by Chris Asbrock

Finally, the wait is over. The world’s most watched sporting event is here, with 32 teams from around the world taking part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This years World Cup will look mighty different as there are five major countries that did not qualify. With the United States failing to qualify, misery certainly loves company as Chile, Cameroon, Holland and Italy all failed to make it to Russia as well. Like every tournament, there are many questions heading into Russia. Will Messi finally win the big one? Will Germany repeat as champions? Which darkhorse will step up and make some noise? These are just some of the big questions that will play out over the next month and a half.

The World Cup is broken down into four groups with the top two teams moving on to the knockout stages. There are 64 matches that will be played in 11 cities, with venues that will hold no less than 35,000 spectators. With all eyes of the world on Russia this summer, you can guarantee the stadiums will be jam packed with excitement and nervousness. Let’s take a look at the groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

 Group A – Russia (Host), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay

Photo Credit: GABRIEL BOUYSAFP / Getty Images

This is arguably the worst group in the tournament with only one truly strong team. Uruguay should have very little trouble winning this group. The battle will be who will join Uruguay in the knockout stages. With Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani leading the Uruguayan attack, they should run away with this group. Egypt is one team that a lot of people were intrigued to watch and see how they would handle being on the big stage again. With Mohamed Salah injured and unlikely to make it back before Egypt’s final group stage match, it will be very difficult for the Pharaohs to make it out of the group. If Salah is able to make it back ahead of schedule, then Egypt should be favored to make it out of the group and set up a knockout round match against Spain.

All eyes will obviously be the host nation Russia and captain Igor Akinfeev. Akinfeev is one of the most important players in Russia and will be crucial in keeping the hosts composed. Winless in 2018, Russia has struggled coming into this tournament and will need Akinfeev to be on his game if they have any hopes of advancing. The majority of the Russian team are domestically based, so the atmosphere and travel should not be much of an issue, giving them a bit of an advantage. Saudi Arabia who qualified for the first time since 2006, come into this tournament as a bit of an unknown. The Green Falcons have three wins thus far in 2018, but were outscored 15-3 in their five losses this year. Saudi Arabia will need get some much needed scoring if they look to stun some people and qualify for the knockout stage.

The most crucial game in this group is the opening match with Russia and Saudi Arabia. If the hosts are able to come away with three points, then they can look to ride that momentum in their second match against Uruguay. With Uruguay expected to snag all nine points from their three matches, the big matches are between the other three teams. Those points will go a long way in determining the other team that makes it out of this group.

Group A schedule:

6/14/18 – 11:00 am ET – Russia v Saudi Arabia
6/15/18 – 8:00 am ET – Egypt v Uruguay
6/19/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Russia v Egypt
6/20/18 – 8:00 am ET – Uruguay v Saudi Arabia
6/25/18 – 10:00 am ET – Uruguay v Russia
6/25/18 – 10:00 am ET – Saudi Arabia v Egypt

Predicted order of finish: Uruguay, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia

 Group B – Portugal, Spain, Morocco, IR Iran

This group will undoubtedly be dominated by Spain and Portugal. This group is extremely top heavy, with the talent of Spain and Portugal. However, Portugal should be fortunate that another stronger side was not drawn into their group. There will be an immense amount of pressure on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Starting off the tournament with Spain will put the Portuguese on the back foot to start and the winner of the Morocco/Iran match will have a leg up on Portugal.

The pressure will mount on Ronaldo and Portugal, if there is a winner in that first match. Things can quickly go sideways for them if they struggle to score goals and can’t create any opportunities. Both Iran and Morocco were very solid defensively during qualification and have the potential to frustrate Portugal. With a lot of pressure on the defending European Champions, Ronaldo has the reputation to get mightily frustrated when things don’t go his way. That will be something to certainly keep an eye on. Every one of Portugal’s matches are ones to keep an eye on, as they will be extremely important with their qualification hopes hinging on these results.

With Spain being a legitimate title contender, there will be a lot of eyes on their matches. This Spain team is loaded with a lot of young talent and will give you a big glimpse into the future. Spain will navigate this group with little effort. Spain has a solid mix of young talent, with a few veterans sprinkled in. Spain also has one of the top goalkeepers, David De Gea, as their backstop who will help cement their defense.

Group B schedule:

6/15/18 – 11:00 am ET – Morocco v Iran
6/15/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Portugal v Spain
6/20/18 – 8:00 am ET – Portugal v Morocco
6/20/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Iran v Spain
6/25/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Iran v Portugal
6/25/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Spain v Morocco

Predicted order of finish: Spain, Portugal, Iran, Morocco


Group C – France, Australia, Peru, Denmark

Group C features one of the favorites to life the World Cup trophy when all is said and done. France is one of the most talented teams in this tournament and will look to cement themselves as the worlds best once again. France is currently sitting at number seven in the FIFA World rankings and will want to get the bad taste out of their mouth from their 1-1 draw this past weekend against the United States. France does possess one of the top attacks in this tournament, led by Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and 19 year-old Kylian Mbappe.

The French should easily navigate this group, with second place being up for grabs. Peru and Denmark are the two teams that will most likely battle it out for advancement. With Denmark and Peru closely matched, it is very possible that Australia could sneak into the second spot if either drops points. Peru is making their first World Cup experience since 1982 and is bringing an experienced and older squad to the party. Peru enters this tournament as the third highest ranked CONMEBOL squad, which is a feat in and of itself, as most think CONMEBOL is the most difficult qualification for the World Cup.

Denmark is another solid UEFA team that is ranked inside of the top 15. The Danes are bringing a solid and talented squad with them to Russia. With Premier League talent like Kasper Schmeichel and Christian Eriksen leading the way, Denmark can make some serious waves. Australia is once again going to have to rely on 38 year-old Tim Cahill to put the ball into the back of the net. The Aussies will struggle to get points, unless Cahill can get some help.

Group C schedule:

6/16/18 – 6:00 am ET – France v Australia
6/16/18 – Noon ET – Peru v Denmark
6/21/18 – 8:00 am ET – Denmark v Australia
6/21/18 – 11:00 am ET – France v Peru
6/26/18 – 10:00 am ET – Denmark v France
6/26/18 – 10:00 am ET – Australia v Peru

Predicted order of finish: France, Denmark, Peru, Australia

Group D – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria

There is no other way to put it than this is clearly the group of death. This will most certainly be Messi’s last chance to capture the biggest trophy, that has eluded him. This is a group where any team has the chance to win the group. The two-time winners and defending runners up, Argentina hope to add a third trophy, by navigating a tough group. Messi will certainly have to be on his game and will have to carry the Argentines throughout the knockout round. This won’t be anything different, as Messi single-handedly carried Argentina through qualification into this World Cup.

With this being the toughest group, any of these teams can make it through to the next round. Iceland captured the hearts of the soccer world, with their stunning quarterfinal run in the 2016 European Championship performance. Iceland has struggled in 2018 in their last four friendly matches. While friendly matches don’t seem to mean much, it could be tough for them to shake their recent form against the other teams in the group. Can Iceland replicate their 2016 Euro run and knock off the likes of an Argentina or Croatia? Iceland and Croatia are ranked close together in the 20’s but Croatia boasts a roster that has much bigger names than Iceland or Nigeria. Croatia is captained by Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modric.

Croatia and Juventus striker, Mario Mandzukic will be relied on to put the ball into the back of the net. If the stars show up for Croatia, they should have enough to leapfrog Iceland and Nigeria. Both Nigeria and Croatia haven’t fared better than the Round of 16 in the last few tournaments. All eyes will be on this group to see who can survive the meat grinder, known as the group of death.

Group D schedule:

6/16/18 – 9:00 am ET – Argentina v Iceland
6/16/18 – 3:00 pm ET – Croatia v Nigeria
6/21/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Argentina v Croatia
6/22/18 – 11:00 am ET – Nigeria v Iceland
6/26/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Nigeria v Argentina
6/26/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Iceland v Croatia

Predicted order of finish: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria

Group E – Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia

This group will be Brazil and everyone else. Neymar is back to lead one of the most talented Brazil teams in a few years. Brazil was pummeled by Germany in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by a stunning 7-1 scoreline. The Brazilians are eager to get that taste out of their mouths and prove to the rest of the world they are back. The five-time World Cup champions are once again a favorite to hoist the trophy again. Neymar is coming off an injury that sidelined him for months while at Paris Saint Germain. A healthy Neymar is a dangerous Neymar. Look for Brazil to run through this group with very little issues.

The battle for second will be between an aging Switzerland side and a talented Serbia side. Switzerland does not play the most attractive style of soccer but with them, you know what to expect. Switerland has enough experience to gather enough points to survive and advance. Leading scorer Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka will lead a solid Swiss midfield in an attempt to navigate through this group.  As with Switzerland, the Serbian midfield is solid and could make things difficult for the other teams in the group. Serbia has struggled in the World Cup recently and hasn’t made it past the round of 16 in 20 years.

Costa Rica stunned the soccer world in 2014 when they topped their group and made a run to the quarterfinals. Can Costa Rica make the same noise and advance out of the group? Los Ticos come into the tournament on a rough run of form, dropping matches to England and Belgium. Costa Rica will need Keylor Navas to be on his game defensively to keep the ball out of the back of the net. As in years past, Los Ticos will rely on Bryan Ruiz to score goals.

Group E schedule:

6/17/18 – 8:00 am ET – Costa Rica v Serbia
6/17/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Brazil v Switzerland
6/22/18 – 8:00 am ET – Brazil v Costa Rica
6/22/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Serbia v Switzerland
6/27/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Serbia v Brazil
6/27/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Switzerland v Costa Rica

Predicted order of finish: Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica

Group F – Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Korea Republic

Group play starts off with a bang, as the defending World Cup champions Germany, take on Mexico in the first match. Germany is expected to make easy work of this group as they march toward another World Cup title. The four-time champions bring another incredibly talented squad and look to live up to those expectations. The Germans have the perfect blend of youth and experienced players in this squad. RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is one player that is expected to make a name for himself in this tournament.

The real battle is between Mexico and Sweden for advancement to the knockout round. Mexico is North America’s best hope to lift the trophy. The downside is Mexico has yet to advance past the quarterfinals. Mexico has dropped out in the Round of 16 in the last six World Cup tournaments. Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio will have his hands full this year, looking to take this talented Mexico team to the next level. The Mexicans have been less than exciting in their last few matches, leading up to the tournament. Mexico will be eager to get the taste of defeat out of their mouths, as Denmark thumped Mexico 3-0 last weekend. Javier Hernandez will be the pivot man for this Mexican attack, which has been invisible as of late. Mexico are a big wild card in this group because we aren’t quite sure what we will get from them. If Chicharito Hernandez can’t score goals, this could be an extremely disappointing World Cup for our neighbors to the south.

Since their third place finish in 1994, Sweden has been up and down in their recent World Cup appearances. Sweden have enough talent to overcome the shaky Mexican side to advance to the knockout round. Aside from midfielder Sebastian Larsson, this is an inexperienced Swedish side. This could be somewhat of a baptism by fire situation for this young Swedish team. South Korea will have a lot to say in who qualifies from this group. The South Korean team will give Mexico and Sweden problems. If they take points from those two games, there is a chance they could make it interesting in Group F.

Group F schedule:

6/17/18 – 11:00 am ET – Germany v Mexico
6/18/18 – 8:00 am ET – Sweden v Korea Republic
6/23/18 – 11:00 am ET – Korea Republic v Mexico
6/23/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Germany v Sweden
6/27/18 – 8:00 am ET – Mexico v Sweden
6/27/18 – 10:00 am ET – Korea Republic v Germany

Predicted order of finish: Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Korea Republic

Group G – Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England

This is the easiest group to call, with Belgium and England dealing with a weak CONCACAF and CAF team. Belgium is one of the most talented teams in this entire tournament but have failed to advance past the quarterfinals since 1986. Belgium and coach Roberto Martinez have a heap of expectations on their shoulders. Belgium are incredibly loaded and should not have any issues in their first few matches, leading up to the England match. Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, shouldn’t be tested much in the group stage but that will certainly change when they advance. Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard will be the ones leading the Belgian attack. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is coming off a fantastic season at Manchester City and will hope is fantastic play carries over to this tournament.

The same can be said about England. While Belgium bring a much more talented squad, England will be bringing a solid squad as well. Like with every year, England have the expectation to win this tournament. England will be lead by Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane and others, England will be expected to bag a lot of goals. The English defense will be their weakness as the talent just isn’t there, compared to others. Luckily for the Three Lions, they are paired with Panama and Tunisia. All eyes will be on the final group match between Belgium and England, as this will determine who wins the group.

Group G schedule:

6/18/18 – 11:00 am ET – Belgium v Panama
6/18/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Tunisia v England
6/23/18 – 8:00 am ET – Belgium v Tunisia
6/24/18 – 8:00 am ET – England v Panama
6/28/18 – 1:00 pm ET – Panama v Tunisia
6/28/18 – 2:00 pm ET – England v Belgium

Predicted order of finish: Belgium, England, Tunisia, Panama

Group H – Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan

The final group is headed by James Rodriguez and Colombia. Rodriguez burst onto the scene at the 2014 World Cup and add talented forward Radamel Falcao to the equation, it is a nice recipe for Colombia. Colombia, who like a few others, struggled during CONMEBOL qualifying, so things could be a bit toned down if they can get out of this group. Colombia will look to survive a serious push from Robert Lewandowski and Poland.

Poland is one country who has the power to get results but never seem to get over the hump and take that next step. Lewandowski will be relied on heavily to score goals but will need some help if Poland hope to throw their name in the hat of European soccer powers. Senegal can throw a wrench into everything if Sadio Mane and his teammates can get some results.

Poland is ripe for the taking and Senegal is more than willing to step up. Mane will need some help up front as he won’t be able to do it all on his own. If Mane can get some attacking help, don’t be stunned if Senegal sneaks into the second spot. Japan is the another team in this tournament that has some star power but very little defense. Japan boasts the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Keiuske Honda but unfortunately these two won’t be able to start on the back line. If Japan had a solid defense, they would almost be a shoe in for advancement.

Predicted order of finish: Colombia, Poland, Senegal, Japan

Group H schedule:

6/19/18 – 8:00 am ET – Colombia v Japan
6/19/18 – 11:00 am ET – Poland v Senegal
6/24/18 – 11:00 am ET – Japan v Senegal
6/24/18 – 2:00 pm ET – Poland v Colombia
6/28/18 – 10:00 am ET – Japan v Poland
6/28/18 – 10:00 am ET – Senegal v Colombia

Knockout Round predictions:

Round of 16:

Uruguay over Portugal
France over Croatia
Brazil over Sweden
Belgium over Poland
Spain over Russia
Argentina over Denmark
Germany over Switzerland
Colombia over England  

Quarterfinals

France over Uruguay
Brazil over Belgium
Spain over Argentina
Germany over Colombia

Semifinals

Brazil over France
Germany over Spain

 Third Place match

Spain over France



Final

Germany over Brazil   

Roger Gonzalez of CBS Sports has compiled a TV Guide this tournament. You can check out that guide here and get your DVR set up for this amazing tournament of soccer.

Other Predictions:

Golden Boot: Neymar (Brazil)
Biggest Surprise Team: Poland
Most Disappointing Team: Portugal
Breakout Player: Timo Werner (Germany)

This World Cup tournament will once again provide soccer fans from around the world with moments of extreme excitement and agony. Don’t expect this tournament to provide a lot of surprises, as things should remain relatively the same and according to script.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter   and