While we still don’t know all the participants in the 2022 World Cup, we do know all of the games — when they will be played, where they will be played, and who, theoretically, might be playing. From Nov. 21 through Dec. 18, 64 total matches will be played in Qatar. So, guess what? We’re going to predict every single one.
Sure, we’re seven months away from rosters being finalized. Players can get injured, players can play poorly, players can appear out of nowhere, managers can quit their jobs — the list of complicating factors is endless. Only a maniac would attempt to pick every game at the World Cup on April 5, but that’s why I’m here. I am your maniac.
Before we get started, though, there a couple of things are worth noting. To start, among the teams still with playoffs to contest, I just selected the countries with the best FIFA rating and chose them for this exercise. (Go Peru, Wales and Costa Rica. Sorry, New Zealand, Ukraine, Scotland, Australia and the UAE.)