The 2018 World Cup is fast approaching and all the top nations are putting the finishing touches to their preparations.
Brazil and Germany are favourites to win the trophy, but France, Argentina and Spain are other sides strongly fancied to make their mark in Russia.
Read on as we take a look at the main contenders to win football’s top prize.
Brazil
The Samba Kings are 9/2 joint-favourites with Germany to win the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
It took Brazil a long time to recover from their 7-1 defeat against the Germans in the 2014 semi-finals, but they have bounced back in style to comfortably qualify for the latest tournament.
The five-time winners have a long history of success on football’s highest stage, and the likes of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho give Brazil a dangerous cutting edge.
It would be a major surprise if they don’t at least reach the semi-finals.
Germany
Germany are one of the most popular football tips to triumph in Russia. The reigning champions breezed through qualification, scoring 43 goals and conceding just four in 10 games.
Their performance in the 2014 final against Argentina showed that they could dig deep when necessary and they will be a force to be reckoned with this summer.
However, they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil in a friendly during March and that will give the South American side confidence that they can come out on top in Russia.
France
France are priced at 11/2 and are also expected to have a major impact at the World Cup.
An opening group of Peru, Denmark and Australia should hold no fears for a squad that contains any array of attacking talent.
France have failed to reach the semi-finals in the last two World Cups, but they conceded just six goals during qualifying and could be hard to beat this time around.
Spain
Spain are unbeaten under manager Julen Lopetegui and look back to the sort of form that saw them win the tournament in 2010.
A recent 6-1 friendly victory over Argentina was a huge statement of intent and they are likely to be one of the most attractive sides to watch in Russia.
Their opening group of Portugal, Iran and Morocco provides an excellent opportunity to ease their way into the finals and odds of 6/1 to win the World Cup look tempting.
Argentina
Argentina are heavily reliant on Lionel Messi, but despite his genius the 9/1 shots are unlikely winners of the tournament.
They were unimpressive during qualifying and friendly defeats against Nigeria and Spain suggest they could be under-priced in the outright betting market.
The South American side have drawn Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria in the opening stage and it is a group that could pose them plenty of problems.
