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The biggest sporting event in the world is just under a week away and the excitement is building up. The World Cup is an event that usually ignites the patriotism of people and this year is no different. Iceland and Panama are going to make their first-ever appearances while powerhouses like Italy and Netherlands missed out on qualifying.
This year's World Cup is really special because this could be the last world cup where Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be at the peak of their ability because by the time the 2022 World Cup comes around Ronaldo will be 37 and Messi will be 35.
#5 Belgium will finally live up to their potential
The current Belgian national team has a lot of talented young players who are playing all across Europe, with the majority of them playing in the Premier League. They are currently ranked 3rd in the world, but they were ranked 1st in 2015.
Although their rankings have been great they have massively underperformed at recent tournaments. They went into the 2014 World Cup ranked 4th in the world and although they reached the quarterfinals they didn't perform to the standards expected of them. Similarly, they went into Euro 2016 as favourites but they were defeated by Wales in the quarterfinals.
This tournament will be different for Belgium. Their young squad has matured well and their two best players Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are at the peak of their careers, with the latter having one of the best seasons of his career where he guided Manchester City to an incredible title triumph.
Although Belgium are unlikely to win the World Cup, they will have a long run and they will impress everyone.
#4 Iceland will impress everyone yet again
At the Euro 2016 tournament, Iceland surprised everyone by making it to the quarterfinals. They played fearlessly and recorded the biggest upset of the tournament when they defeated England in the round of 16. This year Iceland are one of the two debutantes at the tournament and they have become the smallest country to ever play at the world cup.
Iceland are led by Everton player Gylfi Sigurdsson but there are a lot of other players who can step up and take the lead if needed. Although Sigurdsson has missed a lot of games this season due to injury, he is fit now and he is expected to be the main man for them.
Unfortunately, Iceland have been placed in one of the toughest groups in the tournament. Their group consists of Argentina, Nigeria and Croatia, so it is going to be extremely hard for them to make it out.
I predict that Iceland will make it through to the round of 16 but even if they fall short, they are definitely going to win everyone's hearts with their performance.
#3 Russia will fail to live up to expectations
Russia are getting ready to host their first ever FIFA World Cup and there will be a lot of pressure on their team to do well in front of their home supporters. Their recent results have not been very encouraging because they are winless in their last 5 games, with their last win coming on October 7th 2017 against South Korea.
Their current squad also does not fill the supporters with belief. Their squad is missing the presence of a real superstar and most of their best players are in their 30s. They have been placed in Group A, where they are joined by Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
On paper, they should be able to comfortably go through to the group stages but they should not take their opponents lightly. Egypt will be highly motivated to do well because of their long absence from the tournament and they will be led by the in-form Mohammad Salah.
Similarly, Saudi Arabia have also missed the last few editions and although they don't have a superstar in their team, they are still capable of pulling off upsets.
I predict that Russia will finish third in their group and thus become one of the few host nations to get knocked out in the group stages.
#2 Ronaldo will go down as the greatest player to never win the World Cup
Ronaldo is regarded as one of the best players to ever play the game. The only title missing from his resume is the World Cup and this could be his last real chance to win it. He is going into the tournament with great confidence because his club just won the Champions League for the third straight year and he played a huge role in their triumphant season.
Ronaldo has historically underperformed at the World Cup but he will need to be at his best for Portugal to have any chance of winning it this time around.
Portugal have been placed in group B alongside Spain, Morocco and Iran. Portugal can comfortably get through to the round of 16 but they do not have the quality to go all the way. Although Portugal are the reigning European champions, their win was seen as rather fortunate by a lot of people.
I predict that Portugal will go through to the round of 16 but then get knocked out in the next round, thus making Ronaldo the greatest player to never win the world cup.
#1 Messi will finally win the World Cup
Argentina have been placed in group D along with Iceland, Nigeria and Croatia. Group D is one of the hardest groups in the tournament but they have the quality to go through to the next round. Many people have already written off Argentina but they have the quality and the hunger to go all the way.
This is probably the boldest prediction on the list. Predicting the winner of a tournament is always tough especially when the tournament has so many great teams in it. Like Ronaldo, Messi is also regarded as one of the greatest players to never win the world cup.
He was fingertips away from the world cup in 2014, but he lost in the final to Germany. This year he will be hoping to go one step further and win the world cup.
On paper, there are other teams like Brazil and Germany who are better and more balanced than Argentina, but Argentina will be led by Messi's hunger. He is also going to be supported by his talented teammates who must feel guilty for letting him down in Rio. I predict that Argentina will go all the way and triumphantly lift the world cup.
Let us know what you think of these predictions in the comment section below.
