The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is setting up to be an extremely unique edition of the quadrennial sporting event. It will be the first hosted by a nation in the Arab World, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and the first taking place during the winter (at least for the Northern Hemisphere). Plenty of justified controversy continues to overshadow the tournament, yet the 32 teams will arrive in November, as scheduled.
Ever since South Africa hosted when I was 8 years old, I've been absolutely infatuated with international football. While my two countries, Egypt and USA, haven't seen much success, I still enjoy keeping up with all of the nations. Other than the fact that I once predicted Germany in 2014 (winning me free ice cream through a Facebook competition), you should trust my predictions based on the countless hours I've spent researching, data collecting, and friendly spectating.

Since the last article, where I gave my early rankings, some nations have gone on amazing win streaks in regional competition or international friendly play. Some favored teams have also had some losses that have raised questions on if these teams still have the energy and adrenaline they had during the qualifying rounds. I also got an updated FIFA rankings to consult and analyze.
Recent results have proven Brazil to be a more consistent threat than Belgium, despite me ranking the latter as the #1 team heading into Qatar.  Notably, Belgium lost to Netherlands for the second time this year. For this reason, the Dutch are trending up into the conversation of contenders, where France and England have particularly been lacking in recent fixtures. Japan might just have the most momentum, after beating the USMNT, and are looking to be more than just bracket hopefuls.

Netherlands are going in as the heavy favorites in the host nation's group, and they will dominate with the highest goal differential of any team in the group stage. The second qualifier from this group seems to be an open race, but Senegal will convincingly clinch the round of 16 with their consistent defensive play. Ecuador and Qatar simply don't have the offensive power to be in contention.

This group has a couple of matches from the past 4 years to give us insight into how this will play out. England previously beat Wales 3-0 in 2020, and while Wales may close the gap, England will take another victory in the matchup. USA also tied with Wales in 2020, and not only will this history repeat, but it will lead up to a scoreless fixture against Iran's impenetrable defense,  eliminating USA's chances of returning to the knockout stage.

No big surprises in this group, as Argentina and Mexico will leave with 2 wins each. However, I do have Poland holding Argentina to 1 goal in a draw. The Saudis will have a rough outing, getting drawn in one of the tougher groups in the tournament, and not having much experience against the higher caliber nations. Mexico will have a chance to break their Quinto Partido curse, against the top seed of Group D.

Tunisia going undefeated will be the biggest surprise of the group stage. France is a powerhouse, but has been underwhelming in recent international play, leading to an inability to close out games. One of the nations France has had trouble with is Denmark, who will try to beat them for the 3rd time this year, but will come up short in a draw. Australia will attempt to at least keep it close in their losses.

All year, I've been expecting Germany to disappoint in this group, and I intend to double down on that sentiment. Japan has been very hit or miss, but I predict an electrifying, high-scoring upset against Germany to kick off this group's matches. Spain's recent dominance will translate in a couple shutout wins, and Costa Rica will give every team a headache. Will be an exciting group to watch.

Belgium has struggled in recent years against other top UEFA nations, but they were drawn a fairly favorable pool to advance from. Whoever finishes second will be the team that doesn't lose too badly to Belgium. I foresee Canada keeping it close with everyone, but not being able to find a win. Morocco and Croatia will show similar offensive ability, but it will be Morocco's defensive effort that advances them to their 2nd Round of 16 appearance.

Brazil enters as the World Cup favorites, and their path to victory begins with one of the weaker pools of the tournament. Their group would struggle to advance if placed in another group, but they all have a shot at 2nd seed here. Cameroon has a proven defense but their lackluster offense won't do them any favors. Both Serbia and Switzerland have the upside of being able to beat any team, but Switzerland's extreme volatility will ultimately hold them back.

Portugal has been nearly shut out by other contenders, but they still act as a strong gatekeeper and will sweep their group accordingly. Korea Republic has efficient scoring, but at the end of the day, Uruguay is the better team and will prevail by goal differential. Ghana will be lucky to score against any of these teams, as I have them exiting the tournament with three brutal losses.