Who will win the World Cup? BBC pundits make their predictions

The World Cup starts on Sunday at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, and ends on December 18th at Lusail Iconic Stadium in DOHA.

Thirty-two teams will compete in the tournament, including five-time winners Brazil and holders France.

The gold trophy will be up for grabs this time. Who are the others? Will England and Wales do well?

What will happen over the next four weeks?

Who will win the World Cup?

Shearer spoke about Argentina. It will be a good way for Lionel Messi to leave the game. It could be a defining moment for him - he has probably been the greatest player we have ever seen but he has never won the World Cup. The end of the debate would be what it would be if he won.

Brazil is for me. I understand why there is a buzz about Argentina, but I think this is the best time for him. He has taken his game to another level this season after scoring eight goals in qualification. He has to deal with the weight of the nation but he will be the star of the show.

France have arguably got the best forward line in the world with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and evenAntoine Griezmann. There are some injuries in the middle of the field, but they have two young stars in Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga who are already top class. France are either all in or all out at the World Cup. Do you think this time will be different? They are going to be all in. Why not if they did the same thing in Russia?

Alex Scott is heading to Brazil. Their squad has a great blend of experience with exciting and in-form young players who could have great tournaments.

Brazil have a wealth of attacking options and your team is dependent on how much firepower you have. If they win, it will be good for football. We're all fans of Brazil.

The depth of Brazil's attackers is the best in the group and they will win it. My heart is telling me different things. We are going to bring the prediction home with us.

After winning a Copa America in 2021, Argentina will have found a rhythm of what works for them and will no longer be obsessed with attacking. They beat Brazil in the final and I think Messi is going to win it.

The key to winning the World Cup is clean sheets and fewer goals. Which team has the best defense with a good goalkeeper? Their ability to manage moments in the tournament, as well as how they will perform in the group stages. I think Brazil will win because they are fully loaded in every position and defensively they are the strongest I have seen in a long time.

All the way through the spine of their team, Brazil have experience of winning things.

Rob Green said that they have some exciting talents. I'm from Brazil.

I won't be sentimental and say Messi will win, but a South American team will. The World Cup winning players will wear yellow shirts.

Danny Murphy does not think past Brazil or Argentina. They are both full of quality and experience and will take some time to stop. The stars seem to think that the greatest ever player will win the World Cup and maybe Argentina will do it this time.

Danny Gabbidon wants to go to France. They are a well-balanced side with a lot of quality up front, and the biggest problem for the manager is to find the best system to use.

The big driving force is Messi. If he wants to win his first World Cup at the age of 35, he needs to be at his best. He and his team know that and will do their best to win the World Cup. There is a lot of quality in Brazil. They are a team that I have watched a lot over the past couple of years, and I believe they will win the World Cup in the Middle East.

What about England's chances?

I don't think we will do as well in the next two tournaments. We could struggle defensively against the big hitters.

We have done well at all the tournaments that Harry Kane has been at. If England are going to go deep in the tournament, he is going to have to score five or six goals again, and he will be looking to go back to back with World Cup golden boots.

There is only one word to describe England's prospects in the Middle East. I am curious to know who he is going to play with Kane up top and whether or not he will play four or three at the back.

We can be like Brazil in 2002, who went into the World Cup in terrible form, but still managed to win it. Despite being the only European team to reach the semi-finals in each of the past two major tournaments, there is no real expectation from this team. I am hoping for another semi- final.

England will get to the last four.

If we get to the quarter-finals or semi-finals, I don't think we'll win it. There are a lot of questions about the team if you are going into a tournament with a lot of injuries and players out of shape. There are better nations than we are.

There is only one word to describe England's prospects in the Middle East. It's somewhat cautious. I'm pretty sure that's the way he's going to play and it's going to be the way I play as well.

If we can get that confidence in the group stages, we can get to the semi- finals. I don't think we'll get past the quarter-finals.

Anything can happen if England gets to the quarter finals. It is going to be difficult.

There is only one word to describe England's prospects in the Middle East. I'm excited. I am looking forward to seeing England do well. Are we going to be able to go one step further now that we've been to two semi-finals and a final?

How will Wales do?

It is doable for us to get out of the group stage after 64 years, even though we are happy to be here.

The whole squad is going to have to contribute, with players coming off the bench and having an impact. I'm looking for someone to do that. He might not be in the starting line-up, but he could make a huge difference in the game.

It's one word to sum up Wales' prospects in the Middle East. It's confident. I was going to say that I was hopeful, but I would like to think that we have more faith than that. I think we can leave the group.

If Wales win their first game against the US, they will make it through to the next round. I don't think it's gonna happen. They aren't good enough to finish fourth at the World Cup because they don't have the depth of quality.

There are fitness doubts over some of our key players, with Joe Allen a particular concern because he plays such a key role in the middle of the field. He is the key to everything because no one else does what he does.

Our first game against the US is very important as we are the only team in the group with all four teams ranked in the top 20. It sets us up if we can get something from that.

It's one word to sum up Wales' prospects in the Middle East. Based on what we've done at the past two European Championships, we're optimistic.

Wales can get out of their group, but it depends on their first game. One of the youngest teams at the tournament is from the US. They will be a difficult opponent to start off with.

Wales are my surprise gift. Anything could happen when they leave the group.

Who else might spring a surprise?

Brazil and Argentina are dangerous, but not the only South American team that's also dangerous. I would never discount Germany because they know what they are doing at these tournaments.

Everyone has overlooked the fact that Portugal will do some things. Will Alphonso Davies make waves with Canada or will he pose a problem for the team from Africa? We will try to figure it out.

The big European teams have to deal with the fact that Brazil and Argentina will both be very motivated, but they will arrive with the same goal. I am looking forward to seeing a Germany side that can help us forget about the disaster that happened in Russia when we were defending champion. There is still some repair work to be done for Hansi Flick's side after what happened four years ago, but I want them to be full of energy and courage. It's disappointing that we didn't get to the last-four at the World Cup.

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