FIFA World Cup 2022: Teams who are favourites to lift the crown in Qatar including France

Football fans around the world cannot be more excited as the FIFA World Cup 2022 is all set to begin in Qatar in less than a week. The first match of the tournament will be played between hosts Qatar and Ecuador at 9:30 PM IST on Sunday, November 20. Ahead of what promises to be another exciting FIFA World Cup, here is a look at five teams who are the favourites to win the trophy.

Favourites to win FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy

France

Defending champions France will undoubtedly be the favourites to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy, having won the title in 2018 in Russia. Didier Deschamps' side has perhaps one of the most well-balanced teams as they have a star-studded defence and some of the best players in the world in their attack. If their side in 2018 was not strong enough, the addition of 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema would undoubtedly make them a force to reckon with.

Brazil

Brazil is likely to be one of France's biggest challengers for the FIFA World Cup as they have a strong blend of young and more experienced talent. The likes of star PSG duo Neymar and Marquinhos will bring much-needed experience to the side, while the likes of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior have already shown their exceptional potential while playing for La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Argentina

With seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi set to compete in his last FIFA World Cup this year, he and the rest of the Argentinian team will be fully motivated to help end the 35-year-old's international career on a high. When it comes to the squads, Argentina perhaps do not have as strong of a team on paper as compared to the likes of France and Brazil, but they do have some extremely talented players and a side that gels well with each other.

Belgium

Another team that will once again enter this year's FIFA World Cup as one of the favourites to win it is Belgium. Even though Roberto Martinez's side have been ranked number one on several occasions and have some of the best players in the world across all positions, they have failed to perform on the grandest stage so far. Their best result at a FIFA World Cup is a third-place finish that came at the last edition in Russia.

Portugal

Portugal are likely to be one of the outside challengers to win the FIFA World Cup as they too have some of the best players in the world. With the likes of five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo in the team, they could very much be a threat to some of the strongest sides competing in the tournament.