Home of football statistics and historyIt’s great to have a World Cup on the horizon, and in these difficult times, we all wish that every international rivalry could be so easily settled in 90 minutes on the field of play. The biggest tournament of them all is one in which form only counts for so much. There are some teams that always seem to bring their best to the World Cup. Let’s check which of them have the best records and how their chances are looking when Qatar 2022 gets underway.
Brazil
No other team comes close to Brazil in terms of World Cup success. The only team to have competed in all 21 tournaments, they have won five and been runners up twice. With a squad that includes some of the most feared names in international football, such as Neymar and Vinicius Junior, it is no surprise the soccer betting sites have them as favorites to win in Qatar. The only chink in their armor is that they have under-achieved in recent tournaments, not having reached a final since their victory 20 years ago in Japan.
Germany
If you include the record of West Germany prior to reunification, Germany have actually played in more finals than Brazil, winning in four of their eight appearances. Of course, the German team has been going through a period of transition in recent years. Their shock defeat at the group stage in 2018 represented the first World Cup since the turn of the millennium that they had not at least reached the semi finals. Having made serene progress through the qualifiers, they are a 10/1 shot to turn things around and win it in Qatar.
Italy
As the only other team to have won the event four times, Italy are also considered World Cup masters. Yet their progress through the qualifiers was anything but easy. Held to a draw four times, they finished below Switzerland in Group C, and must negotiate some nervy playoff action later this month to even clinch a spot. It’s likely to come down to Italy and Portugal fighting over one spot, although that might change due to Russia’s exclusion. Don’t be fooled, however, this could serve as a wake up call for Italy – those 16/1 odds will tempt plenty of punters.
Argentina
Here’s a team that always seems to find an extra 10 percent at the World Cup, with two wins and three runners up medals. Lionel Messi turns 35 this year, so realistically it’s now or never to capture the one trophy that would mean so much to him and top off an incredible career.
France
Finally, we come to the small matter of the defending champions. France are only marginally behind Brazil in the bookmaker odds, and on paper, you would be foolish to bet against them. But the World Cup is an extraordinarily difficult trophy to defend – Brazil is the only team ever to do so, 60 years ago. If France manages to do the same, they will truly establish themselves among the greats.
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