SOC: World Cup Predictions

Group A: Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the world, and despite not having a ton of publicity surrounding his Egypt squad, they're going to be a difficult out in this tournament. Salah was outstanding in the Premier League with Liverpool, scoring 32 goals in 38 matches. Uruguay is also expected to get out of Group A and advance to the Knockout Stage. Uruguay is fresh off a championship in the China Cup, defeating the Czech Republic in the semifinals before taking out Wales in the final match. Uruguay and Egypt play one another on June 15th, before playing Saudi Arabia and the host country: Russia.

1. Egypt (100%)

2. Uruguay (67%)

3. Russia (33%)

4. Saudi Arabia (0%)

Group B: After winning the World Cup in 2010, the Spanish national team was the biggest disappointment in the world, as they failed to even get out of the Group Stage in the 2014 Cup. But now they seem more prepared for another run, and are currently riding a 13-game unbeaten streak. In that span, Spain has won 10 matches and three draws, against Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. All three of those teams are in the 2018 Cup. I think it's safe to say that Spain will be able to reach the Knockout Stage this time around. The other team that should get out is Portugal behind one of the greatest to ever play: Cristiano Ronaldo.

1. Spain (100%)

2. Portugal (100%)

3. Iran (0%)

4. Morocco (0%)

Group C: France comes in as one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and they've looked good since going down 3-2 to Colombia in late March. Since the loss, France has defeated Russia (3-1), Ireland (2-0), and Italy (3-1). The French national team will face the United States in one final friendly before heading to Russia for the Cup. France opens their march towards the Knockout Stage against Australia on June 16th. Then they will face Peru and Denmark. Besides France, it's difficult to say who else will come out of Group C. We'll cautiously take Australia, who defeated the Czech Republic, 4-0, in their most recent outing.

1. France (100%)

2. Australia (34%)

3. Denmark (33%)

4. Peru (33%)

Group D: Argentina barely snuck into the World Cup, but with Lionel Messi, anything is possible. Messi played well in the 2014 Cup, scoring four goals and adding an assist in seven games. But it wasn't enough to vault his team to a title, losing in the final to Germany. According to Who Scored, Messi led every player with an 8.52 rating, which was 0.15 higher than anyone else. We feel comfortable taking Argentina to advance, but it's not going to be easy. We feel the same way about Nigeria, who should handle Croatia and Iceland. Argentina and Nigeria won't face one another until the last match, which is scheduled for June 26th.

1. Argentina (67%)

2. Nigeria (67%)

3. Croatia (33%)

4. Iceland (33%)

Group E: Brazil is always one of the best teams in the world, but people have a hard time forgetting the game against Germany in the 2014 Cup semifinals. Brazil was thoroughly destroyed in every aspect of the match, and went down 7-1 as their home crowd jeered. Not as many fans recall Brazil getting some revenge on Germany in the 2016 Olympics, winning the Gold Medal, but since the World Cup outweighs the Olympics by a wide margin, it still seems like Brazil has something to prove. They should play with an edge and will be favored, with Costa Rica, to move on to the knockout stage. But either Switzerland or Serbia could sneak in too.

1. Brazil (100%)

2. Costa Rica (34%)

3. Switzerland (33%)

4. Serbia (33%)

Group F: This group of teams has a chance to be one of the more exciting, because even though there are two teams that should advance, the expected third and fourth place squads are above average (especially Sweden). I fully expect Germany to come out on top in Group F, as they're the defending World Cup champions, and have had plenty of success since then. In their last 10 matches, Germany is 7-2-1, so they're in good form heading into the Group Stage, and that was capped off with a 2-1 friendly victory over Saudi Arabia, 2-1, yesterday. Mexico and Germany will face off in Game 1 which will take place on June 17th.

1. Germany (100%)

2. Mexico (67%)

3. Sweden (17%)

4. South Korea (16%)

Group G: Belgium comes into the 2018 World Cup as favorites to reach the semifinals, along with Brazil, France, and Germany, so we definitely think they'll be able to handle the rest of Group G: England, Panama, and Tunisia. England will pose the greatest threat (at least they should), but they're a mixed bag. Luckily for both teams, they face one another in Game 3, so if they both come in 2-0 then it won't mean as much. Belgium still has one more friendly before going to Russia. After beating Egypt earlier in the week, 3-0, they'll take on Costa Rica, and then begin their potential run with a match against Panama on June 18th.

1. Belgium (100%)

2. England (67%)

3. Panama (17%)

4. Tunisia (16%)

Group H: The last group is probably going to be the most exciting, at least in my humble opinion. There are three quality teams that I believe can get out of the group, and then Senegal, who can pose some troubles for the teams above them. Colombia is the best team of the bunch, but not by a ton. They have two attackers that are well known and extremely effective in James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, but they have still been struggling to score of late. They have only five goals in their last five outings, and boast a 1-1-3 record in said matches. However, that one win is over France. We'll pick Colombia, and hesitantly take Poland.

1. Colombia (100%)

2. Poland (42%)

3. Japan (42%)

4. Senegal (16%)

Photo Credit: CBS Sports.