The 2022 FIFA World Cup is in full flow. The 22nd edition of football's most prestigious competition will be held in Qatar, the first Arab country to do so. With all of the teams participating in the Qatar World Cup announcing their squads, many pundits and journalists have laid out their favourites for the big event. In this article, we will be showcasing our five picks who could go on to claim the greatest prize in the sporting world. Without further ado, here are our five hot favourites to win the trophy.
Five top contenders for the FIFA World Cup 2022
France
The reigning champions would have been favorites for the World Cup at the start of the tournament. However, their unbalanced squad and subsequent massive injuries have seen them get replaced as the top dogs in many minds.
Read More: Qatar World Cup: 5 Dark Horses to look out for
With an unbalanced midfield that will be missing N'golo Kante, Paul Pogba, and Christopher Nkunku through injury, France will be relying on young superstars Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.
However, an easy group featuring Australia and Tunisia, along with their packed defense and exciting attack featuring the likes of Benzema, Mbappe, Coman, Dembele means that Le Bleu will not be against fancying themselves for number three in Qatar.
Spain
Luis Enrique will be going to Qatar as one of, if not the most accomplished, managers taking part in the World Cup. In charge of the technically gifted Spain squad, he will be looking to deliver the elusive trophy to La Furja Roja.
Although Spain will be missing the likes of Sergio Ramos, Thiago Alcantara, Marc Cucurella, Brahim Diaz, Iago Aspas, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Pablo Fornals. They will have plenty to get excited about as superstars Dani Olmo, Rodri, Pedri, Aymeric Laporte, and Pau Torres will don the famous Spanish jersey in Qatar.
Experienced heads such as Sergio Busquets, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, and Dani Carvajal will make sure that Spain lacks in no department. However, with a group that includes Japan, Germany, and 2014 surprise quarterfinalists Costa Rica, early hiccups are to be avoided for a deep Spanish run.
England
The most expensive squad going to Qatar, England, divides opinion as always due to their recent international form. However, their performances in their last two major international tournaments cannot be chalked off. Gareth Southgate's men managed to become World Cup semi-finalists in Russia and reached the Euro 2020 final, losing to Italy on penalties.
Southgate has left out talented players such as Fikayo Tomori, Ivan Toney, Tammy Abraham, and Jadon Sancho to name a few, but he will be able to call on the likes of 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, and Marcus Rashford in attack. Their defense also has balance with John Stones, Kyle Walker, inform Ben White and Kieran Trippier in the squad along with duo Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips in the heart of midfield.
The likes of Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire will provide the experience in this young and exciting squad. Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden will also be looking to light up the World Cup, giving The Three Lions their best shot of winning the World Cup since 1966.
Read More: Argentina or Brazil: Which team's prospects look better in Qatar World Cup?
Argentina
Argentina are coming to the World Cup as the favourites in many minds. Their more than impressive qualification run, which saw them stay undefeated throughout the process, along with their triumph at the 2021 Copa America, has put them at the top of the favourites' ladder.
Missing the likes of Giovanni Lo Celso, Emiliano Buendia, Angel Correa, and Giovanni Simeone. La Albiceleste have a star-studded squad which includes legendary players such as Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria along with superstars such as Lisandro Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul, Papu Gomez, Joaquin Correa, and Paulo Dybala, to name a few.
Although the absence of Giovanni Lo Celso will be a big miss for the Argentinians, they'll be looking to follow through on their promise to deliver number three. Closing in on a record unbeaten run with 35 matches, Leonel Scaloni has been given the unenviable job of delivering Argentina their third World Cup victory in what will be Messi's last dance.
Brazil
Although Argentina had a record-breaking run in their world cup qualifying, they still finished second behind arch nemesis Brazil. As record champions, the blue and yellow of Brazil are synonymous with the World Cup. The only team to appear in all 22 World Cups, the Selecao, will go again in their search for number six.
Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Magalhaes, Phillipe Coutinho, Matheus Cunha, and Gabriel Barbosa will be cheering their nation from home as manager Tite has decided to instead call upon the likes of Allison, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Lucas Paqueta, Bruno Guimaraes, Vinicius Junior, Neymar, and so on and so forth.
A balanced squad in most parts, Brazil may be lacking in the full-back area, where they will have to rely on old heads such as Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, and Alex Telles. But a squad filled with Samba stars, La Canarinhas, will be exciting to watch at the World Cup as they still seek redemption after the 2014 Maracana Tradegy.
Read More: Qatar Squad analysis for 2022 FIFA Football World Cup
Verdict
It has always been difficult to predict the winner of any competition, let alone the biggest one in sporting history. However, top footballing nations will challenge for the Qatar World Cup 2022 trophy, and the aforementioned five teams are considered hot favourites to go all the way to the final.
Overall, in the spirit of the beautiful game, it rewards the team that gets people excited and on the edge of their seats as well as the team that scores the most goals at the end of 90 minutes. The beautiful game is once again taking over the world.