2022 FIFA World Cup best bets, bracket picks, draw, odds, predictions: Soccer expert avoiding France in Qatar

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will begin in Qatar on Sunday with the host nation taking on Ecuador in the first match of the world’s biggest soccer tournament. The 22nd edition of the World Cup had to be moved to November to accommodate the Qatari bid because of the severe heat during that country’s summers and that has presented a new challenge for the 32 teams in the 2022 World Cup field. Most of the world’s club soccer leagues are in the middle of their season and many of the World Cup 2022 participants had club matches as recently as last weekend.

Perhaps no country has felt the effects of the condensed country as hard as defending champions France, who will be without Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Christopher Nkunku and Presnel Kimpembe, who are all out for the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, France is still one of the favorites in the 2022 FIFA World Cup odds from Caesars Sportsbook at 13-2 while Brazil is the 4-1 favorite. Before locking in any 2022 FIFA World Cup picks, you need to see what SportsLine’s soccer insider Brandt Sutton has to say. 

Sutton, a former collegiate soccer player, has been SportsLine’s top soccer editor for more than five years. He has followed soccer closely for much longer and factors in managerial tactics, projected lineups and past performances to make the most-informed decisions possible, keeping his finger on the pulse of the game all over the globe.

Sutton also has been on a roll with his best bets, going 148-112-1 over his last 261 soccer picks this year, returning more than $2,300 for $100 bettors.

Now, Sutton has analyzed the 2022 World Cup bracket from every angle and revealed his top picks, predictions and knockout bracket. You can head to SportsLine now to see Sutton’s 2022 FIFA World Cup picks — and while you’re at it, sign up for our new newsletter covering the beautiful game in all its glory, including daily updates about the World Cup, here.

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Top FIFA World Cup 2022 predictions 

Sutton is fading France, even though the defending champions are among the favorites at 13-2. Despite missing some key pieces, they still have Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann leading one of the most potent offenses in the entire tournament. This team won’t have the same help at midfield as they did in 2018, however, with Paul Pogba missing out this year because of a knee injury. The expert believes the absence of Pogba and fellow midfielder N’Golo Kante will expose cracks in France’s game.

Sutton also notes that the French side has stumbled in their matches leading up to the World Cup, which could spell disaster in the group stage.

“Denmark beat France twice in the UEFA Nations League, and the Danes will look to make it three straight in the group stage at the World Cup,” Sutton told SportsLine. “Even if France is able to top Group D, they’ll likely have a tough road to the final, potentially facing England in the quarterfinals.” 

Another surprise: Sutton expects Belgium to make a deep run in the 2022 World Cup bracket, even though they’re +1600 longshots in the 2022 World Cup odds. With fewer than 12 million people, Belgium is only the 12th largest country in Europe and the 81st-largest nation in the world, but it has a rich history of producing world-class football players and the nation has competed well on the world stage, particularly of late.

Belgium is currently the No. 2 team in the FIFA World Rankings and they finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and also made the quarterfinals in 2014. Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are all considered among the best in the world at their respective positions and they’ll lead a loaded Belgium squad with trophy-lifting expectations.

The Belgians have drawn into Group F with Canada, Morocco and Croatia. This will only be Canada’s second-ever trip to the World Cup while Morocco has only advanced past the group stage once in five previous appearances. Meanwhile, Croatia was the runner-up in Russia and several of its top players like Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Domagoj Vida are now in their mid-to-late 30s. Sutton has Belgium making it out of the group and having a much stronger chance than their odds would indicate with Lukaku expected to be completely healthy by the knockout rounds. See Sutton’s other 2022 World Cup picks at SportsLine.

How to make 2022 World Cup picks

Sutton has locked in his best bets to win the 2022 World Cup, along with his top futures plays and his full knockout bracket prediction. He’s revealed how far the USMNT, Brazil and Spain will advance in Qatar. He’s also high on a dark horse team that “has a shot at being this year’s Croatia, who surprisingly made the World Cup final in 2018.” You can only see them here.

So who will win the World Cup 2022? And which longshot could stun the soccer world? Check out the odds below and then visit SportsLine to see Brandt Sutton’s best bets for the 2022 World Cup, all from the proven expert who is more than $2,300 on his soccer picks in 2022, and find out.

2022 FIFA World Cup odds 

Brazil +400Argentina +550France +650England +750Spain +750Germany +1000Netherlands +1400Portugal +1400Belgium +1600Denmark +3000Croatia +5000Uruguay +5000Serbia +7000Mexico +10000USA +10000Poland +10000Senegal +10000Switzerland +10000Wales +12500Ghana +15000Canada +15000Ecuador +15000Morocco +20000Cameroon +25000Japan +25000South Korea +25000Tunisia +30000Qatar +30000Australia +40000Costa Rica +50000Iran +50000Saudi Arabia +50000

2022 World Cup groups 

Group AQatarEcuador Senegal Netherlands

Group BEnglandIran USA Wales

Group CArgentina Saudi Arabia Mexico Poland 

Group DFrance AustraliaDenmark Tunisia 

Group ESpain Costa RicaGermany Japan

Group FBelgium CanadaMorocco Croatia 

Group GBrazil Serbia Switzerland Cameroon 

Group HPortugal GhanaUruguay Korea Republic