With the World Cup just days away from kicking off in Qatar, bookmakers, pundits, and betting experts are waiting with bated breath to see the action unfold. All eyes will be on the world’s leading football nations, while fewer eyes will be fixed on other nations that are looking to cause a few upsets and disrupt the world footballing apple cart.
As it stands, the World Cup favourites to win the tournament outright are Brazil, with Argentina following very closely. With these two teams on top of their game, and the likes of Uruguay and Ecuador looking to make their own marks, will a South American team be crowned World Cup Champions?
When did we last have a World Cup Winner from South America?
Source: just-football.com
The last time a South American team won the World Cup was in 2002. It feels a lot like forever ago, but a South American team came very close back in 2014, when Argentina lost very narrowly to Germany in extra time, after an iconic goal from Mario Götze. That being said, a two-decade drought at the World Cup is enough to fuel the fire of all teams representing South America at the World Cup this year.
The last Brazilian team to win the World Cup had some of the best names in football history to choose from at the time. The likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho were all active, and at the height of their games. In the time since then, Brazil has never seen as much high-level talent, all active, and playing at the same time.
Argentina’s last World Cup run, which ended unsuccessfully in 2014 also boasted a historic list of names. Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, and Sergio Aguero are all available to lead a line, with a strong foundation in midfield and defence. .
Both Brazil and Argentina will be looking to end their respective World Cup droughts.
What groups will the South American teams be competing in?
There are four teams that will be going to the World Cup that are from South America. As this article has mentioned, both Brazil and Argentina will be there, but thankfully for fans of both nations, they will not be competing in the same group.
According to FIFA’s official website, Brazil will be battling it out in Group G, with Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon. Argentina, on the other hand, also has a challenging group to compete in; Group C, which is comprised of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland.
Ecuador, who will be opening proceedings against hosts Qatar, have been placed in a group with the aforementioned nation, along with Senegal and the Netherlands. Uruguay also has a tricky task ahead of them if they expect to make it past the group stages as they face Portugal, Korean Republic and old foes Ghana.
What are the bookmakers saying?
Bookmakers are of the opinion that the World Cup will be going back to South America for the first time in two decades. According to World Cup favourites odds, Brazil is the front-runner and is expected to take home the prize, with Argentina not far behind at all.
Prior to their run of bad form, England was expected to be the next line to win if Brazil’s campaign didn’t go to plan. However, based purely on form, and the players Argentina have at their disposal, it’s looking more likely that it is in fact a South American team that will be taking home the trophy.
Bonus ─ Which European Teams Also Have High Chance to Win the World Cup?
Source: fifa.com
As stated above, Argentina and Brazil have the biggest chances to win the trophy. But, we do not want to neglect that European teams also have the quality to do such as thing. In general, the strongest leagues are in Europe, so it does not need to surprise us why three European teams are immediately after Argentina and Brazil on the list. Let’s find them out!
France
There is probably no reason to talk a lot about France. First and foremost, we are expecting Mbappe to do the same thing he did 4 years ago. He was literally still a child when he lead his team to the victory in 2018 World Cup finals. 4 years later, he is even better and more experienced. But, he is not the only one. Benzema is back and there are some other players are well that are playing amazingly in their clubs. Plus, we must not forget that this team has won the 2020/21 Nations League as well. There certainly is good chemistry within the team which only raises their chances of winning. In other words, we love their mentality!
Spain
The last time Spain won the World Cup was in 2010. They reached the Nations League final in 2024, but they lost to France. The only problem they may have is a big number of inexperienced players. Okay, “inexperienced” is probably a tough word. But, Gavi, Torres, and Pedri… do not have a lot of experience playing World Cups. On the other hand, there are Rodri and Alba that have serious experience. Their influence can probably help younger players defeat all the hidden fears they have.
Source: onmanorama.com
England
England, without any doubt, has one of the strongest teams in this tournament. Declan Rice, Sterling, Kane, and other players certainly have enough quality to reach the finals. But, there is a good reason why they are in fifth place. We can’t neglect they are in a bad form. They received 4 goals against Hungary which was a huge surprise for many. It seems that their team will have to focus more on defence if they want to reach some good results.
An underdog that Could Surprise: Serbia
Serbia is in the same group as Brazil, the biggest favourite to win the title. According to online bookmakers, they are in 12th place to win the title. But, we can’t forget the amazing win they had in Portugal. That victory ensured that they can directly go to the World Cup. They have some amazing players such as Tadic, Mitrovic, Vlahovic, Kostic, SMS, and others. Plus, they have a pretty influential coach that knows how to win big games. That’s why we believe they deserve to be on this list.
