Are you playing a World Cup predictor game this summer? We’re just a few days away from the tournament starting in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and the time is here for you to make your final choices and submit what you think the results will be. There is nothing like the excitement and anticipation of the night before the World Cup starts. Testing your football knowledge against your friends and colleagues gives you great bragging rights. To do this, you need to take one final look at the runners and riders before day one of the tournament and your World Cup predictor league.

What to look out for at the World Cup?

What should we be looking out for in the shake-up of the teams competing at this summer’s World Cup?

  • Spain – Spain are European Champions and have such talent available to them that it’s easy to see them going far this tournament. One thing to worry about though, is the injury to Lamine Yamal. It’s crazy to think he is still only 18 years old and there’s more to come. He’ll miss the first two games at least, so Spain will be hoping to get through the Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia matches with little fuss before the last game against Uruguay.
  • Messi and Ronaldo – Argentina are the Champions of the World and South America. There’s enough quality there as it is before you throw in one last hurrah for Lionel Messi. Can he do it again? Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo comes to his 6th World Cup wanting to win the biggest prize, with a great supporting cast behind him.
  • Heat struggles – England have a European Cup-winning manager and a wealth of talent, but will they struggle in the heat and humidity of North America in mid-June? Germany might also struggle with the heat, especially geriatric Manuel Neuer coming out of retirement. It will be interesting to see how the European teams perform. The best bet is France, looking at how stacked their squad is in almost every position. Finalists last time, they’ll want to reclaim the crown.
  • Can the hosts do something? – Home advantage sometimes makes a massive difference – think South Korea in 2002, but other times it causes too much pressure – Qatar in 2022. This time round we have three hosts, two with some World Cup pedigree of at least getting out of the groups. Can USA, Canada, or Mexico get to the quarter finals or beyond?
  • The excitement of the newcomers – Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. All World Cup debutants that aren’t expected to do much other than enjoy being there, but is that really fair? It’ll be interesting to see if they can upset a few of the big boys, get a result, and maybe qualify for the knockout rounds.

Let’s get going!

It’s time to sit down and submit your choices in your World Cup predictor league. You’ve seen which of the world’s best players are appearing at the World Cup, how the squads are shaping up, and what the form guide says for each country. You’ll know the stats, the injury lists, the fixture list and how the bracket breaks down once we get past the group stage. It adds another element of fun and intrigue to an already packed summer of football joy!