World Cup 2018: Group Predictions, Live-Stream Info and Odds
A festival of football is nearly upon us, with the FIFA World Cup in Russia poised to get under way on Thursday.
The hosts take on Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener, triggering a month of action on the biggest stage in the sport.
The group stage of the competition, where the games come thick and fast, gives fans the chance to indulge.
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And there's always drama at this point in the World Cup—whether that be in the form of underperforming favourites, overachieving minnows or just enthralling matches.
Here's a prediction for each group, the tournament odds and a closer look at a couple of standout pools.
World Cup Groups (In Order of Predicted Finish)
Group A
Uruguay
Egypt
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Group B
Spain
Portugal
Morocco
Iran
Group C
France
Denmark
Peru
Australia
Group D
Argentina
Croatia
Nigeria
Iceland
Group E
Brazil
Serbia
Switzerland
Costa Rica
Group F
Germany
Mexico
Sweden
South Korea
Group G
Belgium
England
Tunisia
Panama
Group H
Colombia
Poland
Senegal
Japan
World Cup Outright Odds
Germany: 9-2
Brazil: 19-4
Spain: 6-1
France: 13-2
Argentina: 19-2
Belgium: 12-1
England: 18-1
Uruguay: 25-1
Tournament odds available in full courtesy of OddsShark
Live Stream
In the United Kingdom, the action will be streamed via BBC Sport website or ITV Hub.
In the United States, the action will be streamed via Fox Soccer 2GO.
Selected Groups
Group D
Having only just scraped into the tournament, there will be a lot of focus on Argentina and particularly Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona man has been criticised for his performances for La Albiceleste in recent years, as they've lost three major finals in recent summers: twice at the Copa America and in the 2014 World Cup. Without him, though, Argentina might not have even been involved in the finals.
In a must-win qualifying game, Messi netted a hat-trick in Ecuador to book Argentina's place in Russia.
Per Rafael Hernandez of Grup14, the 30-year-old is capable of dragging any side to big results:
La Albiceleste will be favourites to win Group D, although the three other sides involved have the potential to cause problems for them.
Croatia have talent in abundance, especially in midfield, where Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic can all boss matches. However, they've underwhelmed at the World Cup since finishing third in 1998.
As noted by Philip Blundell of The Anfield Wrap, Croatia always seem to be tipped to do well:
Nigeria and Iceland will be hoping to capitalise if either of the big names fails to perform. And they each have reason to believe they can progress.
The Super Eagles have plenty of attacking talent to call upon, and they beat Argentina 4-2 in a November friendly, with Alex Iwobi netting twice.
Meanwhile, Iceland showed at the 2016 European Championship they can upset the odds, after knocking out England in the last 16.
Group E
One of the highlights of any World Cup is watching Brazil.
The nation will feel this team owes them, too, after they were embarrassed as the host nation four years ago. The 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany will live long in the memory, and those representing the Selecao will be doing their utmost to banish that nightmare.
The potential is there for them to do so. Unsurprisingly, this Brazil team is packed with wonderful attacking talent. Per the Selecao Brasileira Twitter account, manager Tite has several excellent options up top:
As noted by journalist Joe Crann, the Selecao have a tradition for excelling on the grandest stage:
They are the clear favourites to win the group, but the battle for the second qualifying spot should be fascinating. Serbia and Switzerland appear evenly matched on paper, and both fall comfortably into the dark-horse category.
Costa Rica shouldn't be dismissed, either. In terms of individuals, they are the weakest side in the group; four years ago, though, they were outstanding and surprised plenty with a run to the quarter-finals.
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