THERE are nine teams rated as being realistic World Cup winners, according to the bookies and 23 dark horses.
Highbet are very pro-South America. They have Brazil as 79/20 favourites – just short of 4/1 in old money. Then Argentina are next at 109/20, followed by France at 119/20 and England at 79/10.
Spain are 42/5, Germany are 99/10, Netherlands 119/10, Portugal 139/10 and Belgium at 79/5.
The bar is at 111/4 with Denmark- just short of 28/1 and the rest are 49/1 upwards, including Croatia and Uruguay. The others can be written off according to the layers.
Much depends on a favourable route to the final and what half of the draw a nation finds itself in, For example, although England look way too short, they will avoid the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Spain in their games if they go far.
Here's a look at some of those favourites;
Brazil
Many pundits reckon the time is now for Brazil to add to their five wins and a near-flawless qualifying campaign backs that up when they won 14 out of the 17 games and only conceded five goals.
The Selecao will of course be heavily reliant on Neymar, but with a squad crammed full of attacking world-class talent like Vinícius Junior, Gabriel Jesus and numerous others, they have an embarrassment of riches.
The only downside is a tough route to the final – they could well have to play Portugal, Spain and Argentina to make it to the final.
Argentina
Is Lionel Messi's likely farewell to the World Cup stage going to end in a fairytale finale? Another nation who were unbeaten in their qualifiers and they would taken a huge amount from winning the Copa America.
Messi is always the star, but this is a team who are based on solidity at the back and steel in midfield. They should cruise through the group stages, but they must face their nemesis Brazil in the semi-finals and plenty think the winner could come out of that.
France
There's an argument for saying World Champions French are the new Dutch with their constant speculation about in-fighting and general unhappiness in the camp. Yet Didier Deschamps has a squad at his disposal as good as anything at the Finals.
No Paul Pogba looks to be a blessing and the spotlight will again be on Kylian Mbappé four years after he introduced himself onto the world stage in Russia.
They have a favourable group and they could easily gain confidence from playing the likes of Australia and Tunisia. They have been through this before too.
England
It's highly unusual for the Three Lions not to come into a major tournament without their traditional ‘It's coming home' pomposity, but confidence is low among their fans and even their famously over-optimistic pundits.
By rights, they should be right up there having reached the semis four years ago and the final of Euro 2020, but a truly dreadful Nations League campaign has knocked the stuffing out of them. They have major doubts surrounding their defence and goalkeeper, although anything is possible with Harry Kane.
They do have a very favourable draw on their side and they tend to gather momentum once they get going. Not to be written off despite recent results.
Spain
Luis Enrique's side are always up there as one of the potential winners and we should get an early indication of their capabilities when they face Germany in their group.
Led by captain and vastly experienced Sergio Busquets, there is the usual mix of Barcelona and Real Madrid players. Expect them to be criticised for dominating games and not taking their chances with plenty of flak heading the way of Alvaro Morata and co.
They are due a good tournament though having failed to get past the Round of 16 in the past two World Cups.
Germany
They were eliminated in the first round for the first time since 1938 in Russia after a wretched campaign and they travel to Qatar with a major point to prove.
Hansi Flick has a squad full of talent with the likes of İlkay Gündogan, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Mueller and Leroy Sane, with a few youngsters in there too.
The Germans have got a decent path to the latter stages too and won't fear anyway. They are a big price here.
Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium
The other three favourites have all got claims, with Louis van Gaal arguably got the most hope with plenty of young talent in the Dutch squad. Punters must be sick of Belgium bottling it in every big tournament and Portugal may well be overshadowed by the Cristiano Ronaldo sideshow circus.
Winners Outright Betting
Brazil and Argentina are the bookies' favourites, but European football has overtaken South America by some distance and they may be overestimating both of those superpowers.
There's a reason a European nation have won the last four tournaments and the Latin tendency to self-implode or not handle the pressure could easily strike again here.
Brazil and Argentina both have far from straightforward routes to the final if they reach that far and their scheduled semi-final meet could take a lot out of them.
Preference is for FRANCE to repeat their heroics of the last time if they keep a lid on their tensions. They have officially the world's best striker in Karim Benzema, they are sprinkled with exceptional talent and crucially, they have course and distance on their side.
It could be a classic final against Copa America winners Argentina who got the better of Brazil in that tournament and can do so again.
As an outsider bet, try Australia to be the lowest-scoring team at the World Cup at 16/1. Their Scottish Premiership select may struggle here and look out of their depth.
World Cup Outright Winner Betting Tips
- France to Win (119/20, Highbet)
- Straight Forcast: France to Beat Argentina (40/1, Highbet)
- Australia Lowest-Scoring Team (16/1 Highbet)
Who do you think is this year's World Cup Golden Boot winner? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Freelance Scottish Football journalist for all newspapers. Former Racing Post Scottish Football Correspondent and long-suffering Aberdeen fan.
