The 2018 World Cup is officially over, with France emerging as champions for the second time. This tournament was arguably the best one ever played, leaving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a very tough act to follow. The next World Cup is not off to the best of starts, as it is already shrouded in serious controversy. The winning bid was one allegedly filled with bribes and kickbacks, and the tournament has now been moved from the summer to the winter because of the ridiculously high temperatures in Qatar in the months the World Cup are usually held in. There is also the possibility that the competition may be expanded from 32 to 48 teams, 4 years ahead of the proposed schedule for that change, but we are still waiting for official word on that. Let’s take a much too early look at some World Cup odds and predictions for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Early 2022 World Cup Betting Odds & Predictions

Vote for the #WorldCup Goal of the Tournament! Choose from the best 18 goals at Russia 2018.

Vote here: https://t.co/K27Ii9ufoj pic.twitter.com/le9rrF0EqC — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) 16 de julio de 2018

Top 10 Favorites

• France +500
• Brazil +700
• Germany +800
• Spain +800
• Belgium +1000
• Argentina +1200
• Italy +1800
• England +1600
• Netherlands 2000
• Croatia +4000

SOCCER FUTURES

France are the team to beat

The thing that made France win in Russia all the more impressive is that they were the youngest team in the tournament. By the time 2022 rolls around, Kylian Mbappe will be just 23, while Paul Pogba will be in his prime at 29. The core group of players that won the World Cup on Sunday will still be intact and maybe even better than they are right now, which is an incredibly scary prospect. The main competition for France will almost certainly come from Brazil, as they are always able to churn out new talent at an incredible rate. Maybe by 2022, Neymar will have grown up a little and taken all the theatrical histrionics out of his game. If he does, he will become a much better player.

Rise and fall of the giants

There were many who saw the 2018 World Cup as the last opportunity for the Golden Generation of Belgium to be crowned champions, but they will still have a very good team in 4 years, so let’s not count them out. Teams that could be in trouble include Portugal and Argentina, as they will likely be without Ronaldo and Messi, respectively. Spain also looks like a team that might be ready to take a step backward. Football nations that should return to the spotlight include Italy and Holland. The Italians, in particular, were stunned at not making the World Cup this time around and are already working hard to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. It’s hard to imagine either of these teams missing back to back World Cups.

Will an African team emerge?

For years now, we have all been talking about the possibility of an African team winning the World Cup. While the teams who make it in all play attractive football, they never seem to be able to make a deep run. Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Nigeria were all fun to watch at the World Cup in Russia, but none of them made it past the group stage. If one team is going to challenge in 2022, my money would be on Nigeria. They had the youngest squad at this year’s World Cup, and the experience that those young players will have gained will serve them well in 4 years from now.

Last 10 World Cup Champions

• Russia 2018: France
• Brazil 2014: Germany
• South Africa 2010: Spain
• Germany 2006: Italy
• Japan-South Korea 2002: Brazil
• France 1998: France
• United States 1994: Brazil
• Italy 1990: Germany
• Mexico 1986: Argentina
• Spain 1982: Italy