The 22nd edition of football’s biggest international competition is also the first tournament to take place in the Middle East, being held in a predominantly Muslim Arab country. The placement of the competition in the break between the two halves of the season also stands out, with much higher expectations from the footballers. We start from the idea that they come directly from club teams, with no additional preparation but connected to the major importance of the final tournament.
Scheduled from late November to mid-December, it runs for 28 days. There have been numerous accusations of corruption and much criticism of the organizers without concrete solutions and resolutions to the situations described in the press.
What we are interested in for betting on this final tournament
The final tournament in Qatar was supposed to start on 21 November, but FIFA agreed to move the first match to 20 November. The World Cup 2022 was originally scheduled to kick off on 21 November with the Senegal-Netherlands match.
All games will be shown on TVR, the national broadcaster acquiring the TV rights.
World Cup in Qatar
The 8 groups of qualified teams:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
The Netherlands are the big favorites in the group, with a consistent gap to the other teams. The host country’s representation is worth to watch, but we cannot have high expectations. Rather to concede at least 2 goals every game. Great expectations also from Senegal, the African champions with exceptional players who can decide even a difficult match. With Sadio Mane in form, it will be a high-scoring group.
Group B: England, USA, Iran, Wales
The English are favorites and the group is quite interesting. The duel between the Americans and the Welsh looks attractive and it’s hard to say which team is more valuable at this point. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are two top players who can help Wales a lot.
Group C: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia
Not an easy Group C, even if Argentina is the strongest team. Poland can catch excellent games and Mexico is a solid team and very hard to beat.
Group D: France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
France are group favorites and Denmark are aiming to qualify from second place. With Christian Eriksen fit and well, Denmark can make big claims at this tournament. Many pundits credit the North Africans on the basis of their exceptional performances in qualifying, friendly and Nations League matches (see the 2-0 win over France on 25 September). Australia and Tunisia play the role of outsiders who can cause problems, can mess up the expected dynamics of the matches.
Group E: Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica
A group with two title contenders, Spain and Germany being among the strongest teams of the moment. With Pedri and Gavi, the Iberians’ game has grown enormously and is approaching the standards achieved in the past, when they became European and world champions. Very likely to benefit from the direct duel and „back up”’ against Japan and Costa Rica. Germany is one of my picks to win the WC title in Qatar.
Group F: Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Belgium are group favorites, followed by Croatia, who can mobilize excellently in a final tournament. The paradox is that Belgium’s golden generation has won nothing and Zlatko Dalic’s team is aging. It all depends on how the players will mobilize and whether they will be able to make the necessary effort at the World Cup. Morocco and Canada seem like filler in the group economy.
Group G: Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
Neymar’s Brazil has first chance in the group but both Switzerland, Serbia and Cameroon can make a claim for qualification. I have my eye on Switzerland, a team with a very good, pragmatic game and I expect them to score at least 3 goals in the group.
Group H: Portugal, Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana.
Portugal looks unstoppable and somehow a team that has reinvented itself. All eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo, especially as he could end up in a league in the Arab world. It will be a pleasure to watch Luiz Suarez, Edison Cavani or Darwin Nunez and my money is on Uruguay reaching at least the quarter-finals.
FIFA has announced that all players taking part in the World Cup in Qatar will be able to access and consult their individual performance data using a dedicated app, another exciting first. The app is called FIFA Player and was developed by FIFA in partnership with FIFPro, the international union of professional players. Statistics, individual performance data and other information will be available immediately after the end of matches.
CAMPIONATUL MONDIAL din Qatar
Odds, tips, advice for the World Cup
Due to the larger number of participating teams, there will be 4 matches per day until the end of the group stage. They will start at 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00 Romanian time. Advantage for punters, with matches throughout the day.
From the round of 16, there will be 2 matches per day, starting at 17:00 and 21:00. The same will happen in the quarter-finals.
The software that predicted that Germany would win in 2014, and France in 2018 chose Argentina as the winner this year (this is the algorithm developed by Joachim Klemen). What’s more, there will be an Argentina-England final, with the South American team coming out on top. A fabulous end to Messi’s career and a total crowning achievement.
I think Denmark and Senegal can confirm the very high expectations. Both teams have exceptional generations, cover the whole game and have enough experience for any confrontation. Led by Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane, Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations last January with a +13 record in seven matches.
The odds give a rather interesting picture of the chances appreciated by operators. With two months to go, Brazil is seen as favorite at @5.00. Basically, it’s the No. 1 national team in the FIFA rankings and a team with many stars.
England, Argentina and France all have the same odds @7.50, with all three teams seen at very close odds. Of all of them, France has confirmed it lately, but England and Argentina have players capable of winning any competition.
Spain @11.00, Germany @12.00, followed by Portugal @14.00, Netherlands @15.00, Belgium @18.00 and Denmark @25.00.
It’s shaping up to be a footballing royal, with lots of attractive bets and opportunities not to be missed. Just enjoy every choice, have fun, have the satisfaction of betting and watching games of the highest standard.
