade in Europe and in North America.  The most recognisable name would be Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.  He is supported by players such as Milan Borjan, Sam Adekugbe, Atiba Hutchison and Jonathan David.  We believe the Canadians will give a good account of themselves and show they belong at a FIFA World Cup but can’t see them progressing to the 2^nd round.

The history of the FIFA World Cup is full of triumphs and tragedies.  When it comes to heart breaks, there is no nation like Morocco.  Eliminated by an unlucky deflection in 1986, outplaying all 3 opponents and still coming last in their group in 1994, walking off the pitch thinking they qualified for the 2^nd round only to find out Norway beat Brazil via a late controversial penalty in 1998 and the headed own goal against Iran 4 years ago when once again, they outplayed their opponent and came up empty handed.  Now their bad luck has started from the time of the draw for the FIFA World Cup with the group they have been drawn in.  Players such as Yassine Bounou, Romain Saiss, Sofyan Amrabat and Sofiane Boufal will want to make their own history and determined to beat their best performance which was the 2^nd round of Mexico86.  As much as we would like to see Morocco shake off their tag of being the unluckiest team in FIFA World Cup history, we believe this group of theirs is beyond their ability.  The thing of interest will be what new tragedy will Morocco experience in 2022.

The finalists from Russia2018, who shocked the world by reaching the final are eager to show that their reaching the final 4 years ago was no fluke.  Real Madrid star, Luka Modric is still the key for Croatia but he is supported by several great players such as Josip Juranovic, Borna Barisic, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric.  They have been handed a group which they should have enough class to navigate out of, but we can’t see them performing the same heroics of 2018.  1.55 for getting out of the group may be tempting to place into a multi bet.

Group G

The most flamboyant and most popular team in FIFA World Cup history would have to be Brazil.  With such players as Bebeto, Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Socrates, Romario, Careca, Ronaldinho, it is easy to see why.  They have always played a brand of football that has entertained, and sitting on 5 FIFA World Cup trophies, makes them the most successful nation in World Cup history.  Their current generation of players contains several superstars such as Alisson Becker, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Casemiro, Vinicius Junior and of course, the charismatic Neymar.  They are the favourites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup.  If their qualifying matches are anything to go by, they will be difficult to beat.  Brazil has always come first in the group since FIFA introduced 4 team groups in 1950 therefore Brazil to be Group Winner is almost a safe bet.  Can they win the tournament?  Absolutely!  They have class players all over the pitch.  As per the old John West TV ads, it is the players that the Brazil coach rejects that make Brazil the best.  We would be shocked if Brazil did not make the semi finals as a minimum.

Serbia will be going to this FIFA World Cup with a point to prove.  As per Russia 2018, they find both Switzerland and Brazil in the group.  It was against both opponents that several significant referring decisions went against them that denied them entry into the 2^nd round.  Coached by Serbian footballing legend Dragan Stojkovic, they will be relying on the current generation of players such as Nikola Milenkovic, Sasa Lukic, Dusan Tadic and Aleksander Mitovic, to right the wrongs of 4 years ago.  As long as they keep their cool, the 2.25 to get out of the group phase is a good value bet.

Whilst teams like group opponent Brazil are regarded “a team of champions”, Switzerland plays more like a champion team.  Always flying under the radar, they are always producing great results on the world stage.  Playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe are players such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Akanji Manuel, Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo.  They don’t have the same star power as their group opponents but are a very coherent team.  Whilst we don’t think they can win the group, their matches against Serbia and Cameroon will be key to them getting out of the group phase.  If they get out of the group phase, a favourable draw could see them progress the furthest they have ever progressed in the tournament, though we don’t see them coming close to winning it.  If you feel Serbia is too volatile, the 2.00 price on the Swiss to escape the group phase could be a good value bet.

The darlings of Italia90, Cameroon have been regular qualifiers to the FIFA World cup since the days of Omam Biyik, Thomas N’Kono and Roger Milla.  Unfortunately, they have not come close to equalling the feats of 1990.  After topping their qualification group, they then needed to beat Algeria in a 2 legged play off to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.  If they want to repeat the feats of 1990, they will need players such as Andre Onana, John-Charles Castalletto, Samuel Oum Gouet and Karl Toko Ekambi to rise above and play out of their skin.  As much as we love a good World Cup giant-killing story, we can’t see Cameroon getting out of this group.

Group H

For almost 20 years, the name Portugal has been synonymous with the name Cristiano Ronaldo and for good reason.  One of the greatest players the world has ever seen will be playing in his 5^th FIFA World Cup tournament.  At times, he has carried his national team.  After their second place in the UEFA qualifying group, they needed to beat both Turkey and North Macedonia to qualify.  They qualified the hard way, but much is still expected of this team.  Along with Ronaldo, players featuring for Portugal will be Diogo Costa, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota.  Some great players but will they be able to put it together as a team?  We don’t believe that 13.00 is enough to entice us into backing Portugal for the Cup.  As long as they can play as a cohesive unit, they are a good chance to win their group and a quarter final would not be out of the question.

One of the most successful teams in African football are Ghana, though rarely have they performed on the world stage aside from their 2010 heroics.  In a relatively even group, they will see this as a marvellous opportunity to qualify for the second round.  The game against Uruguay who controversially knocked them out of the 2010 World Cup will be the match of the round as the Ghanaians have not forgiven, nor forgotten.  There are no survivors from that squad expected to play, so they will rely on Jojo Wollacott, Daniel Amartey, Andre Ayew, Mohammed Kudus and Jordan Ayew to right the wrongs of the past.  Ghana have a team good enough to get a result against all group opponents, so 3.20 is a good value bet for making the second round if you like a giant killing outsider.

Twice FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay came 3^rd in the Conmebol qualifiers and will go to the World Cup reasonably confident.  A small but proud nation, they have always punched above their weight and will be expected to do so at the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup.  They will be helped by players such as Sergio Rochet, Diego Godin, Ronald Araujo, Federico Valverde and veterans Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.  A talented but occasionally volatile team, they will need to keep their cool (not easy in Qatar) if they want to go far in this tournament.  We predict a brave performance that is typical of Uruguay, but we don’t see them winning the World Cup.  We believe their price to qualify for the second round, is rather short considering their group opponents.  On their day, they can beat anyone.  An interesting team due to their unpredictability.

South Korea are an Asian power house.  They have qualified for each FIFA World Cup since 1986 with some mixed results.  Their best performance was their semi final appearance back in 2002 when they were coached by the charismatic Guus Hiddink.  Their current generation, led by Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min is an exciting one.  Players such as Hwang Hee-Chan, Kwon Chang-Hoon, Kim Min-Jae are desperate to fly the flag for Korean and Asian football.  Despite the group and some highly fancied opponents, on their day, they can defeat any of their group opponents.  Whether they can produce the goods at the World Cup will come down to their self-belief and a bit of luck.  One thing in their favour is local knowledge.  Being in the same confederation as Qatar, they have played numerous matches in the Persian Gulf and will be well prepared for the conditions that lie ahead.  As per the case with Ghana, we believe that if you are looking for a good value bet, 3.20 is a great price for qualifying for the second round.