| Country | FIFA Rank | Odds to win WC |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1 | +350 |
| Serbia | 21 | +10000 |
| Switzerland | 15 | +10000 |
| Cameroon | 43 | +25000 |
Brazil
Brazil needs little introduction to any World Cup & despite recent history highlighting their 7-0 thrashing to Germany at home in 2014, let’s not forget that was almost a decade ago & nothing short of a fluke. An excellent blend of experience at the back, a skilled & stalwart midfield that can control the pitch, & unrivaled flair & skill up top, Brazil are favorites for good reason. Sitting both at the top of the FIFA rankings & with the best odds to win, not to mention a relatively easy qualification group, I see no reason Brazil won’t make it through the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record & with the added bonus of resting key players ahead of their round-of-16 tie.
Prediction: Winner Group G
Serbia
Serbia have always been a strong team with grit that are capable of hanging with their better-known European competition, & sitting just a few spots behind Switzerland in the FIFA rankings & with similar odds to win it all, they’ve got a great shot to make it out of the group stage in Qatar. Led by captain Dusan Tadic & with a potent front-line of the in-form Mitrovic, Jovic, & Vlahovic, not to mention a skilled midfield comprised of Kostic & Milikovic-Savic, Serbia are another potential dark horse in this year’s tournament & one of the few underdogs I fancy to make it out of the group stage. I expect their wealth of talent up the pitch to makeup for some weakness at the back & to narrowly edge out Switzerland for a spot in the final 16.
Prediction: 2nd place in Group G
Switzerland
Contrary to the attack-heavy Serbians, Switzerland are a team sound at the back & that stood out in their performances through qualifying. Embarking on their 12th World Cup journey, they feature plenty of experience & just enough emerging talent to have confidence in seeing their way into the round-of-16. Led by Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, the likes of Akanja, Shaqiri, & Okafor stand out in a supporting cast capable of hanging with the best. In order to do so though, they’ll need to be in top-form & that’s not an easy thing to do at the World Cup. I think second-spot in Group G is one of the harder ones to call in this tournament, & you might as well put it up to a coin flip. Plenty of folks will fancy Switzerland to emerge given they are slight favorites over the Serbians but I’m going to play contrarian here & say the Serbs make it out & the Swiss are eliminated in the group stage in Qatar.
Prediction: Eliminated in Group Stage
Cameroon
Since they’re impressive run in the 1990 World Cup led by unforgettable striker Roger Milla, Cameroon have been unable to replicate their success and failed to qualify in 2018. They’ve been eliminated from the group stage in all of their other previous qualifications & are expected to experience a similar fate in Qatar. Despite a well-known cast in European football featuring Onana, Zambo-Anguissa, Aboubakar, Mbuemo, & Choupo-Moting, it’s hard to see them getting past the likes of favorites Brazil & the evenly matched Switzerland & Serbia who will both know that a result against Cameroon is crucial to their success in the tournament. They’re certainly a team capable of delivering an upset to those latter 2, but to do so on both occasions & qualify for the round-of-16 just doesn’t seem likely.
Prediction: Eliminated in Group Stage
