Which Team Should You Play As In FIFA 2022’s World Cup Mode?
About a year ago, in October of 2021, we posted our review of FIFA 22 – a new release at the time. We gave it middling marks, primarily on the grounds that despite a few small improvements (most notably the addition of HyperMotion), it felt more or less like the same game FIFA 21 had been. Really, this “same-old” feeling has become somewhat typical of the franchise, even if each new game is still a blast to play.
One positive we noted about FIFA 22, however, was that, like its predecessors, it offered “quite a lot of game modes.” And while we haven’t posted a full review of FIFA 23 just yet, we can confidently report that not only is this still a positive aspect of the game, but we’ll also be seeing more modes soon… or at least one. We know this because according to a recent report at Eurogamer, EA accidentally leaked a World Cup mode that will be available on FIFA 23. Designed to capitalize on the Qatar World Cup, this feature will include four “sub-modes,” including FIFA World Cup Live, FIFA World Cup Kick-Off, Online Tournament, and FIFA World Cup 2022.
It goes without saying that most fans of football, or the FIFA series for that matter, will be excited to explore these game modes. They’ll likely make for a perfect accompaniment to the actual World Cup. Without having explored them just yet, however, we won’t try to review them any further. Instead, we’ll just ask the basic question most players will confront when they load up a World Cup mode: Which team is best to play with?
Naturally, if you have a rooting interest in one side or another, you’ll probably enjoy a first run through World Cup mode with that team. In general, though, we’d point to the following four as (presumably) the best countries to play through a World Cup with….
Brazil
If you want to play with the best of the best, look no further than Brazil. Not only is this the team that has enjoyed the most success in Cup history (the Brazilians have lifted the trophy on five separate occasions), but it will technically be the best one heading to Qatar as well. Per a recent World Cup write-up at ESPN, Brazil is officially poised to be the top-rated team in the world when the Cup starts. Unsurprisingly, they’re also among the betting favorites to win the event.
Beyond all of that, playing with Brazil has been fun in just about every FIFA game ever made. And as usual, there will be no shortage of skilled players to direct. This year’s iteration of the Brazilian team will feature international stars Neymar, Richarlison, and Vinicius Junior, among others.
France
France figures to be another top-level contender at this year’s World Cup, and – for those who may not remember – are also the defending champions from 2018. Virtually every set of odds you can find has the French among the three or four teams most likely to win the tournament, and of course, it’s always fun to play with a team with this kind of level and reputation.
The real reason to pick France, however, is if you’re looking to play with stars. Yes, the team is favored by most bookmakers to be among the contenders. But according to the most recently posted football odds on Coral, the French also have two of the three players with the best odds to lead the tournament in scoring. England’s Harry Kane is at the top (with 7/1 odds), but French standouts Kylian Mbappé (8/1) and Karim Benzema (10/1) are second and third respectively. You can’t have much more fun in FIFA than you will playing with scorers of this caliber.
England
We just mentioned that England’s Harry Kane is the oddsmakers’ choice for the tournament’s top scorer. But he’s not alone. A handful of other creative, attacking players (including Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling) give England a formidable offense, and should factor into the real-life Cup campaign. Indeed, these players are largely responsible for the fact that England, too, is considered to be a favorite to contend for a title.
Additionally though, it’s worth noting that England is one of the highest-rated national teams in FIFA 23. Only France (85) and Germany (85) top England’s overall team rating of 84.
Argentina
Want to play with the single best player you can control in a FIFA game? Argentina has you covered. Per a list at TheGamer, Lionel Messi tops the list of FIFA 23’s top-rated players (just as he did in FIFA 22). Some may be a little surprised at this rating, given that Messi has edged past his prime and players like Mbappé and Kevin de Bruyne are breathing down his neck for best-alive status. But Messi is arguably the best player in modern history, and FIFA games continue to reflect as much.
Messi isn’t alone on this Argentina team either. Young forwards Lautaro Martinez and Angel Correa provide additional scoring punch, and should help Argentina contend –– both in real life and in FIFA 23’s World Cup mode.
So, those are our picks! Of course, there are plenty of other teams that will be fun to play with also. You can’t go wrong taking up with Portgual and having Cristiano Ronaldo on your side; Spain and Germany are always fun to play with, and sometimes you get the most out of controlling a true underdog as well.
Best of all: Once this mode is out, you can play through it as many times as you like, and try different teams as you go!
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