You know the saying that football is the most important of the least important things. Some would not agree, because they would not classify it among the least important things, but among the primary things in life. Either way, football or soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Several billion people watch it, and several hundred million play it, which makes it by far the most popular in front of basketball, tennis, and other sports.
Each of us watches national championships, as well as continental competitions like the Champions League. European football gathers the world’s best players and that’s why the whole world watches the Champions League. But there is one event that is more important than all the others – the FIFA World Cup. Ever since the inaugural tournament was held in 1930, every nation in the world dreams of lifting the trophy at the end of the competition, which is held every four years. Now we are only a few months away from the 22nd edition of the World Cup, which will be held from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar. For the first time in history, it is played in that period of the year.
FIFA World Cup
Back in the 19th century, the first matches between national teams were played, and the Olympic Games in 1900 and 1904 were the first international competitions that brought together football players from all over the world, or at least those who could travel.
The idea of the World Cup was born at the beginning of the 20th century, but due to the existence of the Olympic Games, and later due to the First World War, there were not enough people who wanted to join the organization until the legendary FIFA president Jules Rimet appeared.
After many attempts and obstacles, the first world football championship was finally played in 1930. It was held in Uruguay and the home team won it.
Since then, only two editions have not been held in 1942 and 1946 because of the World War II.
Favorites to win 2024 World Cup
We have already mentioned that this will be the first World Cup held during the winter. It’s not just curiosity, it’s important from the perspective of the players’ form.
This competition has always been played between two seasons, and now it will be played in the middle of the season. The players will stop with the national championships only two weeks before and then they will start preparations. It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the players are at their peak in November and December, but they will not have enough time to get along with their teammates from the national team. Also, the possibility of injury is greater because they are constantly exposed to great efforts.
These are the national teams that have the best chances to win and you can check odds for your nation at N1Bet:
Brazil
Source: football365.com
Brazil is the most successful national team in the FIFA World Cup. They were champions five times. That is why they are always among the favorites to win, and the situation is no different now.
They have an extremely strong team in all positions and not only in attack. Of course, Neymar is the main star, but Vinícius Júnior, Firmino, Alisson, Silva, Pedro, Rodrygo and others are equally important.
They have not played in the finals since the title in 2002, so they will certainly be very motivated.
France
Source: mashable.com
The Blues are the reigning champions and will surely be Brazil’s biggest rival.
When we look at the names of the players, they may not be as famous as the French national team led by Zidane and other football legends, but they are still a great team.
They are led by the world’s most expensive player, Mbappé, and the other players play for the world’s best clubs, such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Bayer Munich. The advantage of the French is that a large number of their players play in the national championship and they know each other well.
Argentina
Source: en.as.com
This is Messi’s last chance to win the FIFA World Cup. As throughout his career, Argentina is one of the best national teams, but apart from being runners-up in 2014, they have no other successes.
This will be the last push, and Di Maria, Otamendi and maybe Dybala, who was injured while playing for AS Roma, will help Messi on that campaign.
England
Source: mscfootball.com
England is considered the place where football was born. Everyone likes to watch their Premier League the most, even when the best players were in the Spanish La Liga, as was the case during the period of dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid led by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively.
Despite all that, England has only one title of world champion, won more than 50 years ago, in 1966 to be precise.
Since then, they have played in the semi-finals twice, but never in the final. After the second place at the last European Championship, they now surely hope that they can finally fight for the title.
Spain
Source: barcauniversal.com
The Spanish are probably the most successful sporting nation in the world. Any sport you name, they have at least one champion. And in many sports, they are dominant forces, such as tennis, motorsports, football, and basketball.
They won their only FIFA World Cup in 2010, and it seems that their current squad is nowhere near as powerful.
They have some of the most talented young players like Pedri, Gavi and Ferran Torres. There are certainly more experienced players, for example Rodri and Morata. Due to the number of young players, they will be among the main favorites at the next competitions, but we must not write them off even now, as their basketball representation has already shown at the recently concluded European Championship.
Conclusion:
We should not forget Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal. It remains to be seen who will best adapt to these specific conditions. The favorites are the same as every time, but the chances of the outsiders to make a great result are greater than ever, precisely because the World Cup is not played at the usual time. All that remains is to wish you to enjoy the best football in the world once the championship starts with a match between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
