2022 World Cup Predictions
With the World Cup getting ready to kick off, it is the perfect time to accurately predict which team will raise the trophy in Qatar.
Ben’s Prediction: France
The reigning World Cup champions have a great chance to repeat, as they have five starters returning from the 2018 World Cup winning squad.
France has the greatest attacking pair in the tournament, with the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé set to carry the load offensively. Antoine Griezmann should also be heavily involved as an attacking midfielder or striker.
France’s midfield is the weakest part of its squad as projected starters N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba are both missing the tournament due to injuries. While one of the projected replacements, Chris Nkunku got injured in training recently, leaving his availability for the tournament up in the air.
France’s backline returns three starters, with William Saliba being the only new projected starter as he will replace Presnel Kimpembe in the center-back position. Hugo Lloris is one of the world's top goalkeepers and will continue to show it on the international stage.
France got a great draw in Group D, with Denmark being the only real threat to win the group, while Tunisia and Australia are expected to struggle immensely.
France will look to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962.
Brady’s Prediction: Argentina
Argentina head into this World Cup as one of the favorites for this tournament. The main storyline regarding Argentina, is Lionel Messi and his final chance to win a World Cup, one of the only feats he hasn’t accomplished in this sport.
The attack for this side is one of the most dangerous in the tournament, as Lionel Messi will most likely join Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez up front. They also have a few other well-known players like Paulo Dybala, Joaquín Correa and Manchester City attacker Julian Álvarez at their disposal.
The midfield for Argentina is probably one of the weaker parts of the team. Some standouts in this midfield are De Paul, Paredes and Rodríguez, who plays for Real Betis. Along with that, Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been in good form and should see some action.
The backline and goalkeeper for Argentina are similar to what we’ve seen in previous years. With that being said, the Manchester United center-back Lisandro Martínez will make his first appearance for Argentina. Nicolas Otamendi is expected to be the other center-back, with Nicolas Tagliafico, Nahuel Molino and Marcos Acuna being the main full-back options.
Rounding out the 11 is goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who has been superb lately for Aston Villa.
Argentina expects to have an easy time in the group stage as they face Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia. Although a few of these sides are solid, none truly match-up with Argentina’s fire-power.
Argentina certainly has all the weapons to make a deep run and win this World cup. With this added motivation to get Messi the win, Argentina will look to give Messi his rightful send-off with a World cup trophy.
Shiv’s Prediction: Portugal
Portugal heads into this tournament as heavy underdogs compared to past World Cups.
There has been a lot of turmoil within the team stemming from Cristiano Ronaldo’s fallout with Manchester United, which has resulted in tension between Ronaldo and his teammate for club and country, Bruno Fernandes.
However, don’t let this fool you, because we’ve seen time and time again from Ronaldo that whenever it looks like the end is near and the situation is dire, he finds a way to get the job done and he will certainly give it his all to get the job done this year in Qatar, and bring home the World Cup that he so desperately craves.
Portugal’s lineup consists of many notable players such the aforementioned Ronaldo in the front, with Fernandes paired up with his Manchester derby rival Bernardo Silva and up-and-coming star Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton in the middle.
In the back is the rock from Porto: Pepe, alongside Manchester City’s young star center-back Ruben Neves with a familiar face in Roma’s Rui Patrício in goal.
Portugal's draw looks rather interesting as they are in a tough Group H with heavyweights Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
Ben Palillo is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.
Brady McCormick is a third-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, please email bmm6399@psu.edu.
Shiv Nagpaul is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email shivoyboy@psu.edu.
About the Contributors
Ben Palillo
/ Broadcast Journalism
Ben Palillo is a third-year student from Farmingdale, New York, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is involved in the sports department, writing articles, producing podcasts and doing play-by-play. In addition, he co-hosts a weekly talk show called Sunday League and frequently appears on weekly department shows Hail Mary and The Road to March Madness. To contact Ben, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Brady McCormick
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Shivoy Nagpaul
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