FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Who could win the tournament?

Here at Football Now, we've chosen five contenders who could fancy their chances in Qatar this winter. The squads are confirmed, but which teams are truly in the mix to lift the World Cup? Can France defend their title? Could this be Messi's time? Could a dark horse win their maiden title?

Brazil

The five-time champions are looking for a sixth in Qatar. Despite the wealth of talent at his disposal, manager Tite has made some tough decisions in choosing his final squad, leaving out big names such as Roberto Firmino and Marcelo.

At the back, 38 years old Thiago Silva is showing some of the best form of his career with Chelsea.

The midfield is with Premier League stars. Casemiro and Fred are first-choice midfielders to Erik Ten Haag at Manchester United. While Fabinho and Bruno Guimaraes are key players for Liverpool and Newcastle, respectively.

But the real firepower for La Seleção is going forward. Their range of attacking talent includes Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Jesus and, of course, Neymar. Can he finally pull the rabbit out of the hat and crown what will probably be his last international tournament with the biggest trophy in football?

In 2002, Les Bleus failed to make it out of the group following their maiden tournament victory in '98, so they'll be hoping things are very different this time.

France's squad includes superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema in the attack.

However, there are also some notable absences. The midfield pairing of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, who were crucial to the country's tournament win in 2018, are both injured. So, it's over to the next generation of talented midfielders to step in. Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are the favourites to fill the slots, given