Among the 142 million Russians, there are only 11,740,000 males below 15 years old. Turkey counts 80 million people, but among them there are 10,680,000 males below 15 years old! It puts things in perspective...
These teams have "chances" to win it as new countries. Colombia, Netherlands, Belgium, Chile, Russia, Portugal. Imo
Agree. Would just add in Mexico. Despite their aweful form of the last few months, their program is really growing as is evidenced by 2 recent U17 WC and Olympic Gold. They have the population, a fairly good and well paying domestic league and have just recently started to really send more of their top players to Europe. Of those you mentioned, I can really see Chile making some noise in Brazil. Their attack is a buzzsaw.
You'd have to say the Netherlands. But if they don't win it by, say, 2026, then you'd figure that Mexico or Nigeria or the US or Ghana, one of the nations with a huge population, would be more likely.
Belgium hands down. What they have build until now is already enough to go deep. Add to that the big talents that are pretty close to this current generation and can be phased in soon: Januzai Bakkali Schrijvers Musonda Peirera Praet Henen Bossaerts Tielemans And they might become the most expensive squad in the world in the near future, which is an interesting parameter. Situation now: They are already over 300 million pounds and many of their expensive players are still young, improving every year, becoming more valuable. Netherlands will never win it as they have altered their player development course and by the time that is fixed I expect big population country's to have fully matured making the top of the football pyramid too big for a small sized country to win it at all. Bar Uruguay (who won it in the time of black and white TV's), all winners were bigger country's. Japan is rising. Korea will try to answer. Japanese players are really good on ball and they seem to get the sport. Their women team has already won it IIRC. USA is warming up to the game, Mexico is currently not doing that well in qualification but the underlying parameters like many players getting to play for European clubs and having a big football culture, are good. Nigeria must start rising sooner or later. I even expect rapid steps from China as they have showed being able to do so with the Olympics and are pretty carzy about the sport. Give all this 20 years and the top will big and strong. The problem for small country's is not producing elite players. The problem is having no clear weaknesses in the first 11 that will f*ck you over and creating a deep bench. A deep bench is a big weapon to end up top after 7 games.
Actually, it takes one "Golden Generation" to win it all. Belgium currently has one of the brightest group of young players in the world. They can make a run next summer. Sometimes, it takes one hot player and a solid cast to win it. Let's say: Robben and Holland, Ronaldo and Portugal, etc. ( Beyond 2014, the USA, Russia, Japan and Mexico have the "soccer resource" to do it. When I said "soccer resource", I meant: a big enough population, money, grassroots games, popularity of the soccer at home, a good enough domestic league(especailly with money), etc. Russia will be hosting in 2018 so they might pull it off. Sorry, I think the African countries would remain strong, but lack a lot of things to make it.
Poor Holland, I say 3 runner up finishes deserves a WC win by now, but unfortunately you gotta win it and not by merit. I'd say however they are in pole position to be the next "new" nation to get it. In soccer however you never know, their are many great teams like Portugal, Belgium, even Colombia believe it or not. Hopefully we see a new naiton win it this year, although it's gonna be tough getting past Brazil.
I disagree. IMO, the only champion that fits that profile is Argentina 1986, and you can't compare Robben, or even CRonaldo, to Maradona.
The Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and Colombia the time to strike for them is now. The best players we have now are in the sunset of their careers, mixed with unproven talent we can probably manage just one final push and after that it's back to drawing board and start rebuilding. Portugal same story. Colombia needs to do this now too, a lot of players will be in their 30 when the next world cup comes. Belgium can last longer, but their defense will be weaker and it is already now their weakpoint, even thought it should not with the players they have now. I think they will also have problems with ultra-defensive sides on the coming world cup as Belgium lacks a real good striker. Still if a new nation is to win it. It will be one of those 4. If we are going to make predictions farther in the future one can also make a bet on: Turkey, Ukraine, Poland and Russia just on the potential value. They have the population to do it and the resources and once they start investing more in their own youth development instead of expensive foreign players it will only be a matter of time. Out of Europe one also must not forget about the potential of countries like China, Korea and Japan. I doubt Africa will be any serious threat for the now, it is just far too unstable and when an African side does have the players to get far, they disappoint.
How is defense Belgiums weak point as we conceded the least goals of all european sides in qualifying including 4 clean sheets in 4 away games. There is Kompany, Vertonghen, Lombaerts,Alderweireld,Van Buyten,Vermealen, Courtois... thats not exactly a weak point. Granted we dont have any natural full backs but that hurts our offense rather than our defense.
Eh, save the nostalgia. Ronaldo has destroyed, for both club and country, plenty of quality sides single-handedly the past few years. He can do so again next year, just as Maradona did in 86.
Kompany is a beast, Vertonghen and Lombaerts are also strong defenders but what I really meant is that Belgium defense is strong on paper and so far manages to hold up but that it still show some worrying signs, flaws that should be ironed out and should not happen with those kind of defenders. it is just a general observation, the match against Croatia and some friendlies against the stronger opponents showed this. It maybe because of the lack of natural fullbacks but I think some more clinical discipline would help as well. We will see soon enough next year. This Belgium side is exciting to watch regardless.
In southamerica I only see Colombia winning at some point because they have the size, the talent, and the tradition. LOL at those saying Chile. Also see this countries winning very far in the future: Turkey, Japan, Korea. But I'll go with Mexico, they'll win it sometime during the next 20 years.
In my view, the "outsider" that has the best chance of emerging as a "new" World Cup winner is the US. And that is not based on anything I have seen from the US side these past few years, since the last US game I saw was back during World Cup 2010 against Ghana. But the "mental element" is important in deciding between winners and losers in football and, probably by virtue of the fact that the US is a military and economic superpower, I suspect the American side -- as it improves its pedigree in the football arena and as football emerges from being a "backwater" sport in the US -- will exhibit the requisite mental edge to lift the trophy as well. That is not something I expect to see from any other outsider per se. Incidentally, my prognosis in this regard should not be confused with me rooting for the Americans. Far from rooting for the US, I have generally been either agnostic about them or often have rooted for their opponents.
The US has NO chance of winning the World Cup in the near future. I will tell you that right now. I think the best chance it has to win a World Cup is when it HOSTS it...and it should have been the host of the 2018/2022 World Cup. I actually like the US national team...they don't cheat and don't dive like the Italians and play the game like how it should be played without the creativity of Brazil or the speed/athleticism of some European teams. I think you are confusing footballs World Cup with the Olympics. It is the OLYMPICS where being a military and economic power has usually translated into success on the pitch. Has Brazil ever been a military or economic superpower? With the Olympics you did have the rivalry between US and Soviet Union for medals...and now since China has been rising, China is doing better at Olympics. Khosh amadee.
No, I am talking about football. To win a World Cup trophy, you certainly need to have quality. But you also need the kind of mental strength that escapes those who don't have a history of success. Ordinarily, that history of success relates most directly to their history of success in the game itself, i.e., in football. But for "outsiders" (sides who by definition, don't as yet have that history), the mental element can also be found from the larger political culture that affects the attitudes of the players that make up a team. Among them, and as between outsiders, all other things being nearly equal enough, the element I mentioned can be quite critical to determine which side fails and which one succeeds.
Europe and SA have a lot of solid sides who have never won the WC. Europe more so than SA imo. I'm not yet discounting the US in 2014. That back line is going to need to improve dramatically though.