Next on the list is Group B, where Spain and Portugal will probably battle it out between them, while Morocco and Iran will cherish hopes of causing an upset.
Portugal: The reigning champions of Europe. Their surprising victory in EURO 2016 means Portugal will enter the World Cup with a new status: they are no longer the dangerous underdogs, but will be considered favorites now. It will be interesting to see how they cope with this new, extra pressure. Their opening match is against Spain, which means they will have to be at it right from the start: they can't afford to stagger in the group stage like they did in the European Championships. The big star of Portugal is without a doubt Cristiano Ronaldo. With his hunger for (individual) success, he will only be pleased if Portugal can go until the very end. He will certainly go for the title of top scorer of the tournament as well. Besides Ronaldo, there is plenty of talent in the Portugese squad, with Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho and Joao Mario to name a few. They proved on EURO 2016 (and recently against Belgium) that they can play as a solid block when needed to. Portugal has the quality in their ranks to make it far in this tournament, but I'm not going to name them among the favorites to win.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Spain: The other powerhouse in this group. Spain dominated world football from 2008 till 2012, but that came abruptly to an end when they lost 5-1 against the Netherlands on the last World Cup (I wanted to mention our neighbor at least once on this blog). EURO 2016 was a disappointment as well with elimination in the second round by the hands of Italy. Spain will be out for revenge, that's for sure. Real Madrid took over dominance in Europe of Barcelona, and symbolically, their influence in the selection is taking over that of Barca as well. Jordi Alba, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets are their to represent the older, golden 'tiki-taka' generation, but the new stars of Spain are called Isco, Vazquez and Asensio and play for Real Madrid (Ramos is already a veteran). Other promising talents are Koke, Saul Niguez and Thiago. Just so you know there is a lot of quality in this squad. Their opening match against rivals Portugal is a tough challenge, but if they can pass that unscathed, Spain can be a contender for the Cup again.
Prediction: Semi-Final
Morocco: For the first time represented at the World Cup since 1998, after they defeated Ivory Coast in qualification. A team that is much harder for me to judge than Spain and Portugal, because most of the players are unknown to me. Mehdi Carcela is the most familiar to me because he plays (on a high level I can say) for Standard Liège in the Belgian League. Ziyech and El Ahmadi have been excellent in the Dutch League for years. Boussoufa used to be a star player in Belgium for AA Ghent and Anderlecht, but is already at the end of his career. Their coach Hervé Renard is a man with a state of merit in French and African football. Morocco can only turn out to be a positive surprise for me, but I fear that a group with Spain and Portugal will be a mountain to high to climb. Their main ambition should be getting a result against Iran.
Prediction: Group Stage
Iran: Iran has become more of a regular contender in the World Cup and were also present in Brazil. They didn't perform to bad there, a draw against Nigeria and almost an upset against Argentina if it wasn't for a late moment of brilliance from Messi. I do however consider it to be unlikely that Iran will play a big part in this World Cup. Their selection lacks any players with a reputation in European football. Jahanbakhsh was top scorer in the Dutch League this season and 23-year old Sardar Azmoun of Rubin Kazan is considered a big talent, but that's about it. In this team, their biggest name is probably the coach as well: Carlos Queiroz, former coach of Real Madrid and Portugal. Same prediction for Iran as for Morocco: their encounter provides an opportunity to get a result, but Spain and Portugal will very likely be on another level.
Prediction: Group Stage