World Cup Bracket 2022: Printable Sheet to Track Your Predictions

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Sunday in Qatar.

The tournament is being played in the Middle East and in November and December for the first time.

The location and time of the competition may be new, but the contenders to win the trophy remain the same.

France comes into Qatar as the reigning champion from four years ago in Russia. European teams have won the last three World Cups, and Brazil was the last South American champion in 2002.

France, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina and England are six of the eight countries to win the World Cup, and all of them are projected to advance far in the tournament.

Uruguay is the only other previous champion in the 32-team field, while Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 event.

Any World Cup bracket should have a few of the European and South American powers going far.

The full World Cup bracket can be printed and filled out here from the tournament's official website.

Tournament Preview

The best teams from Europe and South America should be trusted most when filling out your World Cup bracket.

Four years ago in Russia, 14 of the 16 second-round participants were from those two continents. Mexico and Japan were the lone exceptions.

In 2014, 11 of the 16 teams that advanced beyond the group stage came from the two dominant continents.

France and Croatia played in the final in 2018, while Germany beat Argentina in 2014.

Les Bleus, which are led by Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé, will be attempting to become the first nation to repeat World Cup titles since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Just getting to a final in two consecutive tournaments is a tough task, and Brazil last achieved that in 1998 and 2002.

France is the only nation to appear in more than one of the last four finals. Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina and Croatia each have one final appearance in that span.

Germany is looking for a bounce-back performance in Qatar after it was ousted in the group stage four years ago. Hansi Flick's team will be tested more than others in the group phase, though, as it goes head-to-head with Spain in Group E.

Brazil and Argentina are expected to win their respective groups, while France could get a challenge from Denmark for first place in Group D.

The key to filling out your World Cup bracket in the knockout rounds is finding the best possible matchups.

The first-place team in Group A faces the second-place team in Group B and vice versa. The matchups are set between Groups C and D, E and F, and G and H.

The bracket is set up so you can find a path for Brazil, France or Argentina, or maybe even a dark-horse nation, to make it all the way to the final.

Group play begins on Sunday when host nation Qatar face Ecuador in Group A. Each team plays three times in a round-robin format, and the group phase concludes on December 2.

The knockout round begins with the round of 16 on December 3, and the final is set for December 18 at Lusail Iconic Stadium.