World Cup Bold Predictions: Best Players, Storylines And Who'll Win It All

We all remember, nearly four years ago, when Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup trophy high into the sky in Qatar. A crowning moment for one of the game's legends.

Now, it's time once again to clear the calendars. We're in store for 39 days of drama as the World Cup begins across three countries and culminates with the final on July 19. 

That gives us one last time to make some picks on which players will shine, what to expect and, yes, decide who we expect to lift the trophy this time around. 

Doug McIntyre: I’ve said it before, so I’ll say it again: The U.S. men's national team reaches the semifinals. 

I know. It’s a long shot. But there is something special about playing on home soil, and for all the hand-wringing about how the World Cup co-hosts were outclassed by Belgium and Portugal in March, its last two pre-tourney tune-ups — a win over African powerhouse Senegal and a narrow loss to Germany in a match the Americans flat-out dominated for long stretches — were the players' best performances under coach Mauricio Pochettino so far. 

Something is brewing here. Add in the favorable draw the U.S. got as a seed and the power of the public behind it, and I think, with a little luck, it's capable of matching what countries like South Korea (2002), Türkiye (2002) and Morocco (2022) have done at other World Cups this century. 

Laken Litman: On the flip side of Doug, I think the U.S. will be eliminated following the Round of 16. 

This team so badly wants to advance further than it ever has before, but there are too many glaring issues, starting with the back line and inexperience in goal. So it seems hard to comprehend that the Americans will get much further than they did four years ago.

Luis Miguel Echegaray: Japan will