All Hokie, All the Time. Period. Presented by First Bank & Trust Company

VTHokie2000
Joined: 01/01/2005
Posts: 41,416
Likes: 17,028

The wild cards that you may not be factoring in are how the groups look and

how the groups feed into the knockout bracket. If the draw is set up for a potential France vs. Spain match in the Round of 16 (assuming both win their groups), then 1 of the "top favorites" will be going home "early." Likewise, if Argentina ends up with the similar draw and bracket as England had this year, then they could find themselves in the Semi-finals or Finals again even though on paper they should go home in either the Round of 16 or Quarterfinals. Another factor to consider is that this World Cup really didn't have a "Group of Death" because of the luck of the draw. If the next World Cup ends up with a Group of Death and France or Spain ends up in that group, then it is possible either country may not even win their group which could add an interesting twist to things.
Posted: 07/21/2026 at 09:11 AM ET
(In response to this post by Snape)

Thread Replies (7)

Full Thread →
Messi and Co. lost the WC championship
Snape 07/20/26 10:59 AM ET
They will take a step back. 2034 for Argentina
Hate2SeeItEnd Hokie 07/20/26 12:59 PM ET
Uhhh
Nova Hokie 95 07/20/26 11:38 AM ET
Of course they will qualify. He's referring to chances of winning it
Hate2SeeItEnd Hokie 07/20/26 06:35 PM ET
I mean as a serious favorite to take the cup.
Snape 07/20/26 04:22 PM ET
The wild cards that you may not be factoring in are how the groups look and
VTHokie2000 07/21/26 09:11 AM ET
Don't forget -- FIFA changed the set up the draw this year
Nova Hokie 95 07/21/26 10:23 AM ET
The top 4 teams will likely change between now and 2030, so I was
VTHokie2000 07/21/26 05:16 PM ET