After four long years, the World Cup is finally back, and this year’s battles are expected to be better than ever. Kicking us off in Qatar on Nov. 20, is the group stage of the tournament, which will continue through Dec. 2. Here are The Hawk’s predictions and selections for how the World Cup will shake out.
Natalie Nevins
Group Winners: A – Netherlands | B – England | C – Argentina | D – France | E – Spain | F – Belgium | G – Brazil | H – Portugal
Group Runners-Up: A – Senegal | B – United States | C – Mexico | D – Denmark | E – Germany | F – Croatia | G – Switzerland | H – Uruguay
Round of 16: The round of 16 should be where things really start to heat up in this year’s tournament. On the one side of the bracket, the matchups will include Netherlands vs. the United States, Argentina vs. Denmark, Spain vs. Croatia, and Brazil vs. Uruguay. On the opposite side of the bracket, England will face off against Senegal; France will take on Mexico; Belgium will play Germany; and Portugal will match up with Switzerland. Of these 16 talent-packed teams, my eight quarter finalists will include the teams I feel reach that next-level caliber of fútbol.
In the quarterfinal round of the tournament, Netherlands will square off with an experienced Argentina team. On the same side, Croatia will battle it out with Brazil, who are the projected favorites to win the whole thing. The other two quarterfinal games will consist of European showdowns between England and France, and Belgium and Portugal.
Semifinalists: Argentina, Brazil, France, Belgium
The semifinal round of the World Cup will feature four powerhouse teams, who are highly regarded in the soccer world. The first semifinal will feature a star-struck matchup between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior’s Brazil. The second semifinal match will host France as they take on Belgium in yet another European showdown.
Finalists: Brazil and France
Despite the talent and power from all four of these sides, Brazil and England will ultimately come out on top in the semifinal round due to their experience and success in big games. The two teams will then compete to be the ultimate champions of the World on Dec. 18, a few days before Christmas. This matchup is one that soccer fans across the globe will salivate over and is likely to fulfill every soccer lover’s dream for an exhilarating, offense-focused final.
Winner: Brazil
When it is all said and done, Brazil will defeat the Goliath that is France, the 2018 World Cup winners, and Neymar will be crowned a champion at the international level for the very first time in his career. Ah, goosebumps!
Aaron Tully
Group Winners: A – Netherlands | B – England | C – Argentina | D – Denmark | E – Spain | F – Belgium | G – Brazil | H – Uruguay
Group Runners-Up: A – Senegal | B – United States | C – Mexico | D – France | E – Germany | F – Croatia | G – Switzerland | H – Uruguay
Round of 16: The round of 16 will see several high profile matchups. France vs. Argentina, Brazil vs. Portugal, and Germany vs. Belgium. The stakes are sky-high in these matchups, and only eight teams can survive and advance to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinalists: Netherlands, France, Spain, Brazil, England, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay
If you thought the round of 16 had some high profile matchups, the quarterfinals have even more of them. France will meet the Netherlands, tournament favorites Brazil and Spain square off, Denmark and England have a rematch of their Euro 2020 semifinal, and Germany and Uruguay provide another big rematch, rehashing their 2010 World Cup third place game.
Semifinalists: France, Brazil, England, Germany
The semifinals feature two sides that made the semifinals in Russia back in 2018 in France and England. The Brazilians and the Germans were both semifinalists in 2014 and played in one of the most shocking games in World Cup history when Germany routed the hosting Brazil 7-1. They will not have a rematch this time around, as Brazil is on France’s side of the bracket, and Germany is paired with England.
Finalists: England and France
Only the strong survive long enough to this point, and France and England are both strong enough to be World Cup finalists. Each of these teams were finalists in one of their last two major tournaments, and the Three Lions were semifinalists in Russia as well. Both of these teams have the big match experience to make this a legendary final.
Winner: England
Repeating as a World Cup champion is a rare and difficult feat. Brazil was the last team to do it in 1962. France will come agonizingly close, but fall to England in the end. For the first time since 1966, it’s coming home!
