Hey everyone, just a follow up to the World Cup preview article I posted earlier today. I’m going to keep this one brief, and just predict the top two teams in each group. And just a disclaimer before I go forward: I am not in any way an expert, so don’t go placing any bets based on what you see below. Here we go:

Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay. Russia will be looking to ensure as hosts that they go through past the group stage and deep into the competition. However, for this group, Uruguay and Egypt are likely to take the top two spots and go through to the Round of 16. Uruguay more certainly, Egypt if they are in form with Mohamed Salah. 1. Uruguay, 2. Egypt, 3. Russia, 4. Saudi Arabia

Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran. Portugal and Spain are almost certainly going to take the top to spots in this group and progress, unless an upset occurs. Iran will fight for it, but will likely just miss out. 1. Spain, 2. Portugal, 3. Iran, 4. Morocco

Group C: France, Australia, Denmark, Peru. This one’s a little more unpredictable. France will most definitely take the top spot, however it will be a close contest for second place. Denmark are most likely the best contenders for the position, however Australia could prove to cause an upset if they can hold their own and push through with minimal goals conceded against France. This one will be interesting. 1. France, 2. Denmark, 3. Australia, 4. Peru (although Australia could place 2nd).

Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria. Again an unpredictable group. Argentina will look to take out the top spot, and the most likely will, however their run through the qualifiers wasn’t the greatest. Many upsets could be caused in this group. And Iceland are new to the tournament, and bring with them complete unpredictability. A group that will no doubt be interesting to watch. 1. Argentina, 2. Croatia, 3. Iceland, 4. Nigeria

Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia. Brazil will easily take the top spot in this group. 2nd place will most likely come down to a battle between Switzerland and Costa Rica. Serbia are unlikely to progress from this group. 1. Brazil, 2. Switzerland, 3. Costa Rica, 4. Serbia

Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea. Reigning Champions Germany will most certainly take the top spot in the group, however the battle for second place will be tight. Mexico will probably edge out the competition to take the second spot and progress to the Round of 16, however, Sweden and South Korea will more than likely fight valiantly to secure the spot for themselves. The battle for 2nd place will be an interesting one to watch. 1. Germany, 2. Mexico, 3. Sweden, 4. South Korea

Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England. This one is fairly easy to call. Belgium and England are both top tier, top quality teams, and will likely easily edge the competition to take the top two spots. With this being Panama’s first World Cup, it will be interesting to see if they can cause an upset, however it is unlikely they will. Belgium v England should be an interesting game, with both teams vying for the top spot in the group. 1. England, 2. Belgium, 3. Panama, 4. Tunisia

Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan. Poland will most likely take the top spot in this group, although the competition will be tight. Senegal will most likely face the toughest challenge and succumb to being unable to surpass the Group Stage. Colombia and Japan will both be highly competitive, and it will be interesting to see who will edge who, and if either of them can edge Poland. Definitely a group to watch. 1. Poland, 2. Colombia, 3. Japan, 4. Senegal

And there you have it, my predictions for the Group Stage at this year’s World Cup. As I said before, please don’t take these predictions as expert ones and place any bets or anything based on them. These are purely my predictions based on what I think will happen at this year’s World Cup and based on my own knowledge of these teams. They may be wrong, or they could even be right, you never know. And, if by some freak of nature they are all correct, just remember you saw/heard it here first. Also there may be a few follow up World Cup articles to come throughout the tournament, potentially on Wednesdays, or they may feature on other days instead.

Enjoy the Cup!

JJ