Group G

Belgium: Philadelphia Eagles

Much like the case with Germany, how many NFL counterparts can there be for a Belgium team that is ranked No. 3 in the world and currently in what people are calling the “golden generation of Belgium futbol”? Well, there aren’t many. In this case, just one: the reigning Super Bowl Champions.

Quarterback Carson Wentz (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Once again like Germany, Belgium also scored 43 goals over the course of their qualifying matches, which is just an absurd number. Romelu Lukaku led the way with 11 goal and Eden Hazard added six goals and five assists. But even beyond their scorers, Belgium really is remarkable at nearly every position. It starts with Thibaut Courtois in goal. Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Vincent Kompany are all top-notch defenders playing their club ball in England. And Mousa Dembele and Radja Nainggolan are fantastic in the central midfield.

Talent and depth run up and down the Eagles roster just like it does for Belgium, who really don’t have a weakness. At the top of their roster, however, is Kevin De Bruyne for Belgium and Carson Wentz for Philadelphia. Both of these men are not only one of the best playmakers at their craft in their skill, but also one of the best teammates in how they set up and get the best out of those around them. Every champion needs an element like that.

Philly knows it.

Will Belgium be next?

Panama: Cincinnati Bengals

Some would say that Panama doesn’t even deserve to be in the World Cup after after a very questionable call went in their favor to get them a last match victory over Costa Rica, eliminating the United States. Sometimes I don’t exactly think the Bengals deserve to be in the playoff when I’ve seen them in as of late, so right off the bat I’m on board for the comparison.

Right now Panama features perhaps the best mix of talent, young and old, the country has ever fielded. They have outgoing veterans such as goalkeeper Jaime Penedo (36 years old), defender Felipe Baloy (37), Blas Perez (37) in attack and captain Roman Torres (32), along with a youngsters Miguel Camargo (24), Michael Murillo (22) and Ricardo Avila (21) will look to make a good first impression in their first World Cup.

The Bengals are in a similar boat age wise with their main guys Andy Dalton, Geno Atkins and A.J. Green all above the 30-year mark. Meanwhile Joe Mixon, John Ross, and William Jackson III are leading the charger as the next generation of Bengals.

Neither of these squads are ready for consistent prime time, but they’ll put up a fight.

Tunisia: Houston Texans

Much like the Houston Texans lost their quarterback Deshaun Watson midway through the 2017 season, The loss of Youssef Msakni, the top scorer in Tunisia’s scheme, has been a locker room blow for the players’ morale and certainly takes away an integral offensive weapon.

The rest of Tunisia without Msakni has been described as follows.

“They are a workmanlike bunch, but as they demonstrated in their recent qualifying victories, they will be disciplined and tenacious in protecting the backline.”

Harry Kane of England (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Tunisia’s trio of Ferjani Sassi, Mohamed Amine Ben Amor and Ghaylen Chaaleli remind me of that of the Texans defensive line which includes Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt. Without their top scorer, Tunisia will only go as far as their disciplined back line takes them. Such is Houston without Watson.

England: Kansas City Chiefs

Stop me if you’ve heard of this before. For the 2018 World Cup, England’s offense has been unchained due to them no longer having to build an offense around a slower, less dynamic Wayne Rooney. If you immediately thought of the Kansas City Chiefs, who now no longer have to dial down their offensive weapons due to Alex Smith, you and I would have like minds.

With a free-flowing offense, England has the potential to be one of the fastest and most athletic teams in Russia. England’s offensive weapons of Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford very much mirror the impact of Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins. Plus, 23-year old goal scorer Harry Kane, who now takes that lead goal-scoring role for his country for his first World Cup, links well with the quarterback reigns of Kansas City being passed to Patrick Mahomes for 2018.