Joe Casey
Show Bio
The 2022 soccer World Cup gets underway on Sunday, November 20, and Group D looks set to be an exciting battle. It features reigning champions France, dark horses Denmark, plus Australia and Tunisia. France will be looking to get off to a strong start in hopes of retaining their trophy, but Denmark have been solid in recent years and could give Les Bleus all they can handle. Which teams will be able to qualify from Group D and advance to the second round of the World Cup? Our soccer expert is breaking down each team and giving their best bet for Group D.
See our full USA 2022 World Cup soccer predictions and analysis for how the USMNT will perform
France 2022 World Cup Group D prediction
World Cup holders France unsurprisingly head to Qatar among the outright favorites. However, only two teams in the tournament’s fabled history retained the trophy, and there have been none since Brazil did so in 1962.
Amidst the backdrop of Kylian Mbappe’s image rights feud with the FFF and numerous injuries, France’s preparation hasn’t been ideal. In a strange quirk of fate, France was grouped with Denmark when finishing bottom of their section in 2002 — the last time they entered as holders! Failing to score more than once in 5 of their last 6 games hardly inspires confidence either, with a pair of defeats to Denmark thrown in for good measure.
Australia 2022 World Cup Group D prediction
Australia may have a sense of deja vu as they enter their 5th straight World Cup tournament, seeing as they were also grouped with France and Denmark in 2018. The Socceroos’ only point last time was from a 1-1 tie with Denmark, but they have been eliminated at the group stage in each of their last three appearances.
Graham Arnold’s men have enjoyed a run of 5 straight victories in the build-up, albeit against much lesser opposition than they’ll face in Qatar. The Aussies could only score from the penalty spot in the 2018 finals but with new blood in the squad, they may show an extra layer of creativity.
Lock in our picks for the 2022 soccer World Cup Golden Boot winner, including a +5000 longshot
Denmark 2022 World Cup Group D prediction
Perennial dark horses Denmark don’t have quite the same pedigree as some of the behemoths of world football, but they have progressed from 4 of their previous 5 World Cup groups.
Kasper Hjulmand’s men will be eyeing a place in the knockouts, especially as they meet two sides that have just one group stage progression between them, Australia and Tunisia.
The Danes put in an incredible shift to make the Euro 2020 semifinals after Christian Eriksen’s collapse, but he has made an emphatic return to international football, helping his nation to 2nd place in the Nations League, finishing above France.
Don’t miss our Mexico World Cup Soccer 2022 preview, including a best bet
Tunisia 2022 World Cup Group D prediction
Tunisia reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals but repeating that feat in the World Cup seems unlikely, having never progressed beyond the group stage in 5 previous attempts.
The Carthage Eagles haven’t conceded a goal in over 9 hours of competitive play, winning 4 of the 6 games during that run. Watch out for Tunisian forward Youssef Msakni, he may feel right at home in this tournament as he plays for Al Arabi in the Qatar Stars League.
Fifteen of Msakni’s 17 goals have come in competitive action, and he will hope to build on that by opening his World Cup account with Tunisia predicted to finish ahead of Australia in 3rd.
2022 Soccer World Cup Group D Best Bet: Denmark to win the group (+210)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The combination of off-field drama in the French camp, poor recent form, and a possible hangover for the holders could prove to be a dangerous mix for France.
With that in mind, Denmark looks to have the best chance of toppling the holders by winning Group D at a value price. The sheer star power of France should be enough to see them qualify from the group — they didn’t lose a game in 90 minutes at Euro 2020 yet simultaneously looked a shadow of the 2018 side — but Denmark has already beaten them twice in 2022.
Get our 2022 World Cup winner picks, including a +5000 longshot!
2022 World Cup Group D finishing order prediction
1 Denmark
2 France
3 Tunisia
4 Australia
2022 World Cup group predictions
Don’t miss our picks and predictions for EVERY 2022 soccer World Cup group:
- 2022 World Cup Group A picks
- 2022 World Cup Group B picks
- 2022 World Cup Group C picks
- 2022 World Cup Group E picks
- 2022 World Cup Group F picks
- 2022 World Cup Group G picks
- 2022 World Cup Group H picks
Pickswise is the home of Soccer Picks and Soccer Predictions. Our expert soccer handicappers provide the best insight, analysis and bets from throughout the World Cup.
