World Cup Predictions 2022: Projections for Semifinals Based on Latest Odds

Can France defend their World Cup crown?

The short answer is "absolutely," but awaiting them Wednesday in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup is Morocco, a team no one expected to be here but has quietly amassed the most impressive resume in this tournament.

That match-up is one of two intriguing round-of-four showdowns, the other being Lionel Messi and Argentina battling a double-tough Croatian team unwilling to bend to accommodate one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Can Morocco and Croatia do the seemingly impossible by sending the most recognizable faces remaining in the tournament home and setting up a final that even the most astute experts would never have imagined a month ago?

Find out with these projections for the semifinal round action.

All stats are credited to Fox Sports.

Odds
Argentina vs. Croatia

Tuesday, December 13; 2 p.m. ET; Streaming on Fox Sports, Telemundo and Peacock

Argentina (-125; bet $125 to win $100)

Draw (+245; bet $100 to win $245)

Croatia (+400)

France vs. Morocco

Wednesday, December 14; 2 p.m. ET; Streaming on Fox Sports, Telemundo and Peacock

France (-185)

Draw (+300)

Morocco (+600)

All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.

When you create chances for your team to score, you are putting them in a position to win and no player has done that more in the 2022 World Cup than Lionel Messi. The superstar leader of the Argentinian team, Messi is a large reason that squad is favored to advance past Croatia and into the finals of this year's tournament.

Messi is also joint fourth in assists (two), meaning he can see beyond his personal goals to set up his teammates with the opportunity to fuel Argentina's success. That he tied for second in goals scored with four means he can also find the net when necessary.

Messi is, arguably, the most prominent and respected name remaining in the tournament and will be the focal point of Tuesday's coverage of the showdown with Croatia. As he should, given his stature within the sport and as one of its biggest stars and greatest ambassadors of all time.

As strong as his play has been in this tournament, and as much as the oddsmakers believe Argentina will cash its ticket to the finals, awaiting them is a double-tough, double-stubborn Croatian team that advanced to the semifinals by knocking off preeminent favorite Brazil 4-2 on penalties.

Croatia is not a dominant or explosive team by any means. They have either tied (against Morocco and Belgium) or won on penalties (against Japan and aforementioned Brazil) in four of their five World Cup games.

They are a team that hangs around and plays solid defense (they are ranked fifth as a team after conceding just three goals). They are the definition of the age-old "bend but don't break" mentality and it has gotten them all the way to a spot in the semifinals that many believed would be occupied by bigger stars and better teams.

If Argentina makes the mistake of overlooking them, regardless of who the name players on their team are, they will suffer the same fate as Neymar and the Brazilian national team: a heartbreaking elimination at the hands of a seemingly overmatched Croatian team, led by midfielder Luca Modrić and phenomenal goalkeeper, Dominik Livaković.

It will, ultimately, be on Livaković to continue his excellent play, in which he has kept two clean sheets and helped Croatia win two ties on penalties.

The best players in the world show up when pressure is at its greatest, though, and Messi fits that mold. He has repeatedly proven why he is one of this generation's definitive players and will likely do so again Tuesday afternoon. Look for him to be one of the few players to best Livaković and fuel his team's surge to the finals as Argentina wins.

Prediction: Argentina ends Croatia's run, 2-1

There may not be a more intriguing game in this entire tournament than the semifinal between France and Morocco.

The French team are the returning champions, with expectations that they can become the first team since 1962 to defend their title. One of the best striking teams we have seen in years, fueled by the offensive mastery of Kylian Mbappé, they are one win away from making that a very real possibility.

Mbappé leads all World Cup players in goals with five, dribbles completed with 20 and has assisted on two others. He has been an offensive machine, taking over entire games, as we saw him do against England in the quarters.

Wednesday afternoon, he will run into the brick wall that has been Moroccan defender Romain Saïss, who has contributed 30 clearances so far this tournament, the joint second most.

Saïss represents the strong will of his team, which has not lost in international play since June 1, against the United States. They have either tied or won every one of their matches since then, going on a sneaky run that includes wins over favored Spain and Portugal.

Despite their incredible streak, they remain underrated by oddsmakers, who have France winning to cash their ticket to the finals. Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann represent such a tough offensive match-up for any team that it would seem rather unlikely that the stingy defense of Morocco could actually stunt them.

So much has been made of the offense of France, though, that the shakiness of their defense may prove the difference. The team has not recorded a single clean sheet to this point in the tournament and considering that Morocco had scored in three of their last four matches, it is a potentially troublesome match-up for France.

This is such an intriguing match-up because the mind says France is the obvious winner. They have a more explosive offense, arguably the best offensive player in the world and the World Cup experience necessary to compete for a second, consecutive championship.

The Moroccan team, though, has been so good and unbeatable over the last six months that it is difficult to disregard everything they have accomplished just because there are more recognizable names across the field.

It will be a tough slog for both teams and Mbappé and France should expect to find themselves frustrated early thanks to Saïss and the defensive front. Even with Saïss being a slight doubt with a hamstring injury, the solid backup of Achraf Dari means Morocco has the ability to repel France and score themselves on the counterattack.

Dangerous enough to end France's bid at title No. 2.

Prediction: Morocco stuns the world with its biggest upset to date, eliminating France 2-0