Auf Wiedersehen Germany! Now who are the favourites to win FIFA World Cup 2018?

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Bengaluru, June 29: Champions Germany crashed in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, leaving the field wide open and ensuring the emergence of a new winner on July 15.

Here MyKhel offers a detailed look in into some other teams who have the potential to lift the most coveted silverware in the world of sports.

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Brazil

Never mind the fact that the five-time champions had a stuttering group stage. Of course they had two wins from three games but never looked in control of their game. Neymar, their headliner, had patchy outings in all three games while Gabriel Jesus seemed to have overwhelmed by the occasion.

But they are still capable of dishing out an orchestra that can leave the opposition spellbound and no one will be willing to bet against Brazil lifting their sixth World Cup.

Belgium

Usually, the tiny European nation is ranked as an outsider in the World Cup. But this time, only Belgium have matched the reputation with performance. They won all the matches in Group G and their R16 opponent is Japan. The Asians may just lack the firepower to match the likes of Romelu Lukaku (5 goals so far), Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens etc. A quarterfinal appearance for Belgium seems a mere formality now they can give any team a run for their money. July 15 beckons Belgium?

France

They have one of the finest line-ups in world football at the moment. The depth and talent in their squad is just awesome - take any position the 1998 winners have a world class player there. Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Olivier Giroud, Ngolo Kante, Paul Pogba, the names just keep coming. Yes, they were less than majestic in the group stages but if they deliver a performance scaling up to their talent then France could be tough to stop.

Argentina

Among the pre-tournament favourites in the FIFA World Cup 2018, only Germany played worse football than Argentina - a win, a draw and a loss in Group D. Still the Latin Americans sneaked into the knockout stages. For once, Lionel Messi looked closer to his brilliant best against Nigeria and the two-time champions need more from the Barcelona legend. And in the R16, they have to face an explosive outfit - France. Argentina need Messi now more than ever and if they manage to go past France then it will be a boost to their confidence. A miracle might be awaiting us - who knows?

Portugal

They do not have a side as talented as Brazil or France. But they have a super motivated Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid striker looked determined to take Portugal all the way and it reflected in their group stage performances too. They will require Ronaldo at his best against a dangerous Uruguay, who have Luis Suarez, to progress from Round of 16. But that reliance on Ronaldo could be their bane too as an off-day for him may hurt them badly.

Dark Horse: Croatia

They have fielded a line-up so impressive in talent that for the first time since 1998 the team carries a chance to move up the ladder. The Group D engagements showed Croatia in their full flight and the 3-0 thrashing they handed Argentina was brutal and beautiful at the same time. In the pre-quarterfinals they have Denmark as opponent and on paper the Scandinavians should be easy pickings for Croatia who have the likes of Luka Modric, Ante Rebic, Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic. Can the Golden Generation cap off their run with a title?