Starting on November 20th, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will kick off in Qatar. Despite controversial working conditions, homophobic statements, and corruption, international soccer’s biggest event returns for the first time in four years. After a year of qualification efforts from all of FIFA’s different federations, 32 teams will descend on Qatar’s capital Doha with hopes to win it all. Normally, the World Cup is played in the summer, however, due to Qatar’s extreme heat, the tournament was moved to this winter. 

The format starts with a “pool play” round-robin, where groups of four teams play each other once. Then, the top two teams from each pool advance to a knockout bracket. Rankings in the pool play stage are determined by a point system, where a team gets three points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero for a loss. 

Below is a breakdown of all the teams, their pools and our predictions for who will make it out. Stay tuned for further predictions once the knockout bracket is formed on December 3rd. 

Group A

Teams: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands

Summary: Group A kicks off the tournament, with host Qatar facing off against Ecuador on November 20th. The Netherlands comes in as the group favorite despite not even qualifying for the World Cup four years ago. Led by defender Virgil Van Dijk and forward Memphis Depay, the young Dutch team is a force to be reckoned with. Qatar, which qualifies automatically as the host nation, is composed primarily of domestic players. Ecuador qualified 4th in a rather competitive South American confederation under somewhat dubious circumstances, with one of their players violating FIFA citizenship rules. Senegal is viewed by many to be a dark horse contender in the tournament given their attack prowess on the wings. However, injury concerns around their star player, Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane, put their chances in jeopardy. 

Prediction: Netherlands wins, Senegal second

Group B

Teams: England, Iran, Wales, United States

Summary: For most fans in the U.S., this is the group to watch. After notably missing the 2018 World Cup, the US enters as the youngest team in the World Cup. Led by Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic and vocal midfielder Tyler Adams, many fans are optimistic about the team’s performance. Coach Greg Berhaltter’s roster was met with criticism from many, leaving him in a must-perform situation if he wants to keep his job going into 2023. However, England is the group favorite and has a deep roster of skilled players, such as veteran striker Harry Kane and young phenom Jude Bellingham. Iran comes in as one of the better teams in Asia, amid domestic protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini. Wales snuck into the World Cup in one of the playoff matches in Europe. They are led by the aging Gareth Bale and dynamic Aaron Ramsey.

Prediction: England wins, U.S. second 

Group C

Teams: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland 

Summary: Argentina is considered by many (including a FIFA 23 simulation) to pose a real threat to win the entire tournament. They are on a 35-game unbeaten streak and led by the legendary Lionel Messi. Saudi Arabia is coming off promising results against Iceland and the U.S., bolstered by a growing domestic league. El Trí, the name of Mexico’s national team, comes into Qatar off a mixed string of results. Led by World Cup star Guillermo Ochoa in goal and winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozana, Mexico looks to continue their streak of making it out of pool play. Finally, Poland is hoping to challenge Mexico for a ticket to the playoff bracket behind their world-class striker Robert Lewandowski. Arguably one of the more competitive groups, there are plenty of match-ups worth watching in Group C. 

Prediction: Argentina wins, Mexico second 

Group D

Teams: France, Australia, Tunisia, Denmark

Summary: Defending champion France comes in as a worthy contender despite critical injuries in the midfield. A young core of stars including Eduardo Camavinga and Kylian Mbappé will be looking to win this group with relative ease. Australia qualified for the World Cup after beating Peru in an intercontinental playoff in Qatar earlier this year. The Socceroos, the Australian team, unlike France, are buoyed by older veterans such as goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and midfielder Aaron Mooy. Tunisia faced its own controversy entering the World Cup and will look to prove to the international community that they are a competitor on the biggest stage. Finally, one of the deepest Denmark teams in recent memory will look to make a deep run into the tournament. After a scary cardiac arrest in the 2020 Euros, midfielder Christian Eriksen looks to respond and lead his team to glory. 

Prediction: France wins, Denmark second 

Group E

Teams: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

Summary: Spain might have their best team since their dominant World Cup-winning 2010 performance in South Africa. After a promising semifinal run in the 2020 Euros, young stars Gavi and Pedri pair with Sergio Busquets to make one of the best groups of midfielders in the tournament. Costa Rica comes into the World Cup off a lackluster qualification series. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas of Paris Saint-Germain will have to be stellar in net if Costa Rica hopes to get any meaningful results. A revived and youthful Germany team led by veteran Thomas Müller will look to improve on a disappointing set of results in the 2018 World Cup. Finally, don’t count Japan out of this group. Young Monaco midfielder Takumi Minamino joins an impressively well-rounded squad that beat the U.S. 2-0 just a month ago. 

Prediction: Spain wins, Germany second

Group F

Teams: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia 

Summary: After one of the greatest Cinderella runs in modern football history, the runner-up of the 2018 World Cup tournament will look to repeat its incredible story. Led by captain Luka Modrić — the winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or and considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation — Croatia will be a team to look out for in this group. Unfortunately for Croatia, they have grouped with the footballing powerhouse Belgium. Ranked No. 2 on the FIFA rankings, and dubbed the “Golden Generation”, the Belgium national team should be favored to win this group stage, and possibly the whole entire tournament. The group is rounded out by Canada and Morocco. The United State’s northern neighbor enters this tournament as a major underdog. They have a young team that performed extraordinarily well in qualifying, making this their first World Cup appearance in 36 years. Similarly, led by defender Achraf Hakimi, Morocco is an exciting African side that went undefeated during the qualifying games. They have recent World Cup experience and can definitely bother the likes of Croatia and Belgium.

Prediction: Belgium wins, Croatia second

Group G

Teams: Brazil, Cameroon, Serbia, Switzerland

Summary: South American giant Brazil comes into this tournament as a major contender for the title. The superstardom of Neymar and Vinícius Junior will see them past this group stage with ease. Switzerland is an interesting side. Having famously knocked France out of Euro 2020, the team is full of potential. Competing in their fourth straight World Cup, they have massive continental and global footballing experience and certainly pose a threat to advancing to the knockout stage. Cameroon struggled greatly to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, and unlike in recent years, they don’t have the superstardom they used to have in the likes of Samuel Eto’o to be able to compete. Lastly, Serbia is the one to watch in this group. They are an exciting team, but despite their impressive performances to qualify for the tournament, they don’t have continental or global experience to make a deep run, especially in a competitive pool like this one.

Prediction: Brazil wins, Switzerland second

Group H

Teams: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

Summary: The highlight of this group is the matchup between Uruguay and Ghana. The two sides famously met in the 2010 World Cup, when a handball from Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez denied Ghana a 119th minute game winner. After missing the ensuing penalty, they were denied a ticket to the semifinals on a penalty shootout. Despite the history, Uruguay comes into this World Cup as the better side. Led by talented young stars in the likes of Federico Valverde and Darwin Núnez, they are a force to be reckoned with. Ghana also has talented youth and recent global experience; however, due to a string of bad results, they look to be headed for an early exit. Portugal is the other monster in this group. Led by the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, they have the young talent, experience, and superstardom that can only be rivaled by the likes of Brazil and France. South Korea shouldn’t be left out of the picture either. They are a great team, but much of their success depends on superstar athlete Son Heung-min, who is currently fighting off an injury. 

Prediction: Portugal wins, Uruguay second