If they held the ball, opponents couldn't score.
France, Brazil, and Argentina emerge as top contenders despite injury concerns, with France defending their title and Brazil seeking their first World Cup since 2002. Portugal, Netherlands, and Belgium feature star-studded rosters, though Belgium faces uncertainty with key players injured and aging squad members potentially in their final tournament.
- Tournament began November 20 in Qatar due to extreme summer heat
- France defending their title with odds of 6.55; Brazil favored at 5
- Belgium facing uncertainty with Lukaku injured and Courtois recovering from nerve damage
- Brazil seeking first World Cup title since 2002 under coach Tite
1xBet analyzes odds for nine World Cup 2022 favorites, examining team compositions, player availability, and tactical approaches as Qatar hosts an unprecedented tournament with strict cultural requirements.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar arrived as an anomaly in football history. The tournament kicked off on November 20th, pushed into the Qatari autumn to escape the worst of the summer heat, which meant national leagues across Europe would grind to a halt mid-season. But the scheduling quirk was only the beginning. Qatar's authorities imposed restrictions that seemed designed to test the resolve of visiting fans: alcohol was banned, men could not wear shorts or sleeveless shirts despite temperatures hovering near 30 degrees Celsius, women had to cover shoulders and elbows, and a long list of cultural protocols governed everything from how to hold a cup of tea to where cameras could point. The question hanging over the tournament was whether any of this would matter once the matches began—whether the best teams in the world could adapt to the chaos, the heat, the disruption to their seasons, and the strange new rules of engagement.
Portugal and the Netherlands both carried odds of 13, suggesting roughly equal chances at the trophy. Portugal had assembled an attack of genuine depth: Rafael Leão from Milan, João Félix from Atlético Madrid, Bernardo Silva from Manchester City, and Bruno Fernandes anchoring the midfield. The defense featured Rúben Dias and João Cancelo, both Manchester City stalwarts, plus the veteran Pepe. But the story everyone wanted to know was whether Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, could find his form one last time. At his new club, he had been benched repeatedly, sometimes left out of squads entirely. Was he preserving himself for what would likely be his final World Cup? If Portugal's coach Fernando Santos could reignite the aging superstar, this team could go far, even without the injured Diogo Jota.
The Netherlands, under the returning Louis van Gaal, looked threatening. Van Gaal had guided them to third place in 2014, and his return had restored an attacking edge that had dulled in his absence. They had demolished Turkey 6-1 in a qualifying match and beaten Belgium twice in 2022 alone. Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong, players who sometimes struggled for minutes at Barcelona, became different creatures in the orange shirt. Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt formed one of international football's best center-back partnerships. Van Gaal had shown a willingness to deploy three defenders, which could unlock even more attacking potential. The loss of Georginio Wijnaldum to injury was a blow, but the Dutch seemed ready to surprise.
Belgium, at odds of 12, was a team in decline. Two years earlier, they would have been considered serious contenders, but their recent performances at Euro 2020 and the Nations League had been uninspiring. They had lost to Italy in the Euros and again in the Nations League. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had publicly suggested the players simply weren't motivated in those tournaments. The World Cup, he insisted, would be different. But Courtois was barely recovered from a sciatic nerve injury, and Romelu Lukaku was battling a left thigh problem that might keep him sidelined through the end of the year. Without Lukaku, Belgium would be a fundamentally different team. The core of their golden generation—the group that won bronze in 2018—remained, experienced and well-balanced, but injuries and age were catching up.
Germany, at 10, was rebuilding after humiliation. The 2014 champions had failed to advance from their group in 2018, then crashed out in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. Joachim Löw had retired, and Hansi Flick took over in the summer of 2021. The rigid tactical systems of the Löw era were gone, replaced by more dynamic play. Yet Germany had lost to Hungary in the Nations League and managed only one win in their summer and autumn matches—a victory over Italy. Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller still had energy, and Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sané, and Serge Gnabry were thriving at Bayern Munich. The younger brigade—Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, and Adeyemi—had shown immense potential. But Germany now struggled against strong opponents, and no one knew if Flick could solve those problems in a few weeks.
Spain, at 8.6, had been built by Luis Enrique into a team that could have beaten Italy in the Euro 2020 final—they lost only on penalties. These Spanish players were young and obsessed with possession, operating on the principle that if they held the ball, opponents couldn't score. In the Nations League, they had finished first in their group, though not without difficulty; they lost to Switzerland and beat Portugal only because their goalkeeper played brilliantly in the deciding match. Sergio Ramos had been excluded from both the Euros and the World Cup squad. The future of Spanish football belonged to Pedri, Gavi, Ferran Torres, and Unai Simón—players who would be around for years.
England and Argentina both sat at 7.6, sharing third-favorite status. England was in crisis. In the Nations League, they finished last in their group, behind Germany, Italy, and even Hungary, without a single win in six matches. James Maddison would miss the tournament through injury, while Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were in doubt. Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson, and Harry Maguire were all underperforming. Jack Grealish was getting minimal playing time at Manchester City. Yet the raw talent in English football was so vast that belief persisted.
Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni was an unlikely figure to make history. He had been a journeyman defender, his best years at Deportivo in Spain, with seven caps for Argentina and a trip to the 2006 World Cup. Remarkably, he had crossed paths with a young Messi at that same tournament. Now, as Messi's coach, Scaloni had built a team around the aging genius that had won the Copa América—Argentina's first continental title since 1993—and defeated Italy in the Finalíssima. Perhaps this World Cup would be Messi's final triumph.
France, the defending champions at 6.55, should have been favorites, but injuries had struck at their core. N'Golo Kanté was unavailable, and Paul Pogba would almost certainly miss the tournament. The midfield had been constructed around that pair. Didier Deschamps would need to construct a different style of play than he had four years earlier. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga, teammates at Real Madrid, were ready in midfield. Mattéo Guendouzi had risen to prominence at Marseille. In attack, Christopher Nkunku, the Bundesliga's best player the previous season, and Ousmane Dembélé, La Liga's assist leader, were prepared to contribute. And leading the French attack was Karim Benzema, freshly crowned Ballon d'Or winner. If France failed, Deschamps would have nowhere to hide.
Brazil, at 5, looked almost impossibly stacked. In goal, they could choose between Alisson and Ederson. At center-back: Thiago Silva, Éder Militão, and Marquinhos. In midfield: the tireless Fabinho and Casemiro, plus the creative Paquetá and Fred. In attack: Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli, and Antony. The fullback positions were slightly weakened—Dani Alves, Danilo, and Alex Telles had seen better days—but the overall roster was staggering. More impressive still was that coach Tite had forged them into something resembling club-level cohesion. He had worked with these players for years, surviving even the disaster of the 2018 quarterfinal exit. Most coaches would have been fired; instead, Brazilian football's leadership appreciated the quality of play and gave him time. Within a year, he won the Copa América. Brazil hadn't won a World Cup since 2002. Was this finally the year of the hexa—the sixth title?
Citas Notables
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suggested the players simply weren't motivated in recent tournaments, but insisted the World Cup would be different.— Thibaut Courtois, Belgium goalkeeper
Lionel Scaloni had crossed paths with a young Messi at the 2006 World Cup; now, as his coach, he had built a team around the aging genius.— Narrative observation on Scaloni and Messi's connection
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that this World Cup is in November instead of June?
Because every player's body is tuned to a rhythm. Their clubs have built entire seasons around the traditional calendar. Pulling them out in November means they're either undercooked or they're missing crucial matches back home. Some will adapt. Others will arrive tired or rusty.
The cultural restrictions seem almost designed to provoke. Did anyone think this through?
On paper, yes—Qatar was following its own laws. But imagine telling a German or English fan they can't have a beer in 30-degree heat, or that they can't wear what's comfortable. The restrictions weren't just rules; they were a statement about whose country this was. Whether it affected play is another question.
You mention Cristiano Ronaldo being benched at his club. Is he washed up, or is this something else?
That's the mystery everyone wanted solved. At 37, he wasn't getting minutes at Manchester United. But the World Cup is different—it's the stage where legends sometimes find one last spark. Portugal's whole tournament might have hinged on whether Fernando Santos could unlock that.
Belgium looks like a team running out of time.
Exactly. They had their window—2016, 2018, that era. Now Lukaku is injured, Courtois is recovering from nerve problems, and the players who won bronze in 2018 are aging. Without Lukaku, they lose their focal point in attack. It's a team that knows it might not get another chance.
France is defending their title but missing key midfielders. How do you replace Kanté and Pogba?
You don't, really. You rebuild around what you have. Deschamps had to find a new identity. He had young talent—Tchouaméni, Camavinga—but they hadn't proven themselves at this level yet. And Benzema, for all his brilliance, was 34. The window was closing there too.
Brazil looks almost unfair on paper.
They do. But talent on paper doesn't always translate. What made them dangerous was that Tite had actually built something cohesive. He'd survived the 2018 failure when any other coach would have been gone. That loyalty, that continuity—that's what turns a roster into a team. They hadn't won since 2002. The hunger was real.