After a long four year wait, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is finally upon us. The competition begins on the 20th of November and ends December 18th.

Here is a rundown of some of the favorites, dark horses, and most important players.

FAVORITES

Argentina
For a country with as rich of a soccer culture as Argentina, you would expect to see a little more success in the last 15 years from them. Now it seems like this Argentina team is finally on the track to massive success, going unbeaten in 35 games in a row in buildup to the World Cup. They won the most recent edition of the Copa America in an entertaining clash against Brazil. They last reached the World Cup final against Germany in 2014 but lost in heartbreaking fashion in extra time. Their key man will be without a doubt Lionel Messi. Participating in his 5th and final World Cup, Messi has a chance to cement his legacy as one of, if not the greatest player of all time if he’s able to capture the trophy that has eluded him his whole career. Watch out for Argentina’s incredible ability and unity.

Brazil
A favorite for just about every World Cup, Brazil once again has one of the best squads in the world. They boast a wealth of attacking quality that is sure to blow every team out of the water, if they can coherently gel as a squad. Brazil, similarly to Argentina, haven’t experienced as much success over the last few years as you’d expect, but they’ve always been there to challenge. Brazil and PSG’s Neymar will play a massive role in how well this team can do in the tournament. He perfectly represents what makes Brazil such an easy team to like: the flair and showmanship paired with a clinical ability to finish off attacks. Neymar comes into the World Cup arguably as the best player in the world on current form. In 14 league games, he has scored 11 goals and assisted 9 times, an incredible tally. This Brazil team looks ready to finally jump over the hurdle and take this tournament for themselves.

Spain
Winners of the 2010 World Cup, Spain always boast an incredible amount of pure quality, but in recent years have struggled to finish their chances. In the most recent edition of the Euros, Spain made it to the semi finals, losing to eventual champions Italy in a very tight match that went to penalties. Spain has some of the best young talents in the world, one of which anchors this team with his maturity and quality. At 19 years of age, Barcelona’s Pedri is already one of the best players in the world and is expected to lead this Spain team. His composure on the ball, passing ability as well as high IQ are what allow him to excel. This young team has lots of room to grow, but they can definitely shock a few with their already impressive quality.

France
France have arguably had the best team in the world for the last 4 years, and still do. After their commanding triumph in the 2018 World Cup, they seemed to have somewhat nosedived with their performances. This team has quite frankly not lived up to the expectations put on them after their performance in 2018, getting knocked out in the round of 16 against Switzerland in the Euros. All this being said, they still at any moment can turn it on and blow everyone away with their talent and skill so they must be regarded as a favorite. It is very difficult to choose a star player that will lead this team on, but I would have to go for Kylian Mbappe. At 23, Mbappe is already one of the best players in the World. Winning the World Cup when he was 19 was the moment that thrusted him onto the spotlight and showed his immense potential. Ever since then, he has very well come into that potential and proved everyone who backed him to be right.

SURPRISE TEAMS

One of the most entertaining aspects of the World Cup is always the teams that aren’t generally considered giants, coming through and playing very well. Here are some of the teams likely to fall under this category.

Senegal
Although Senegal just ruled out through injury their best player, Sadio Mane, this team is still very exciting to see play. Many have spoken about their desire for an African team to win the World Cup, and they have their best chance with this team this year. Senegal was the most recent champion of the Africa cup and cemented their place as the best African team in the world at the moment.

Denmark
In Denmark we see another team filled with great youth players that can make a massive impact for their country. Denmark isn’t known extensively for their football team, but in the last few years they have proven themselves to be a great side to watch out for. They captured the attention with a great run into the most recent Euros.

Uruguay
Uruguay is one of the few countries to have ever won the World Cup, yet they are never viewed as favorites for the tournament. They have a great team, totally capable of making a deep run into this tournament. Legendary players like Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani have their last chance to cement themselves in their countries history.

In all, the 2022 World Cup is bound to be a great experience for both the teams and the fans. Every four years, people band together to root for their countries and collectively cheer on their teams.