Pointless Predictions Sure to be Wrong

We're six months away from South Africa, and any kind of prediction is pretty pointless at this point. Despite that, USSD is still giddy after the excitement of the draw and in the mood to make some picks. With that, here's our predictions for the 2010 World Cup:

(Teams in bold move on to the round of 16)

Group A:
South Africa
Mexico (1)
Uruguay
France (2)

Group B:
Argentina (1)
Nigeria (2)
South Korea
Greece

Group C:
England (1)
USA (2)
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D:
Germany (1)
Australia (2)
Serbia
Ghana

Group E:
Netherlands (1)
Denmark (2)
Japan
Cameroon

Group F:
Italy (1)
Paraguay (2)
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G:
Brazil (1)
North Korea
Ivory Coast (2)
Portugal

Group H:
Spain (1)
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile (2)

Based on these predictions, South Africa will become the first host nation to fail to make it out of the group stage. Portugal will be the odd one out in the Group of Death, while Australia will make it through a tough group and return to the round of 16 once more. The US and England will draw in the opener, but Fabio Capello's men will take the top spot in the group on goal differential.


Round of 16:

Mexico v. Nigeria

England v. Australia

Netherlands v. Paraguay

Brazil v. Chile

Argentina v. France

USA v. Germany

Denmark v. Italy

Ivory Coast v. Spain

In a rematch of their 2002 World Cup quarterfinal, the USMNT will take on Germany, but will lose another heart-breaker*. A sneaky-good Denmark side will knock off the defending champions, while the remaining African sides will be knocked out. France, meanwhile, will finally piece it together and hit their stride, moving on to the quarterfinals once again.

(*I'd love to pick the US, especially since I think they would have a shot at knocking off France in the quarterfinals, but I'll go conservative with the picks to avoid any potential jinxing.)


Quarterfinals:

Mexico v. England

Netherlands v. Brazil

France v. Germany

Spain v. Denmark

Four international soccer powers advance on to the semifinals, setting up two tantalizing matchups.


Semifinals:

England v. Brazil

Spain v. Germany

English hearts are broken after they fall to Brazil, setting up what many expected to be the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup.


Final:

Spain v. Brazil

Picking Brazil to win a World Cup...real original, huh? Despite the fact that Brazilian fans might not be pleased with their side's style of play, Dunga is leading a team that just knows how to win. The Brazilians will add another chapter to an already decorated history, becoming the first team to win the Confederations Cup and World Cup in back-to-back years.


Yes, this was a pretty pointless exercise, considering so many things could happen in the coming months to alter teams' fortunes (injuries, suspensions, drops in form, etc.). But today's draw has gotten me even more excited about next summer's World Cup, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to think about what might happen next summer in South Africa.