Soccer is arguably, the world’s greatest game. Its beauty, sophistication, complexity, and, above all, the patience and knowledge needed to play it well and understand it astound both watchers and players, all while the game seems so simple. For generations, soccer has been loved by many, and this love is shown in the worldwide tournament – the World Cup. 

This year, the World Cup is being hosted by Qatar. According to NBC Sports, the daily viewership reaches over 227 million people, and it is safe to say that every watcher is wondering the same thing: which nation will take the trophy? What players will have the ability to say that they won the World Cup? These are the million-dollar questions, and I am here to tell you that I have no idea who will win, but it is always fun to guess.

I am a soccer player myself, so I counted down the days to start watching the group games that kick off the cup. After watching the few games that have taken place, I feel confident enough to give a prediction. Against popular belief that the final game will be against Brazil and France, I argue that the game will be between Portugal and Brazil, and I have a strong case for Portugal’s victory over Brazil. So far, we have played two well-developed teams, Ghana and Uruguay, beating both. 

This team has heart, with the famous Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho, and Ruben Neves up top. Diogo Costa represents the country as a goalkeeper with a high level of experience playing for teams like Manchester United and now Wolverhampton Wanderers. The team holds up a strong defensive line, with Pepe leading them as a central defender. Now, the ability to make it to the final game of the World Cup is dependent on this team winning 16 elimination games and who we are placed within the elimination rounds. It is

necessary for Portugal to stay as the number one seed for the group in order to play a number two team from another group. If they drop down to the second seed in the group, they will initially have to play against a tough competitor, Brazil. 

With the number of games they have played as a team at a higher pace, speed, and intensity, this team has grown and improved immensely. It simply tunes up a well-oiled machine until it can perform at the highest level possible. I personally feel that this year’s Portugal team is the best machine out on the pitch, and is deserving of the Cup. Only time and patience will tell whether this outstanding team will come out on top.

(At the time of publication the rounds of 16 have not started, and the full results of portals games have been released.)