10 Predictions For World Cup 2018
Here's what might happen over the next few weeks.
Every four years, something very special happens. Flags begin to appear in windows and on balconies, tension rises, squad lists are announced, families crowd around their televisions, and some of the most exciting, competitive football matches begin to play out to an audience of millions.
The World Cup is a tournament like no other, taking the greatest players from the greatest footballing nations around the globe and pitting them against one another in an extraordinary spectacle for people the world over to enjoy.
Predicting a World Cup isn’t easy, but that doesn’t stop everyone chipping in with their views and opinions about which squads will go the distance, which players will score the most goals, how the group stages will play out, and which team will beat England on penalties.
While we can’t pick the precise scores and goalscorers of every match, it is possible to predict some big events that are reasonably likely to occur once the tournament gets underway.
With that in mind, let’s make a few predictions of our own and see how the 2018 World Cup might play out over the next few weeks.
10. A Big Team To Go Out In The Group Stage
In 2002, we saw the likes of France, Portugal, and Argentina fall at the very first hurdle. In 2010, Italy and France famously went out in the group stages. In 2014, even more surprises were in store as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and, of course, England didn't even make it to the knockout round.
Every World Cup begins with clear favourites and fans tend to assume they can predict how the group stages are going to play out. But in reality, the tournament always has a few shocks to share with us, especially in the early rounds. Looking at the groups, it's easy to think that the likes of France, Germany, Brazil, and Spain should ease through into the knockout round, and even England should be capable of qualifying, but past tournaments have shown us that even the big teams can't take anything for granted at a World Cup.
There's also a bit of a curse on past winners. In recent years, France, Italy, and Spain all went out at the group stage despite being World Champions at the time, so Germany might want to be extra careful this summer!