If Paraguay did not choke their penalty, Spain may have been out in the QF. That said, they were the best team and deserving champions.
Spain 2010. I think for most WCs there's never a clear favourite. I had Argentina as the 1# favourite for the 2022 WC but for many it was Brazil, France, England, Spain or Portugal
Actually wasn't France the favorite in 2018 ? Argentina 2022 Germany 2014 Italy 2006 Were definately not the favored teams. Italy 2006 wasn't even the best team of that tournament.
France was one of the favourites, but I don't think ithey were the #1, I remember people rated Brazil and England higher Do you mean Argentina, Germany and Italy weren't favored at all or that they weren't the #1?
Current prices for the top 8 teams on one Australian betting site. Prices are expressed in terms of dividend per dollar with the traditional odds in brackets Spain $5.50 (9/2) England, France $7.50 (13/2) Brazil $8 (7-1) Argentina $9 (8-1) Portugal $11 (10-1) Germany $13 (12-1) Netherlands $19 (18-1) As Vancity pointed out its rare the outright favourite wins but its generally someone in the top 4 of the market. There is a lot of time for the market to change.
I am convinced it will be a UEFA team because only once - in 1962 - were consecutive WCs won by teams outside Europe and I don't think enough has changed in that regard to alter that pattern.
More than likely UEFA will win. It is very difficult for a team to win back-to-back World Cups. And Argentina would not only be doing that but winning four consecutive major cups. Odds are against that. Brasil may get hot and may have the tactician in Ancelotti. But they still have issues and I am not sure he can fix them all in one tournament. I love Colombia (obviously). Even if I am wearing Yellow, Blue and Red colored glasses I know this team still has too many deficiencies at this point in time to say we can win the World Cup. Maybe things change though and James becomes Superman like he did in the Copa America. But even then I think odds are against it. CONCACAF's best chance is probably with Canada. (Not going to happen.) African or Asian teams just won't be able to step up with so much pressure.
Wouldn't Mexico be Concacaf's best bet for a challenge? They reached the QFs in both of the previous WCs they hosted. They absolutely were. Their only subpar performances were on MD2 against USA and somewhat in the final against France in which they suffered the fatigue from ET in the epic semifinal against Germany.
An argument can be made for Mexico but the quality is not there. Canada actually has better players. Marsch had them go all the way to the Semis of the Copa America. I think he will have them prepared for this Cup too. Mexico may get up like they have in previous Home Cups but Vasco may have to be a miracle worker to beat above average teams from Europe and South America. Their mentality is weak.
The match against Australia was a bit shaky too. Italy were a great team though. They lifted up the Cup so to me that means they were the best.
Although it was widely considered that Germany had the best team in 2014. By a good margin too. There is a lot of bias impacting the betting odds, so the best team sometimes doesn't have the lowest betting odds. Brazil and England are notoriously overrated because of their popularity. Both are again among the top 4 favorites for 2026. I saw on some sites Brazil and Spain with the same odds (around 6:1), which is funny more than anything else. tbf, the World Cup attracts a lot of casual fans and presumably betters that aren't very knowledgeable about the relative quality of the teams.
Then you have 2002 where no one picked Brasil or Germany which were underrated because they looked pretty mediocre in qualifying. Argentina, France and Italy were favorites.
They won the tight games which is the sign of a good team. Apart from the quarter final which was a comfortable win their knockout wins came from a 95th minute goal, a win in extra time and a win on penalties.
I would say they were very very lucky against Australia. Australia played so much better and I believe Italys game winning penalty was a dive
Hey guys, don't go down memory lane. Discuss teams in the now. Like why a country is one of the favourites, what it's pros and cons are relating to winning the title.
My Top Five 1) Spain Pros-Has the talent, has the confidence, has the Manager who has a good pulse of the team and coached many of these talents at youth level. They can win in many ways. Possession or counters. Deep defensively. Keeper is good for the most part. Yamal is ready to break out in his first World Cup as truly a World Class player. Cons- Portugal showed in Nations League that Spain are still a bit vulnerable at times. Their Keeper although he is good for the most part sometimes makes amateurish decisions. As with most European teams I will say travel and heat in the USA may take its toll. Not sure how they will react to either of those variables. Statistical Con- Not too many teams that win the Euro win the following World Cup. Spain did it but it was not easy. Also they are the odds on favorite which people have pointed out rarely win it all. 2) France Pros- Midfield and Strikers are second to none. Filled with veterans and young talents galore. Mbappé is my pick for Golden boot. He loves the World Cup spotlight and it will be brightest in the USA. They also have a Manager who knows his team well and won as both a player and a manager. Cons- As deep as they are in the back line I do think they are a bit shaky back there. Maybe they will find a good pairing and cohesion by the tournament but right now I think it is a "weakness". Also, as good as a keeper Maignan is statistically, there is something about him that makes me wonder if he is quality enough to win the World Cup. He is not the solid rock leader that Lloris or Barthez were. Tough to live up to both of those legends but if France want to win the World Cup I believe he has to play at that high standard. Statistical Con- It is very difficult for a team to make it to three consecutive World Cup Finals. 3) Argentina Pros- They are Defending World Champs and Two-Time defending Copa America Champions. Confidence is at a new high. Talent is up there as is team unity. They have a manager who just get's his team and knows when to push and motivate them and when to back off and let the veterans run the show. They will be one of the de facto "Home teams" in the stands because there are so many bandwagon jumpers and Messi obsessed fanaticos. Cons- Is Messi going to play? If he does, will he play well? Is it a positive or a negative that all things may still run through him at his age in a tournament that will be very grueling temperature wise and travel wise? We are going to find out I am not sure they can get the results they got last World Cup out of Dibu. His demonstrative ways and passionate Keeper antics can only go so far. His form is not as good as it was four years ago. Now, I am not going to say he is a liability but I do not think he can be a strength either. Statistical Con- The obvious.... ...it is not going to be easy to win back-to-back World Cups. I would "take the field" if I were a betting man. It just too much to ask from this team right now. 4) England Pros- They have talent. They have the core of a team that is battle tested and has made it to a couple Euro Finals and some players who have played in a World Cup Semis. Bellingham is a solid player who can be a marquee "x" factor in close matches. They will also be a team that I expect will have great support in the stands from across the pond and the band wagoners here in the states. Cons- Always comes down to mentality with Englnd. They have to fight the ghosts of underachieving World Cups past and overrated teams in any tournament they have played in. The media will always be a negative until they win something of merit. And of course the weather is always something I will take into account for a Euro team like this. They will complain about that and playing surface and travel and other silly things. Statistical Con- A team has never won the World Cup with a foreign manager. Not sure Tuchel is the guy to break this trend. 5) Brasil Pros-The Brazilians are in a place I think can be advantageous. No one is really expecting them to win it all. If they can get past the round of 16 many would call it a positive. It reminds me a bit of 2002 and '94 in which the expectations are not that great and they overachieve. They have good players. They have good fans. They have a Manager who has some clout and some prestige. And of course who can really coach and get the best out of players in many circumstances. They are the only 5 time champs and they may find some pride and play well. Cons- They just do not have the marquee super star players of teams past. No Ronaldo or Rivaldo. Not even a Romario or Bebeto. Their mentality is about as bad as England's is right now which is pretty low. They do not match up well with the four teams ahead of them and as we saw last World Cup against teams like Croatia. Statistical Con- Even though Ancelotti is a pro, he is still a foreign manager which historically is a negative.
I'm yet to see a single mistake from him with the National team shirt. Against Ecuador he stopped like three 1v1s. Other players are way bigger liabilities, the right backs for example.