World Cup 2022 Roundtable: Predicting the winners, surprises and disappointments

The 2022 World Cup starts tomorrow and attention will be drawn away from club football for about a month. Even though Everton are on an tour of Australia, we will cover both club and global tourney right here on RBM.

Earlier this week we had previewed the four Everton players headed to Qatar, and today we will share with you some team predictions for the tournament, feel free to jump in the comments below with yours as well.

Who are you picking to win the World Cup?

Peter - My heart says England but my head says Brazil. In a perfect world it would be the two teams in the final and England win on penalties! In the real world they would end up in the final and Brazil will win in extra time!

Pat - Argentina. In my opinion, they have the most well-rounded squad.

Kevin - Brazil. Quality all over the pitch.

Trent - I am choosing Argentina, as I think they have a lot of great talent for Messi’s final World Cup. Could easily choose Brazil or France too; England is a dark horse pick!

Geoff - Belgium, it’s now or never for the golden generation, lots of players in form.

Calvin - Brazil are going to win it all playing a freer and looser version of themselves from recent years, but don’t underestimate the collective desire of this Argentina squad either.

Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images

Who will be this tournament’s biggest surprise package?

Peter - I think that Canada are a team that has no expectations and might even get out of the group. They surprised both Mexico and the U.S. Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies are world class and there is a great energy in the team. Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.....beware!

Pat - I think the Netherlands and Uruguay will impress, but if I had to pick one true dark horse, I’d say Serbia. They’re in a relatively favorable group and they have a lot of talent.

Kevin - Uruguay. They have a lot of top players and a well-balanced team

Trent - Wales will escape Group B with England. Switzerland is going to be a difficult team to beat too in and beyond Group G.

Geoff - Ghana, good young players.

Calvin - This is a toss-up for me between Serbia’s grit and Denmark’s consistency. Both have a chance to really shock the world at this stage, by a hair I pick Serbia.

Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Who do you think will be the most disappointing?

Peter - Belgium. It is disappointing how disappointing they have been and will continue to be. The quality in the team is incredible but they never seem to turn up when it matters.

Pat - I don’t see Spain or Belgium going far. I think that Portugal will underperform due to the ongoing Ronaldo drama.

Kevin - Portugal. For a team loaded with quality players, the manager Fernando Santos is too conservative.

Trent - If the United States plays like it did towards the buildup to this World Cup, they will not make it out of the group stage. The team simply does not play the type of football that takes advantage of the aggressive and technical abilities of their squad.

Geoff - England, poor squad selection, reliance on out of form players.

Calvin - Fascinated to see how this latest go-around of Bobby and Belgium goes, but I’m tipping them to bomb again.

Photo by ANP via Getty Images