Soundoff: Which Teams Could Win the World Cup, Realistically?

I think that there are only 4 or 5 teams this year that could take it in South Africa. And Brazil probably tops that list.

portugal had a pretty decent team in 2006 and they managed to reach the semis, this time it’s another team and would say of the same caliber as that of 06, so why wont they reach the semis again, especially since C.Ronaldo is doing great things in madrid these days?
but realistically!!! …. i have to say spain, they were the only team to convince me with their selection….
as a final say, if portugal and spain were to meet in round 2 of the tournament, then who ever wins that match will win the tournament. :D
first time in africa = first time champions

A couple of things go into my thinking:

Historical patterns and other criteria, like:
*no European team has ever won outside Europe
*no Confed Cup winner has ever won the wc

Teams that played in the Confed Cup have an advantage as they know what it’s like to compete in a tournament in S. Africa in June/July

In the modern football era, the near impossibility of the wc holders to win back-to-back tournaments

The wild card factor of the location of this wc: a location that’s never hosted the tournament, which may help result in some surprises

The demonstrated effectiveness of certain managers and the well documented awfulness of others

The ability to adapt to the altitude

The impossible-to-ignore savvy and hard-headed intelligence and experience of Fabio Capello. I always dismiss England in major tournaments regardless of the quality of their players but Capello’s resume and quality is inescapable. He’s won everything in the club game more than once and had a brilliant qualifying campaign; he has literally transformed the English national team

Taking all these things into account……sorry, I don’t have a clear answer. :-D I can only come up with the usual suspects (and dismiss the ones we’re all dismissing, like France). Duh.

What I do believe, however, is that this tournament will throw up some surprises–maybe dramatic surprises– that a Europe-based tournament wouldn’t.

Its the Dutch’s time….Sniejder, Robben are on form

The Contenders:

Brazil
Spain
Argentina
England
Germany
Italy

-gap-

Portugal
Holland
France

If there is one pattern in world cups, it is that some big favorites will fail spectacularly. Either by arrogance, chaos, or just by having lost quality since they were last tested but not having faced any real challenge. That is the fun!

I am finding it hard to take Domenech seriously – Domenech with Zidane on the team was one thing. But Maradona´s Argentina maybe just maybe is really clicking. Lots of times, Italy in 2006, even Brazil in 2002, Italy in 82, the team which wins is a team where everybody at home is giving them hell and considering them losers. I think Maradona has tried and experimented, and Argentina maybe is clicking, Uruguay and beating Germany. So Argentina just might win it, though I am far from sure about Messi dazzling. Seriously I think I have seen di Maria be dazzling for Argentina ( youth tournaments counting) more often than Messi. But it is the team that matters. Plus if you believe in luck, or will power to propel a team, Maradona has it.

Brazil, of course they can win it, they always. But the world might not be so dazzled by their football. It will be 1994 or the last copa america. It depends on who they meet later on.

The teams who will probably win it : Brazil, Argentina, Italy ( they are champions and on their style, the toughest nut to crack), Germany, Spain.

The ones who might win it without shocking the world too much : England, France, Holland, Portugal. I think any of these countries would take a semifinal as a fair result. Not the same weight of expectation.

For the rest of the europeans, south american and all african teams, as well as Mexico, USA and Australia probably would be ecstatic with a semifinal in a way the other 9 would not be. The rest, out of group stage and they would be proud.

“which teams at World Cup 2010 can enter the tournament with realistic expectations of winning the whole thing?”

Teams that have no problem with cheating. That’s why England will probably never win another WC for the foreseeable future.

Potential world beaters:
1. Spain
2. Netherlands
3. Brazil

Serious contenders:
1. Italy
2. Germany
3. Argentina

Potential darkhorses:
1. France
2. Portugal
3. Serbia

I’m not too sure about Ivory Coast based on recent form. I’d have to wait and see how they fair in their upcoming friendlies.

How could I forget England???? :O
Add them to the “Serious contenders” category on par with Italy.

let me just say NOT brasil as Ronaldinho is not going

I think Spain, Brazil, Holland and England are the favourites. Argentina, Germany, Italy and maybe Portugal could be contenders. France has absolutely no chance of winning it.

Spain:
The amount of talent this team has is ridiculous. They have exceptional players on every position and mostly exceptional players to cover them. The only problem would be their attack. Should Torres and Villa get injured, there’s no striker capable of replacing them. Del Bosque has some good experiences with another star filled team (Real Madrid) and he may repeat those with a fairly better team.

Brazil:
Dunga has made some odd choices on his selection, but he clearly knows what he’s doing. He knows what he wants from his players and they’re capable of doing it. Unlike previous world cups, their defence is the star now. Lucio, Alves, Maicon, Bastos, Thiago Silva and keeper Julio Cesar form one of the best if not THE BEST defense in the world. And there’s Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano too. If they’re not struck by injuries,they have a very good chance of winning.

Holland:
They have some world class players in Robben, Van Der Vaart, Snejder and Van Persie, each of them being unstoppable at their best. Then there’s some experienced, hard working ones Kuyt, Van Bommel, De Zeeuw or Van Bronckhorst, plus talented youngsters Elia, Babel, Afellay. Their only weak spot is the defense. While Heitinga, Mathijsen, Oojer and De Jong are not bad at all, they’re just not world class. Anyway, I think they have a very good chance to win the cup, should their attackers play at their best.

England:
I think it’s finally their time. Capello is one of the best managers in the world and that’s what England has been lacking in the past. If he can make Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney play well together,then no one can stop them. Their defense is also world class with Ferdinand, Terry and Ashley Cole. Their wingers Walcott, Lennon and Wright-Phillips are talented and fast as lightning. And they have one little football genius in Joe Cole (should he play).

Argentina:
Maradona is a mess. Great player, lousy manager, lousy character. His selection is bad enough by now, it wouldn’t surprise me if he dropped some stars for the final 23. Their defense is weak. Their midfield is fragile. Should Mascherano get injured or suspended, anyone can dominate them. Veron is talented, but old and slow. The only good part of this team is their attack. Even if Messi fails to deliver, there’s always Higuain, Aguero, Milito, Tevez or Di Maria, who can win a match on their own. They’re good, but I’d say not good enough to win. If they had a manager like Capello or Hiddink, then yes, they would have been clear favourites.

Germany:
Good team, but not quite in form. Ballack is not the player he used to be and Schweinsteiger is not quite the world class player we expected him to be by now. The surprise can come from the youngsters Ozil, Marin, Muller and Kroos, but I doubt it will be enough to win. Also, their strikers are not quite world class. Klose had a bad season at Bayern,warming the bench most of the time, same with Gomez. And Podolski impressed no one at Koln. They’re still a good, solid team, but not world champion material.

Italy:
Ok, most of the 2006 squad is back. But they’r all old and out of shape. This team is old and a bit slow for what they want to achieve. I doubt Cannavaro, Zambrotta or Grosso could actually stop the likes of Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo, Robinho, Robben or Torres. Their attack is pretty unimpressive too. They’re good players, but look terribly weak compared to the ones mentioned before. I’d say they need some serious luck if they are to win this world cup.

Portugal:
I have my doubts about Queiroz’s ability as a manager. They have a talented squad, with stars in every compartment, the brightest of them being C. Ronaldo. They could achieve great things, but I doubt it. Just looking at their qualifying campaign is enough for me to dismiss them as favourites.

France:
Ok, seriously, France? Domenech? With that squad? After that qualifying campaign? Quarter finals at best!

footballbetting:

“let me just say NOT brasil as Ronaldinho is not going”

What a stupid comment. Dinho went in 2006 and we won nothing. Dinho wasn’t at the Copa America or the Confed Cup, and we won both. We’re at the top of the S. America qualification table, mostly without Dinho.

Amazing how many people really don’t know anything about Dunga’s team – Dinho hasn’t been part of it for nearly all of Dunga’s time as manager and his absence hasn’t hurt the team at all.

And just exactly what has Dinho won for Milan?

Re: footballbetting’s comment about Ronaldinho:

Please take any comment left by someone called “footballbetting” (or any similar variation) with a big bag of salt.

There’s a trend of online betting companies leaving borderline spam comments on blogs like ours. They say the first thing they can think of and type it out as quickly as possible. The only aim they have is to leave a link back to their betting site in the hope that someone will click on it.

So don’t take their comments seriously, and definitely don’t click on their link.

Germany
France
Brasil
Argentina
Holland
Italy
Spain
England

Thanks Daryl, guess I’m ignorant, had no idea about that! And no, I had no interest in clicking on his link.

Top Five:
-England
-Brazil
-Netherlands
-Spain
-Germany

Five Serious Contenders:
-Argentina
-France
-Portugal
-Ivory Coast
-Italy

Five Dark Horses:
-USA
-Ghana
-Nigeria
-Mexico
-Serbia

Major Underdogs:
-Japan
-South Africa
-Australia
-South Korea
-Cameroon

Quite a lot of teams named, but essentially the top five would be my favorites. England under Capello have had recent success, and through qualifiers look to be on form. Brazil and Spain are always contenders. Netherlands, doing well in qualifying seem to have one of the best squads in a while, while Germany would be my last slot, potentially beating out Argentina.

I think that all teams that participate have a chance to win the world cup, remember Greece in Euro 2004 or look at the Champions League final this year.
Admittedly, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are not really underdogs, but I guess very few expected them to compete for the trophy in Madrid.
Still I expect and hope that Spain will finally make it in 2010.

I generally agree with the teams people have picked as realistic winners. But I think there could be quite a few surprises this year — I don’t know why, but I think we’ll see an African team in the final 4 of the tournament, probably either Cameroon or Ivory Coast.

And don’t sleep on Uruguay — I’m not saying they’re a realistic possibility to actually win, but I think they can win Group A, which gives them a great shot to make the semifinals if you look at the draw. And they can score goals with anyone in the world, which gives them a puncher’s chance in any match.

Should be entertaining, if nothing else.

An African team in the semis? Only if Blatter repeats the 2002 strategy and has the referees help them.

why does everyone think argentina can win the world cup???? they barely qualified, maradona is an idiot

messi is the worlds best but he cant do it alone

1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Netherlands
4. Italy

contenders
5. Germany
6. England
7. Portugal
8. USA
9. Ivory Coast
10. Mexico

france and argentina are overated, both teams have the players but there chemistry is horrible

unless they change there mind set or get really lucky they wont even win a game

france – mexico, south africa, uruguay

argentina – nigeria, greece, south korea

Realistically, I think Brazil and Spain have very strong teams with excellent players. I’m not sure about the Dutch… They’re a wild card to me. As a Germany fan, I’d like to say I think the Germans could win it, and I think they can… but I’m concerned about the form of their strikers. Maybe their excellent young midfield can make up for it (but they need time to gel). Argentina has some great players, but really struggled in qualifying. As usual, nearly anyone who speaks English thinks England can do it, but I’ll be very surprised if they actually reach the final. France and Italy are not going to win it, and neither is Portugal. I sincerely hope that Ghana, Ivory Coast, or Cameroon can do well, I think they have a shot — not at the final, but of surpassing expectations. And maybe the US will go on a tear like 2002 — they were superb that year, and outplayed the Germans in their last game (though they ultimately lost).

Alex, because Messi isnt doing it alone, he’s got Higuain, Tevez, Milito, Aguero, Di Maria with him. Argetina’s probably has the best offense, hands down.

And Argentina has been clicking well together as of late. Look at their recent game against Germany.

Chup: England’s defence is capable of shutting the door on anyone, but calling Terry, Ferdinand and Cole world-class? Come on man, this isn’t 2008. Those three had their most forgettable seasons this year. GET DAWSON IN THERE!

Well, I can’t think of many defenders better than Terry, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole. They may not be in their best form, but they still are some of the best. Who has a better defense (and by this I mean only defenders, not defensive midfielders) than England? I can think only of Brazil and Spain. And I wouldn’t really call them better.

Uruguay, yes, maybe Chile and Paraguay as well – there are more and more south americans in Europe doing very well.

Chup, I don´t think Africa as a continent will get the 2002 treatment. Financially not even South Africa can be as important as South Korea. And SK, or Japan they had organized things like the Olympics before, having the World Cup there was an honor, but not a favor FIFA was doing them. FIFA will probably think that they are doing enough of a favor to Africa by having the world cup, much before the Olympics without being mandatory that African teams do well. I really hope they will, on their own, without referee help. The change on the rules regarding change of nationality could have a very interesting effect in African football soon.

England cheat as much as anyone – I saw a friendly of theirs against Brazil which was a disgrace.They just like to think they are different, morally better, it is how they explain losing, that and finding scapegoats like Urs Meier or Cristiano Ronaldo. Every country has a strategy to cope with losing. Some countries justify it rationally, population size and all that. Others claim they play the prettiest football and it is the sad fate of the world that is not enough to win. Others, perhaps wisely, make a point of totally hating whoever chances to be national team coach until and unless the idiot wins the world cup. Other countries blame FIFA conspiracies and sometimes they are right. Sometimes teams lose because other teams cheated for a moment, but if you believe “we lost because we do not cheat” you might as well believe in the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny.

The champion always alternates between S.America and Europe ever since 1962. Since a European team won it last and that Brazil is the only team that has won it outside its home continent, I think its quite obvious who (statistically speaking) is the most likely to win it this time.

I completely agree.The world cup this year will be different than all the others.
-First time in africa with different weather and circumstances,the heat may affect a lot of people.
-There are no more small teams,every team has the same chances to win,not only to be there like before with some national teams,there are a lot of players that play in england,spain,italy…and they bring their professional experiences to make the difference while defending the colors of their countries.
-Very good african teams in the world cup this year,i will will watch algeria,ghana and south africa, i believe at least one of them will be in the semi-final.
-People know Brezil and Argentina and forget a lot about Mexico and even USA,we all remember the american comeback and the good performance in the confideration cup,these two teams were strong this year,i will also add to them Uruguay,i saw this team playing,they are good.

LOL @ alex saying Argentina are not contenders, but USA, Ivory Coast and Mexico are.

Lame.

Realistically, the chances for seeing a first time winner are great. Perhaps never before have so many good teams been fighting at a world soccer championship. In addition, there are some outsiders that have the potential to win if everything is fit for them: no injuries on key players, key players performing to their best, and luck in decisive moments.

Very often there are players who do not perform up to the expectations, and players who do extremely well. The reason might be of psychological character but also having a good coach is essential. Another reason is that having the best players does not need to be the same as having the best team. Players need to go well with each other.

There is still a group that can beat anyone but yet will have to increase the regularity of their performance if they are going to achieve. Most teams can beat anyone in a game; but to win a tournament, a team needs consistency, perform well match after match or have the ability to survive.

Spain and the Netherlands could be first winners, but they are not outsiders. Which are the outsiders?

Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico. If they perform to their optimum level they could go a long way.

Cote D’Ivoire could be a great candidate depending on their consistency.

Lol, Argentina has perhaps the best team player for player because it is difficult to compete with the likes of Messi, Tevez, Higuain, and others, but how good is Maradona as coach? Argentina had great trouble in the qualification. Maradona has used more than 100 players. That shows his indecision.

I hope the best for Argentina and do not discard them because the team is blessed with great players, but it will be difficult having Maradona as coach.

On paper, Spain and Brazil have gotta be the favourites with the Dutch an outlying 3rd. However I feel the extra support from within South Africa that surely exists for the English and the Netherlands along with the cooler winter climate in the southern hemisphere could tip things in their favour. Using Brazil as the only example that exists, they have large immigrant fanbases in both the US and Japan and perhaps more tellingly on both occasions, in conditions of 30 plus degrees and 90% humidity there’s only going to be one winner if one of the teams is Brazil. A winters evening kickoff in a south coast stadium should level the playing field for the northern european teams and allow them to play their high intensity styles without melting on the pitch and give them a great chance of overcoming Brazil and Spain.
Having said that, Brazil, Spain and the US all played in SA in the confederations cup last year, so their familiarity might count for them this time round. Apart from these, only Argentina seem credible contenders, Maradona a liability but lady luck and talent is certainly with them. France have lost the plot and shouldn’t even be there, Germany don’t have the stars, Portugal could be interesting if Ronaldo shows determination like last year and the rest of his team perform. None of the African teams seemed consistent enough in the African nations cup to pose a real threat. It’s a great chance for England, solid defence and a midfield packed with goalscorers, just wish we had 2 more Rooneys….Can’t wait!

On a slightly different note, I’ve put together a ranking system for international teams which might interest you for a few minutes. It’s not perfect but I hope its not too shabby.
http://www.justonside.com
*It only works in Mozilla Firefox! It doesn’t work at all in Internet Explorer.

During long night hours preparing for the big tourney I finally have discovered the secret formula that enables me to predict the probability of various 2010 outcomes. While no details can be given here, the formula includes among others 1) team quality, 2) recent form (of key players on club level as well as of the team), 3) injuries / absences, 4) the draw, 5) tournament history, 6) probable weather conditions, 7) coaching staff. I am well aware that 2), 3) and 6) are highly unpredictable at this point. But four weeks ahead this is not so much about accurate predictions but rather tendencies.

I see three tiers of teams:

1) Early Exits (1st / 2nd round)

South Africa
Uruguay
Greece
South Korea
Algeria
Slovenia
Serbia
Australia
New Zealand
Japan
Slovakia
North Korea
Switzerland
Honduras

2) Mid-Tournamnt Exits (2nd round / Quarters)
France
Mexico
USA
Denmark
Kamerun
Portugal
Cote d'Ivoire
Chile

3) Going Deep (Quarters / Semis)

Nigeria
Italy
England
Ghana
Paraguay
Netherlands

4) Serious Contenders

Germany
Argentina
Brazil
Spain

Back to the original question. In my opinion, a realistic shot on the trophy have Argentina (if Maradona can be contained), Brazil (if it's not getting too cold down there), Spain (if they escape injuries), Germany (if they again put together a team better than the quality of their individual players), The Netherlands (if they avoid having to play Italy and/or Brazil early), Ghana (if they make it past Germany on the group stage), England (if they finally live up to the expectations and potentials), Italy (if the defense stands rock solid). I'd love to include Paraguay and Nigeria here (I expect much from both teams) but I don't see them having the necessary depth for a serious charge.

The heat? C'mon take geography lessons. It'll be winter down there and temperatures can drop quite significantly. Don't expect a dream summer tournament like 2006 but rather some rain and temperatures around 15 C (depending on the location). Brazil would struggle under such conditions.

Don't underestimate the importance of the draw. Groups E to H have way tougher road to the Semis than A to D. As I do not see France having any chance going deep that leaves it for England, Argentina and Germany and maybe Ghana / Nigeria / Mexico / USA as underdogs to go deep (there's always one underdog going far in the tournament). In the other half we might see 2nd round clashes between Netherlands / Italy (have to beat Paraguay, yet), Brasil / Spain, very unpredictable. Unfortunately, I do not see much chances for such excellent sides as Denmark, Ivory Coast, Portugal and Chile.

Realistically, I believe there are only a handful of teams that have the wherewithal to breath at this altitude (that is… win such a pressure-packed event):

Brazil
Spain
Netherlands

Portugal
Germany
Argentina

Huh, the Brazil side just won the Confeds Cup in South Africa under the same conditions that will prevail June 11 – July 11.

I wouldn't say they “struggled under such conditions.” Most of their side play in Europe. Perhaps you could assume something like that for the Under-17 squad, but not for the pros

Well I'm going to be dead wrong, and if you're a gambler take what I say and bet the opposite, so here goes!

Contenders are the usual suspects.
* Germany
* Brazil
* Italy
* Argentina

Disappointments:
* England
* Spain
* France
* Portugal
* Netherlands
* Ghana
* Cameroon

Surprises:
* South Korea
* Japan
* Cote d'Ivoire
* Denmark
* Chile
* Slovakia
* Serbia
* Uruguay

You are wrong about Mexico. They won't even make it out of groups.

I am going to very boldly predict Ivory Coast to upset Spain, Italy, and Argentina en route to the final where they will lose to the Netherlands who will have to upset Brazil to get there. Not the most likely scenario but also not completely crazy, and we all know that the most likely scenario rarely ever actually happens in any major tournament anyway

Also why the hell does everyone keep mentioning Italy as having a chance?? They're old and slow, and have absolutely zero chance of repeating as champs.

GO CHILLEEE too bad u suk