Sky Sports pundit, Karen Carney, has shared her predictions for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This year’s tournament is grabbing everyone’s imagination with several teams in with a shout.
Here’s how Carney thinks the tournament will go.
Tournament Winner – Brazil
Brazil are favourites to win the tournament to many people. Their squad depth is one that other nations will look at in envy.
They’ll need Neymar to be in fine form if they want to win the World Cup.
Tournament Runner-Up – Spain
Carney believes Spain will see a resurgence in this World Cup after a poor showing in 2018.
They’ve been through a turnover in players in recent years. Their new stars are the likes of Pedri and Gavi. They’ll be hoping to return glory back to Spain.
How Far Will England Go – Semi-final
Another big debate around the World Cup is how far the Three Lions will go.
Carney is one of the hopeful England fans as she believes they’ll get to the semi-finals. It would fill England with joy if they do, but many will be hoping they go a step further to the final.
How Far Will Wales Go – Round Of 16
In the group with England is Wales. With Gareth Bale leading their attack they’ll be hoping to at least progress out of the group.
Carney is backing Wales to get out of the group. If they were to, it would cause some scenes in Wales.
Surprise Team – Spain
Carney believes Spain will be runners-up in this tournament, something that’s a surprise to many.
No surprise she’s picked Spain as her surprise team in the tournament.
Early Exit – Belgium
Belgium in the last ten years have been blessed with some great talent, but they’ve not been able to win a title.
This World Cup seems to offer their final chance of claiming a title with their golden generation.
Carney doesn’t think they’ll make it far in the tournament.
Golden Boot – Lionel Messi
It looks set to be Messi’s last World Cup, and he’ll be hoping to go out with a bang.
Messi has been the driving force of Argentina’s attack for the last 15 years.
Carney’s selection makes sense as he’ll be on all dead ball opportunities, and he can score from nearly any position.
Player Of The Tournament – Neymar
The elusive talent that is Neymar. Either you love or hate his style of play. In Russia, he was guilty of going down too easily during the games.
He’s been in fine form since the start of the season for PSG. If he can bring that into this tournament, Brazil should make it deep in the tournament.
Do you agree with Carney’s predictions?
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