France (Lost in Final)

Despite the many injuries, France looked as good as ever. Kylian Mbappe’s brilliance was on full display, reaching his second World Cup final at age 23. Antoine Griezmann, with precise passing and surprisingly strong defensive contributions, was an incredible presence in the midfield. Olivier Giroud showed off his goal scoring prowess. Overall, it seemed Les Bleus were too strong to be beaten, and would overcome the World Cup curse with a second consecutive championship. Their physicality was second to none, balanced by the technical abilities of players like Mbappe and Griezmann. However, a dreadful first half in the final against Argentina was their downfall, as they were simply outmatched and outskilled in every facet of the game, conceding two early goals. Mbappe nearly single-handedly completed one of the most astonishing comebacks in World Cup history, scoring the first hattrick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. But his efforts were not enough, and France lost to Argentina in penalties. Still, Mbappe has proven himself to be the best young star in soccer, and there are no doubts that he will bring Les Bleus back to World Cup glory.