Pretty much everyone is predicting both of the European powers to make it out of Group G. Belgium and England are essentially 1A and 1B in this group
However, we’ve seen much bigger surprises at the World Cup. At the last World Cup, Costa Rica shocked everyone by winning a group that included Uruguay, England, and Italy. That has to give both Tunisia and Panama some hope coming into Russia.
Once every four years, the world's most popular game has its biggest tournament. The World Cup is as big as it gets all over the world, especially for the 32 countries who have earned the right to partake in this tournament. We think of the World Cup as a four-week tournament in June and July every few years, but this is actually a tournament where every FIFA team in the world has a chance to make it to the big stage.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia will begin on Thursday, June 14 and run through the final on Sunday, July 15. All of the action can be seen on FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.
FIFA 2018 World Cup Group G Betting Odds
Belgium -115 England +125
Tunisia +1762 Panama +3831
Belgium
This will probably be Belgium’s best chance to ever win a World Cup. The tiny country has a wealth of talent and made the Quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Euros. They ripped through qualifying, averaging more than four goals per game, and showed how dangerous they can be with this collection of forwards.
Eden Hazard is the captain and leader of the team, and Romelu Lukaku is already the country’s all-time leading scorer despite being just 24 years old. Despite the relative youth on this side, they are very experienced after Belgium’s decision to give their young talent as much exposure as they could.
This team has two solid goalkeepers to choose from in Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet, and the back four is amongst the most talented you will find in the world. There are concerns about stopping speedy wings, but other than that, this unit is among the best.
England
Heading into this tournament, England has a major concern. England has not had the go-to goal-scorer that other countries have had over the last handful of World Cups, but they appeared to have found their man in Harry Kane. Kane has been phenomenal and is really coming into his own as a player. However, he suffered an ankle injury recently and is expected to miss quite some time. There are fears that he may not be 100 percent come June.
That is not good news, as England lacks another consistent scoring option. Daniel Sturridge and Danny Walbeck have flashed at times, but neither player is as reliable as Kane. Jamie Vardy and Jermain Defoe are other options, yet both players are at the tail end of their careers. Marcus Rashford might end up contributing, but he is just 20 years old, and there is no telling how he will perform on this stage.
There are other issues too. England doesn’t have a defender it can lean heavily on after the decline in form from Gary Cahill and the rash of injuries that has plagued Phil Jones. Additionally, it’s hard to be too confident in any goalkeeper. This team could have some major problems in defense.
Tunisia
Tunisia is looking to make it out of the Group Stage for the first time ever at the World Cup. The North African side has only registered one win at the World Cup, and the odds seem stacked against Tunisia.
However, this is a talented team with a number of players on the rosters of good domestic clubs. Unlike other African teams that have many of their players plying their trade at home, Tunisia has been able to place a number of their starters on European and Middle Eastern teams.
This team was solid on defense throughout qualifying, and Tunisia will lean on the back line heavily here. Wahbi Khazri will lead the counter, and he will be counted upon to be a playmaker for Tunisia. This team has more of a chance than you might think.
Panama
For the first time ever, Panama is taking part in a World Cup. Panama’s last-minute win over Costa Rica on the final day of qualifying knocked the United States out of the World Cup, and it sent the Canal Men on to the grandest stage of international football.
Just getting here is enough to elate the nation, but any sort of result would send emotions into the stratosphere. Panama is led by two players in their late 30s, Blas Perez and Luis Tejada, and those are likely to be the team’s choices up top.
This will be one of the oldest teams at the World Cup, with eight of the probably starters in their 30s.
