Ian Darke's World Cup preview: Favorites, surprise...

playHow will Spain manage injury issues at the World Cup? (1:08) On the eve of the first 48-team World Cup, everyone can dream. Reality starts to bite on June 11 when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in the first of 104 matches. Pierluigi Collina, who is overseeing the tournament as chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, promises a crackdown on time wasting, penalty box skirmishes and dark arts in general. Officials will be equipped with the most sophisticated technology ever employed in the game, including the use of AI-enabled 3D avatars of every player. But, as ever, the big question is: Who will win the World Cup? In the entire history of this great tournament, only eight nations have lifted the Jules Rimet trophy: Brazil, Italy, Germany, Spain, Argentina, England, France and the original winners Uruguay. The unluckiest team must be Netherlands, who have lost three finals despite producing some wonderful players. Here is my list of eight teams that might win the World Cup, with a few reasons they might not. ARGENTINA: The defending champions are sure to make another deep run, even though Lionel Messi will turn 39 during the tournament. La Albiceleste eased through qualifying and will feature many of the same stars from four years ago. But coach Lionel Scaloni needs to cleverly manage Messi's minutes and hope his young guns such as Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone come through. Only Brazil (1958 and 1962) and Italy (1934 and 1938) have retained the title, and this squad does have a slightly aged feel. Argentina know how to win, though. FRANCE: Didier Deschamps' team has reached the past two World Cup finals, winning in 2018 and losing a 2022 thriller on penalties after a 3-3 draw with Argentina. The French tend to go to extremes: play brilliantly or blow up. Remember their 2010 mutiny in South Africa? However, their attacking lineup is stacked: Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, Marcus Thuram, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Bradley Barcola. But can they defend quite as well? France's pre-tournament 2-1 loss to the Ivory Coast raises questions. BRAZIL: The five-time winners have lost their aura. It's been 24 years since they last lifted the trophy, and they labored to a fifth-place finish in South American qualifying. But now they have the calm managerial maestro Carlo Ancelotti, and he seems to be developing the right blend of silk and steel. The 34-year-old Neymar has been recalled after a three-year absence to add to the threat of Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior. With a revived Casemiro restored to the midfield and Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães at the back, Brazil look dangerous. SPAIN: The European champions are favorites with most bookmakers, and rightly so. This is a multitalented team that has forgotten how to lose under head coach Luis de La Fuente, but there are issues. Sensational young winger Lamine Yamal might need time to acquire sharpness after suffering a hamstring injury in April; Nico Williams, so menacing on the other wing at Euro 2024, has had fitness problems; and star midfielder Rodri -- the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner -- has failed to regain his peak form since suffering a ruptured ACL in September 2024, and his deputy, Martín Zubimendi, lost his starting place at Arsenal this season. play0:31Marcotti: Germany's World Cup squad doesn't fit togetherGERMANY: Like Brazil, Germany have become tortured by self-doubt after going out at the group stage in the past two World Cups. They played well as hosts of Euro 2024 but had the misfortune to run into Spain in the quarterfinals and lost in extra time. Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, despite his problems settling at Liverpool, is a superstar for his national team, and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala will add flair to a solid-looking squad under the guidance of Julian Nagelsmann. The coach must hope his contentious decision to recall 40-year-old Manuel Neuer in goal does not rock the boat too much. ENGLAND: It's been 60 years since Geoff Hurst's hat trick propelled England to World Cup glory in 1966, and the country's story since then has been littered with heartbreak, though Gareth Southgate took the team to two European finals and a World Cup semifinal. His successor, Thomas Tuchel, has a gifted group of players who sailed through a soft qualifying group without conceding a goal. He also has made some big calls for this World Cup, excluding creators Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton, and leaving Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham to fight for the No. 10 spot. If striker Harry Kane can continue his wonderful Bayern Munich form, England might be in business. But can they cope with the heat, and will their defense (no Harry Maguire, and John Stones could be rusty) pass the test against the top teams? PORTUGAL: Manager Roberto Martinez could not deliver silverware with Belgium's golden generation. Can he do it with possibly Portugal's best-ever lineup? That might mean limitin

Ian Darke's World Cup preview: Favorites, surprise...

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