By Tommy Kane

Published: June 7th, 2018

Volume II: Issue XXXI

On June 14th, the world will come together in Russia to see the kickoff of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup is every four years, so every player makes the most they can when they get the opportunity to play. The field of 32 is set, but there are some notable teams that are missing the World Cup that are typically regulars. They are Italy, the Netherlands, Chile, the United States, and Wales. Nonetheless, the top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16, where then the rest of the competition is knock-out style. Who will move on to the Round of 16? *Teams in bold are the advancing teams, along with their current FIFA rank in parentheses (As of June 6th, 2018)*

Group A: The Weak Group?

Uruguay (14)

Russia (70)

Egypt (45)

Saudi Arabia (67)

Group A has got to be one of the weakest groups in the World Cup. Only one of the teams stand to be in the top 20 in the FIFA rankings. This makes for great competition though. When it comes down to it, Uruguay has the most experience, and looks like the toughest team in the group. No one wants to bet against Luis Suarez! That leaves Russia and Egypt fighting for the second spot. Saudi Arabia will put up a fight, but they are too weak to advance. Mo Salah for Egypt will be the guy to look out for, but one man cannot lead an entire team to victory. Russia is home and has the support behind them. A big stat to note though is that this is Egypt’s first World Cup appearance since 1990. Maybe they will stun us?

Group B: Next-Door Battle

Portugal (4)

Spain (10)

Iran (37)

Morocco (41)

No doubt Portugal and Spain take this group by storm. Both teams are in a league with the top teams in the world! Portugal recently won the UEFA EURO 2016 and will continue to dominate in Russia with Cristiano Ronaldo. Spain is also a power-house in the world, and will look to avenge their early exit from Brazil 2014. Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta will likely be watched as front-runners for the Spanish squad. Iran and Morocco are huge underdogs and will not last in this group. The bidding was clearly against them this time! The key match is Portugal vs. Spain to see who will take the top spot!

Group C: France Has a Great Shot

France (7)

Australia (36)

Peru (11)

Denmark (12)

Group C looks like it will favor the French squad to the max. They will assert their dominance against some of the weaker teams in the group (yet not weak at all really). Don’t count out the Aussies, Peru, and Denmark though. All of these teams are challenging opponents, which is why the underdog, Australia, has got to take this second place spot. Australia had some heart-break to the Netherlands back in Brazil 2014; all the more reason for them to come back and shine in Russia. They are a young team that has a lot of potential. Peru and Denmark also have much potential. Can someone take France down, or will Les Bleus take this group by storm?

Group D: Messi’s Time to Shine

Argentina (5)

Croatia (20)

Iceland (22)

Nigeria (48)

Will it be time for Leo Messi to finally win a World Cup? The extra-time induced loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final has got to put a pep in Argentina’s step in Russia. With that being said, Argentina will win this group with some ease, but what about the other spot? Iceland has shown large improvement, starting with the 2016 UEFA EURO Cup. They have now qualified for the World Cup, but they have to face a tough Croatian squad to move on. Croatia is a great team that has been playing excellent as of recent. Iceland will have a tough time getting past Croatia, giving Croatia the second spot. Nigeria is the underdog and will not be able to compete with the two European duelers (as well as Argentina).

Group E: Brazil Needs to Show Up

Brazil (2)

Switzerland (6)

Costa Rica (23)

Serbia (34)

Everyone remembers what happened to Brazil on their home turf against Germany. We don’t have to get into that and remind them, it is stuck in every World Cup fan’s head! Neymar and the squad will forget about it and take the group. It will not be easy though; Switzerland and Costa Rica have great squads. As Brazil is the favorite, those other two will have to battle it out. Switzerland is more experienced and a better team than Costa Rica. The Swiss also were so close to taking the top spot away from Portugal in the qualifiers, only points away! They will ride that out and outlast Costa Rica and Serbia.

Group F: Germany Looks to Repeat

Germany (1)

Mexico (15)

Sweden (24)

Korea (57)

Germany is looking to repeat as World Champions after beating Argentina in 2014. They will have a semi-difficult road to start though. Mexico led the CONCACAF in qualifying and have a strong squad that can do some damage. Sweden also has Zlatan Ibrahimovich, who is playing well in the MLS. This test shouldn’t worry German fans too much though, as they will be able to win the group. For the second-place spot, Mexico has a better shot than Sweden. Expect the match between Mexico and Sweden be the deciding factor in who moves on, unless anyone beats the reigning champs of course!

Group G: Belgium Should Take Over

Belgium (3)

England (12)

Tunisia (21)

Panama (55)

Belgium is no doubt the winner of this group. The toughest competition they will face is the England squad that couldn’t advance to the Knock-out Round in 2014. England has a different team though, with a new Goalie in Jack Butland. Expect that match to be a huge one, but Belgium will come out on top. Tunisia and Panama lack the firepower of advancing with Belgium and England in the group. This is Panama’s first ever World Cup appearance, so look out for that. Tunisia has improved, but it will be tough. Who knows, England did lose as a favorite in 2014! If there is going to be an underdog run, it will come from this group!

Group H: Poland Looks to Make a Run

Poland (8)

Colombia (16)

Japan (61)

Senegal (27)

Poland are the front-runners of Group H as of late, and striker, Robert Lewandowski, has much to do with it. Colombia would have much to say about it, as they are going to take the second-place spot in the group. Japan and Senegal are the underdogs of the group, but could be a big threat. Japan had a great qualifying run (finished top of their group) that led them to this spot, as well as Senegal making their second appearance in the World Cup. Look out for all four of these teams, because any one of them has the potential to cause problems in the Round of 16.

The World Cup kicks off on June 14th at 11 PM EST in Russia. The match will be between Russia and Saudi Arabia. It will all take place on Fox Sports for viewers in the United States. Who will you root for? Who will win?

Stats:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275075/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275077/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275079/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275081/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275083/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275085/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275087/

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/groups/group/275089/

http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/