The 22nd edition of football’s biggest international competition gets underway on 20th November 2022. The FIFA World Cup features 32 teams and will be the first not to be held in May, June, or July. This is due to the summer heat in Qatar, which is not suitable for tournament football. Despite being held in the winter, air-cooled stadiums will still be required with temperatures expected to reach the high 30s Celsius.
The usual suspects
Brazil and France are the early 11/4 joint-favourites ahead of England (10/3), and Argentina (4/1). Other fancied teams in the outright World Cup betting odds include the likes of Spain, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, and Belgium. Only eight teams have ever won the event (Brazil 5, Germany 4, Italy 4, Argentina 2, France 2, Uruguay 2, Spain 1, and England 1). The most notable absentees this year are reigning European champions Italy, who were eliminated by North Macedonia in the playoffs. But which teams are this year’s dark horses?
Surprise packages
When we refer to a dark horse, we are not talking about a team that will defy the odds and win the competition. Instead, we are referring to teams that could cause a surprise and go deeper in the competition than expected. There were several candidates who didn’t quite make the list including Ecuador, who have one of their best squads in years but who could get upstaged in Group A by one of our other picks.
Canada
First up is Canada. The Canadian men’s national team are playing in their first World Cup in 36 years. They were guided there by Englishman John Herdman who became the first coach to lead the Canadian men’s and women’s teams to the World Cup finals. He led the women to the quarter-finals in 2015 and won two Olympic bronze medals. He also led the team to a gold medal at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Mexico.
Canada’s men have never even scored a goal at a World Cup but in Herdman’s 43 games in charge, they have lost just nine games with a win ratio of nearly 70%. What’s more, they also boast stars from Bayern Munich and Lille in their ranks. They could be a good bet to cause an upset and qualify from Group F where they will play Belgium, Morocco, and Croatia.
WE ARE CANADA! 🍁 WE ARE GOING TO QATAR!#CANMNT #ForCanada #WCQ pic.twitter.com/j6hZYGETak
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) March 27, 2022
Senegal
Our second pick is Senegal. They first appeared in 2002, achieving cult status by charging into the quarter-finals. Things have not gone well since but 2022 could be different. They recently beat Egypt to lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy and are in sensational form. Their squad is full of household names including Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, and of course Sadio Mane. They are second favourites to progress from Group A and are well priced at 4/1 to reach the last eight.
Wales
Our final nod goes to Wales. Rob Page’s team boasts two stars in their squad: Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Both have had enviable careers, and both seem to have a unique ability to raise their game for their country – whatever form they are in at club level. Wales reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and saw off Ukraine in the play-offs a few months back to book their place in Qatar. With their star duo now settled at new clubs after Bale moved to LAFC in the MLS, and Ramsey switched from Juventus to Nice, we could see the Dragons shine again.
See you soon, Los Angeles. 👊 @LAFC @LAFC3252 pic.twitter.com/GVP8WVWLPe
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 25, 2022
All three teams can perform at a level greater than the sum of their parts. But can they do it in the heat and pressure of a World Cup that will be like none ever held before?
