Round Robin
Group A - Sorry, but Brazil is the no-brainer here. Tough competition or not, it's hard to go against Brazil in any World Cup, let alone the one that Brazil is hosting! Brazil wins this group fairly easily, with Mexico finding a way to the second round. Cameroon and Croatia could both be tough, but I don't see either team surviving to the second round.
Group B- Wow! The same two teams that met in the Final in 2010 are in the same group for this World Cup? Now, that's going to be a battle! The thing is, Spain is still in the midst of a dynasty, while Netherlands, though always tough, is still likely a notch or two below them at this point. So, I see Spain taking this group, but Netherlands taking second. Australia and Chile are likely both going to be outclassed by the other two teams in this group.
Group C - Now, this is a tougher group to predict! There's no obvious superpower, like in the previous two groups. All of these teams could be pretty decent, although in the end, there can be only two that survive to the next round! Colombia has some talent, but I doubt it will be enough to move to that next round. Greece, too, can be tough, but same deal: I don't see them making it to the second round. I like Côte d'Ivoire qualifying for the second round, but Japan winning this division outright, albeit narrowly.
Group D - Italy would appear to be the obvious choice, but England is right there with them! Logic would have me believe that one of these two teams should win the group, with the other moving to the second round. But every now and then, upsets do take place. I don't see it with Costa Rica, but Uruguay is tougher than most people realize, I think, and they just might pull off an shocking upset somewhere along the line here! If I have to give the nod to someone winning this group, I'll take Italy. Sorry, England.
Group E - France missed the World Cup in 1994, but then won the World Cup that they hosted in 1998. They then bombed in 2002, with probably the worst title defense in history. But in 2006, they went all the way to the final, and narrowly lost in the shootout to Italy. In 2010, France was a huge embarrassment. This is an up and down team, but this is their turn to do well again. France should win this group, with Switzerland taking second. Ecuador and Honduras really should not have the firepower, nor the defense, to keep up with the other two.
Group F - Argentina is the obvious choice in this group, with Nigeria being the other team that you would figure should advance. Bosnia-Herzegovina is probably happy just to be in it, while Iran just won't have enough to make too much noise here.
Group G - This is the one that they call the "Group of Death". Each tournament, there seems to be one, and this is the one this time around. Germany and Portugal are both superpowers, and it will likely be one of them that takes this group. The United States has made tremendous progress over the course of the decades, from perennially missing the World Cup tournaments in the eighties, to qualifying regularly since, and even advancing to the second round and beyond on occasion. Not this time, though. As for Ghana, they can be offensively explosive, and tremendously athletic. But Germany is more disciplined, and Portugal is, too. It's tough to choose between Germany and Portugal, but I will go with Portugal.
Group H - Belgium is tough, and so is South Korea. Russia is likely happy to be in the tournament again, and Algeria is likely ecstatic to be there, but should be a non-factor once the tournament begins. Russia may have a chance at an upset, but I see Belgium taking the group, with South Korea coming in a close second (although it could be the exact opposite). One way or the other, though, I think Belgium and South Korea should be the teams to come out of this division!
Elimination Round
This may sound cocky, but I think France might have a shot at making some noise, particularly if they wind up meeting Brazil in the elimination round once again. Three times in a span of six consecutive World Cup tournaments, the French National team and the Brazilian National squad met, and each of those times, France won! If those two teams are to meet in this tournament, and if France, once again, managed to shock the world and pull off another win, that would make it the fourth time in eight World Cup tournaments that France would have eliminated Brazil - easily more than any other team during that time.
In fact, France might be the only team that has seen so many extremes regarding World Cup tournaments dating back to 1982. They have placed first (when they won the whole thing back in 1998), finished second (when they reached the final, but lost to Italy, back in 2006), placed third and fourth in 1986 and 1982. But they also had what was likely the worst title defense ever in 2002, and arguably had one of the worst tournament appearances ever in the last World Cup in 2010, when they did not win, or tie, any games, and the team was is a state of total disarray and rebellion. They grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2010. And, in 1990, and again in 1994, they did not even qualify for the tournament! I dare anybody to tell me of another squad that has even remotely seen those kinds of extremes in fortune.
As for this time around, I think France definitely has enough to at least move on to the second round, and possibly, even to the quarterfinal round, depending on who their opponent is. But, as much as I'd love to see them win it all again, it seems somehow unlikely this time around, although I guess stranger things have happened.
You have to look at Spain as a strong candidate to repeat as World Cup champions this time around. They still have the same nucleus that saw them enjoy historical levels of success in winning the Euro in both 2008 and 2012, as well as the World Cup tournament in 2010 in South Africa. They are just an extremely talented and efficient squad that always seems to have the potential to win it all. And even though this will be in Brazil, remember that Spain is the only team other than Brazil to have won the World Cup outside of it's own continent (at least for now).
If another European team could possibly win this World Cup, it just might be Germany. Yes, I know that they lost their midfielder, but this is rated the second best team in the world for a reason. It is hard to see them not advancing to the second round, even if they are in the so-called "Group of Death", and once they reach the elimination round, they will be tough to beat. They have big guys, and an opportunistic style that others should have difficulty coping with. I would be surprised if they did not at least reach the quarterfinal round, and even the semifinal round. Quite frankly, this is a team that can be in the final, and can even take the whole thing!
There are other teams that are talented and capable, at their best, of winning it all. You can never discount Italy, a team that has four World Cup stars on their jerseys dating back to their long history of success at this tournament. They are in the same group as England, another European team that you have to watch out for! You figure that both teams are likely to advance to the second round, and that either team, if they get hot, might have a chance to go far, if not win it all. The same can be said for Netherlands, although the recent, well-publicized discord between two of their players is not a great sign. But they are talented, and made it to the World Cup Final in 2010, and have to be considered a serious threat this time around, too. Finally, even though many people seem to be counting them out because of the key knee injury to Rinaldo, the man that Portugal has built their offense around, I think you have to look at Portugal as capable of making some noise in this tournament and, if they can somehow play their very best, they are capable even of winning it!
As for the South American teams, I think that Uruguay could possibly shock either England or Italy, and advance out of the round robin to the elimination round. They have already shown that they can surprise some people once there, too, and that is a team that can make some noise. Argentina is always a talented team that can possibly advance far, far into the tournament, and are a legitimate threat to win it.
And then, of course, there is the Brazilian national side. They look different than other Brazilian World Cup teams, with a different style that does not quite fit the mold of beautiful football that we have traditionally seem from them in the past. In response to this often repeated criticism, however, the coach of Brazil has said that winning football is beautiful football, and this team figures to be able to win some games and make some noise here. A lot of people suggest that Brazil, this time around, at least, just is not that good. But I have a feeling that they are better than most people give them credit for, and it would be shocking if they did not advance at least to the quarterfinal round, if not further. You have to take them as a serious threat to win the whole thing, quite frankly. Home field advantage for Brazil should figure to be a considerable advantage.
So, who would I pick to win the whole thing? Spain has to be considered a deep threat, with a very serious chance at taking the whole thing, as they are in the midst of a dynasty. Germany, of course, should be tough, as always. And I have a hard time discounting either Brazil or Argentina. I have a feeling that it will be one of those four teams, in the end, to take the tournament. And if I had to absolutely pick one of them to win it, based on their mental toughness and experience alone, as well as for having been fairly lucky with injuries and such (as compared with other high profile teams), I'd have to go with Spain.
Well, there you have it! I remember when France eliminated Spain in 2006, and the Spanish side still had a reputation of choking in the big tournaments, not having won any major world tournaments in it's history, and never having even reach the semifinals of the World Cup. But now, they have won every major tournament that they have been a part of since, and that counts for something. I cannot say with certainty, obviously, that it will be Spain that wins the whole thing, because you never know what is going to happen in these things. But as for the team with the best chance of winning it all? For me, the choice is obvious right now - it's Spain!
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