The start of the 2022 World Cup is creeping into sight, as the world’s 32 best football nations will compete for the top prize.
Many experts have already tipped up some of the most powerful nations, with growing confidence behind the chances of South American countries Brazil and Argentina after the recent international break.
The main European hopes look to come in the forms of beaten EURO 2021 finalists England and the reigning world champions France.
However, could there potentially be some surprise contenders in the World Cup betting 2022 markets?
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Senegal
There is a feeling that there is only a matter of time before an African nation finally wins the World Cup for the first time. That could arrive later this year, given the form that Senegal has been in throughout 2022.
Boasting stars such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mane, they achieved a first ever-major success earlier this year as they won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.
They continued to showcase their quality in the final round of qualification, with victory over Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.
Senegal could have a good chance of going far at the World Cup this year, as they were drawn in a very winnable Group A, alongside the Netherlands, Qatar and Ecuador.
Denmark
Denmark’s claims for the World Cup this year are clear to all that have been keeping track of their international results over the past 12 years.
Led by Kasper Hjulmand, the Danes impressed throughout the EUROs last summer, as they reached the semi-finals before being beaten by England after extra time thanks to a controversial penalty decision.
However, their progression hasn’t stopped there, as they impressed throughout the Nations League fixtures that they have played this year, finishing just a point behind Croatia.
The two standout results during their Group A1 campaign came against France, beating the world champions 2-1 in Paris and 2-0 at home for Denmark. That form could prove crucial at the World Cup, as they will again come up against the French in Group D.
Iran
While winning the World Cup may be a massive ask for Iran, we would at least expect a bold showing from the nation at the competition this year.
Former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz manages them, and it could be argued that they come into the World Cup in the best form of any side in Group B.
Reaching the knockout stages for the first time in their history will be the goal, but they certainly look good value to pick up the first victory at the competition since 1998.
Iran sailed through the AFC World Cup qualification, winning eight of the ten games they played, finishing above a very talented South Korean side.
Their strong form heading into the World Cup is shown by their 1-0 victory against Uruguay during the recent international break, and we could see them surprising a few in Qatar this year.
