it nearly here. While there has long been debate about whether the 2022 World Cup will arrive in Qatar, the winter tournament will take place on the fields of the Middle East over the next five weeks.
There was a lot of intrigue and injury midway through the season, but there are still plenty of traditional favorites as Brazil, France and England compete to be crowned World Cup winners.
[ MORE: Sadio Mane out of 2022 World Cup ]
There are new faces such as Canada and (sort of) the US men’s national team as fellow confederates Costa Rica and Mexico joined CONCACAF neighbors.
This will be the last World Cup for Lionel Messi and possibly Cristiano Ronaldo, though the Portuguese is making headlines for a variety of reasons heading to Qatar.
Our staff members Joe Prince-Wright, Andy Edwards and Nick Mendola have laid out their group stage, playoff and rewards predictions below, as well as some USMNT predictions ahead of the Yankees’ Group B clash with Wales, England and Iran.
More about the World Cup
Predictions for the World Cup: by groups
Group A
J.P.W.: Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar
Andy: Netherlands, Senegal, Qatar, Ecuador
Nick: Netherlands, Senegal, Qatar, Ecuador
Group B
J.P.W.: England, Wales, USMNT, Iran
Andy: England, Wales, Iran, USMNT
Nick: England, USMNT, Iran, Wales
Group C
J.P.W.: Argentina, Poland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia
Andy: Argentina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Poland
Nick: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia
Group D
J.P.W.: France, Denmark, Australia, Tunisia
Andy: France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
Nick: France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
Group E
J.P.W.: Spain, GermanyJapan, Costa Rica
Andy: Germany, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica
Nick: Spain, Japan, Germany, Costa Rica
Group F
J.P.W.: Belgium, CroatiaCanada, Morocco
Andy: Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Nick: Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Group G
J.P.W.: Brazil, SerbiaSwitzerland, Cameroon
Andy: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Nick: Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
Group H
J.P.W.: Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana, South Korea
Andy: Uruguay, Portugal, South Korea, Ghana
Nick: Uruguay, South KoreaPortugal
Predictions for the World Cup: Kknockout rounds
JPW – 1/8 finals
Netherlands def. Wales
Denmark def. Argentina
France def. Poland
England def. Senegal
Croatia def. Spain
Brazil beat. Uruguay
Germany def. Belgium
Serbia def. Portugal
JPW – quarterfinals
Brazil beat. Croatia
Netherlands def. Denmark
Germany def. Serbia
England def. France
JPW – Semi-finals
Brazil beat. Netherlands
England def. Germany
JPW – Final
Brazil beat. England
Andy – 1/8 finals
Wales def. Netherlands
Argentina won. Denmark
Germany def. Croatia
Brazil beat. Portugal
England def. Senegal
France def. Mexico
Belgium def. Spain
Uruguay Serbia
Andy – quarterfinals
Argentina won. Wales
Brazil beat. Germany
France def. England
Uruguay Belgium
Andy – semi-final
Argentina won. Brazil
France def. Uruguay
Andy – Final
Argentina won. France
Nick – 1/8 finals
Netherlands def. USMNT
Argentina won. Denmark
Spain def. Croatia
Brazil beat. South Korea
England def. Senegal
France def. Mexico
Japan def. Belgium
Uruguay Switzerland
Nick – quarterfinals
Argentina won. USMNT
Brazil beat. Spain
France def. England
Uruguay Japan
Nick – semi-final
Brazil beat. Argentina
France def. Uruguay
Nick – Final
Brazil beat. Uruguay
World Cup Predictions: Gold, Silver and Bronze Balls
JPW
Ballon d’Or: Vinicius Jr.
Silver Ball: Harry Kane
Bronze Ball: Jamal Musiala
Andy
Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi
Silver Ball: Kylian Mbappe
Bronze Ball: Emiliano Martinez
Nick
Ballon d’Or: Neymar
Silver Ball: Kylian Mbappe
Bronze ball: Bruno Guimarães
World Cup Predictions: Gold, Silver and Bronze Boots
JPW
Golden Boot: Harry Kane
Silver Boot: Kylian Mbappe
Bronze Boot: Neymar
Andy
Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappe
Silver Boot: Vinicius Jr.
Bronze Boot: Romelu Lukaku
Nick
Golden Boot: Neymar
Silver Boot: Luis Suarez
Bronze boat: Richarlison
World Cup predictions: who will win the Golden Glove?
JPW: Alisson
Andy: Emiliano Martinez
Nick: Alisson
world Cup predictions: who will win Young player award?
JPW: Jamal Musiala
Andy: Eduardo Camavinga
Nickname: Eduardo Camavinga
World Cup Predictions: All-Star/Best Lineup
JPW
Alisson
Trippier, Marquinhos, Van Dyck, T. Hernandez
Casemiro, Musiala, Kimmich
Neymar, Kane, Vinicius Jr.
Andy
Martinez
Pavard, Varane, Jimenez, Tagliafico
Casemiro, Bentancourt
Vinicius Jr, Messi, Mbappe
Luke
Nick
Alisson
Koulibaly, Kunde, Jimenez
Betancourt, Camavinga, Mitoma, De Bruyne
Mbappe, Richardson, Neymar
Predictions for the World Cup: USMNT Top Scorer
JPW: Christian Pulisic
Nickname: Christian Pulisic
Realistic Worst Result for USMNT
JPW: outside the group stage with 1 point
Andy: Exited group stage with 1 point
Nick: Eliminated from the group stage on tie-breaks
Unrealistic Worst Case Result for USMNT
JPW: outside the group stage without a win
Andy: Left the group stage with 0 points
Nick: Exited group stage goalless, one point against Wales
Realistic result at best for USMNT
JPW: Round of 16
Andy: Round of 16
Nick: 1/8 finals
Unrealistic result at best for USMNT
JPW: Quarterfinals
Andy: Quarterfinal
Nick: Semi-final
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Japan and Croatia will meet in the 1/8 finals of the World Cup, and both will have a chance to reach the quarterfinals.
Live streaming from Japan to Croatia
This is the second time in so many tournaments that the Blue Samurai have made it to the playoffs and they have been great in victories over Spain and Germany, winning Group E in dramatic fashion. Moriyasu confuse and Croatia? They have never gone beyond the round of 16 at the World Championships.
As for the 2018 World Cup runners, Zlatko Dalic’s team continues to go unnoticed as they exited Group F with minimal noise. Experience in this area abounds, while budding talents are also starting to emerge. Can they go for another deep run?
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here’s everything you need for Japan vs Croatia.
Latest World Cup News
How to watch Japan vs Croatia live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10:00 AM ET – Monday, December 5th.
Stadium: Al Janub Stadium, Al Wakrah
TV channels in Spanish: Telemundo
Broadcast in Spanish: peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to keep an eye on
It has been a pleasure to watch Japan’s victories over Germany and Spain and anyone who has watched them before this tournament will not be surprised. Moriyasu has created a team that has a “team first” mentality and so many players are stepping up to shine in midfield and attack. From Maya Yoshida as captain of the wing and dominating in central defence, to Mitoma, Doan, Endo and Tanaka dazzling in midfield and attacking whenever they appear, it’s a joy to watch. The energy Japan is playing with is just dizzying and they will create many chances against Croatia. The big question is: could they be more clinical?
As for Croatia, Dejan Lovren, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic have already been here. They exude confidence and Yosko Guardiol is a great young centre-back…
Source: soccer.nbcsports.com
