Which two teams will reach the final – and who will win?
Brazil v France – a repeat of 1998 – looks more than possible, but the outcome will be reversed this time. Nick Ames
A South American showdown: Argentina v Brazil, and Brazil to win. Ben Fisher
Brazil over Belgium. The Seleção’s embarrassment of attacking riches – headlined by Neymar, Vinícius Jr, Gabriel Martinelli, Rodrygo and Raphinha – will break Europe’s two-decade stranglehold and plant the flag for another Brazilian dynasty. Bryan Armen Graham
Brazil v France with Tite’s favourites avenging their country’s defeat in the 1998 final. Andy Hunter
Brazil to beat France in the final. Brazil have the firepower and the range of options to end 20 years of heartbreak. David Hytner.
The best two teams here are Brazil, who have lost just three times in the last four years, and Argentina, who are unbeaten since 2019. But if they top their group they’ll meet in the semi-finals. So let’s say Brazil v Spain, with Brazil winning. Arsène Wenger’s maxim, that the team with the best keeper wins the World Cup, holds more often than not. Sean Ingle
Argentina and Brazil after the latter finish second in Group G and enter the other side of draw. 3-2 to Argentina in the best final since Italy beat West Germany 3-1 in 1982. Jamie Jackson
Argentina and Germany to contest the final, with the former finally possessing a supporting cast capable of sending their main man, Lionel Messi, off with the trophy he has long coveted. Emma Kemp
This feels like Argentina’s time, a battle-hardened squad with a strong sense of mission (Mession?) and an ability to grind out results. France should emerge from what promises to be by far the weaker half of the draw. Jonathan Liew.
Brazil will. They will beat France. Sid Lowe
Argentina will beat England 3-2. I have come to this conclusion by calculating what I think ought to be the answer (Brazil beating France) then tweaking it a bit to create something I would rather see. Paul MacInnes
Argentina and France. Messi for the win, followed by a tearful, heartfelt speech about the dubious moral nature of this World Cup and instant retirement. Barney Ronay
Argentina will win their semi-final against Brazil. Then Lionel Messi will beat Spain in the final. Jacob Steinberg
It’s deja vu time. The clock turns back to 1998 in Paris so it’s Brazil and France in Doha with France to win again and crowds dancing down the Champs-Élysées once more. Louise Taylor
Argentina to beat Germany. Given injuries, fatigue and the lack of preparation time, this feels a very hard World Cup to predict so if the European stranglehold is to be broken, it may have to be now. Argentina and Brazil are both in great form – albeit having played limited European opposition, but I worry about the back of Brazil’s midfield, whereas Argentina, even without Giovani Lo Celso, have a nice balance and the narrative thrust of Lionel Messi in his final World Cup. Germany and Spain look the most coherent European teams, but Germany perhaps have a little more experience. Jonathan Wilson
Who will win the Golden Boot?
Karim Benzema looks a fair bet for this, particularly considering France’s group. NA
Darwin Núñez. Ten goals in his past 20 appearances for club and country is a more than respectable return and it could be a fruitful tournament for the Liverpool forward. BF
Neymar. Only three goals shy of breaking Pelé’s record and becoming Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer, the in-form PSG star’s firm hold on penalty duties for a team that should go far will only help. BAG
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the basis he is unlikely to bow out quietly. AH
Karim Benzema. France will go deep in the competition and the Ballon d’Or winner will sense the chance to get up and running quickly against Australia and Tunisia in the group phase. DH.
superbly. NA
Nobody is really talking about Croatia, England’s old foes who have a classy midfield and will surely fancy their chances of qualifying out of Group F with a spring in their step. BF
Uruguay. Left for dead in the early stages of qualifying, La Celeste came to life after Diego Alonso replaced longtime manager Óscar Tabárez and installed a high press to create chances for Luis Suárez, Darwin Núñez and Edinson Cavani. A semi-final run is not out of the question. BAG.
management structure and seem to have done things relatively sensibly since the Chris Hughton/Otto Addo pairing took charge, not least by persuading Tariq Lamptey and Iñaki Williams to play for Ghana. And that group is full of unpredictable sides.
Who will be breakthrough player of the tournament?
Xavi Simons could well show his lavish talent to the wider world if Louis van Gaal lets him off the leash for the Netherlands. Another Dutch-based player, the thrilling Mohammed Kudus, is capable of burnishing both his and Ghana’s prospects this winter. NA
Xavi Simons, a Next Generation pick in 2020, arrives uncapped but could leave Qatar a Dutch hero. Louis van Gaal has picked up on the 19-year-old’s fine performances since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year and there is plenty of headroom for the dreadlocked PSV midfielder to blossom. Simons spent nine years in the academy at Barcelona and is now making a splash in the Eredivisie. BF.
Gavi. Spain’s precocious attacking midfielder only turned 18 in August, but he has already made 50 appearances for Barcelona and a dozen for the national side. Expect an international coming-out not unlike Pedri’s at last year’s Euros. BAG
It will be interesting to see if Pedri – who only turns 20 during the tournament – can transfer his Barcelona form onto the world stage. AH.
How far will England and Wales get?
England: quarter-finals. Wales: valiant but agonising group stage exit. NA
England reach the quarter-finals, the damning inquest begins and Gareth Southgate walks away after six years of unwanted spotlight. Wales to make it to the last-16 but avoid the hysteria. BF.
Wales’ first World Cup in 64 years will be a quick one as they go quietly in the group stage. England won’t be far behind after getting all they can handle from either Senegal or the Netherlands in the last-16. BAG
Both to make it out of the group, and both to go out in the last-16. AH
With England, it could be anything from quarter-finalists to finalists. My heart says the latter, that there were mitigating factors for their Nations League dip, that the experience and quality is there. My head says an exit in the quarters, probably to France. Wales to reach the last-16. DH
With England nothing would surprise me, but the draw has fallen their way and they will be in the easier half if they top their group. Wales will do well to progress to the last-16. SI
England – last-16. Wales – group. JJ
It’s not coming home, and I’m going to wager it’ll get lost in transit somewhere around the quarter-finals on the evidence of England’s recent issues and Nations League woes. If Wales (welcome back) keep their veterans injury-free they could yet beat the United States and Iran to second spot and seal a spot in the round of 16. EK
England group stage. Wales last-16. JL
Not far enough. Would love to think Wales will get out the group but I fear it’s unlikely – although don’t underestimate how good Bale could be. England are remarkably consistent really and more or less always do the same thing at a World Cup, at least in knockout phases, which is to beat the teams they “should” beat and go out to the first really strong team. Maybe a step better this time. Semis. SL
England will get to the final (see above) or go out at any point after the group stage. Wales will get to the second round thanks to Gareth Bale. PM
Suspect neither will get past the last-16. Although oddly, can also see England winning it, Gareth Bale being inexplicably brilliant and the Welsh generally cheering everyone up. Football eh? BR.
England will lose in the last four to Spain – we’ll talk a lot about the lack of a controlling midfielder. Wales will go out in the last-16 to Holland. JS
England to the quarter-finals and a likely defeat to France. Wales to the round of 16 where the Netherlands may well lie in wait. LT
England could easily go out in the group, or they could win it, but a quarter-final exit feels about reasonable. Wales have a great opportunity to finish above the US and get to the last-16. JW
How do you feel about going to Qatar to cover the tournament?
What would normally be the pinnacle of this profession is undoubtedly tempered by the context. That certainly hits home when friends you spent cherished moments with watching World Cups in childhood say they will not be tuning in this time. But I’m convinced it’s important to be there, and feel I’m part of a conscientious reporting team who will try our hardest to bring all elements of the tournament to readers with depth and sensitivity. NA
Naturally conflicted. Am excited about covering my first World Cup and Wales’s first for 64 years but that many fans feel they cannot be here to witness it safely is the sad and depressing reality. The Rainbow Wall, a Welsh LGBTQ+ fans group, are among those not travelling. BF
On one hand, if you’re serious about framing yourself as a truly global game, then you are going to have to bring your showcase event to the Arab world at some point. As a pure outcome, the Middle East deserved a first World Cup before the United States deserved a second. On the other, there’s no getting around the stomach-turning human cost of the spectacle ahead and I expect it to be front of mind throughout the month. BAG.
Conflicted. I love the Middle East and feel a World Cup staged in the region is overdue but it is a shame this one comes so heavily caveated by the self destructively slow progress made regarding the treatment of construction workers, human rights and women’s freedoms since it was awarded 12 years ago. LT
Sad that a tournament that should be about bringing people together through sport is so debased, by its use as a propaganda tool and by corporate greed. But I find the idea journalists shouldn’t be here bizarre. I’ve been to Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon to cover Cups of Nations but that doesn’t mean I endorsed the regimes of Mubarak, Obiang, Bongo or Biya; rather my job was to provide a record, both of the sport and what surrounded it. I’m not sure the world would have benefited had Nick Ames and I sat at home moaning about how awful the Cameroonian government is rather than reporting on January’s tragedy in Yaounde. If people don’t understand that, they don’t understand what journalism is. JW.
This article is originally published at the guardian.com
