The favorites to win the 2018 World Cup - The CIES Football Observatory conducted a study showcasing the favored teams to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The ranking consists of 32 teams and takes into account the average percentage of domestic league games played since July 1, 2017 by the 23 most-used players in each national team and the average level of the clubs where they play.

The countdown has started, so check out which team is most-likely to take the trophy home!

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32. Panama - Panama's national team is a surprise addition to the World Cup after beating Costa Rica in the final round of the CONCACAF qualifiers with a controversial "ghost" goal. The team's 23 players, on average, play about 47% of games in their respective championships.

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31. Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia finished in second place of Group B, in which the Japanese secured first place. The club coefficient for Saudi players is 0.43.

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30. Iran - Iran is another surprise on the list. The team will play in a World Cup for the second consecutive time after winning Group D. What's more, they remain undefeated and have won six out of eight games. The 23 players on the Iranian team play an average of 70% of their respective club games.

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29. Peru - The South American squad secured qualification after eliminating New Zealand in the playoffs. Peru stands out in this ranking with an average of 64% in domestic league matches.

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28. Australia - Australia guaranteed their presence in the World Cup after eliminating Honduras in the playoffs. The Australian side has an average of 65% regularity in their respective leagues.

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27. Costa Rica - The Central American squad was the surprise in the last World Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals. They've qualified again this year and the average level of the clubs that employ Costa Rican players has a coefficient of 0.55.

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28. Egypt - Egypt qualified for the World Cup after beating Congo 2-1 thanks to Mohamed Salah's 90' + 5 goal and a penalty. The team is one to watch, mainly because they have one of the top players in the world, Salah. 64% is the average of games in domestic leagues and 0.52 the coefficient of employer clubs.

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27. South Korea - South Korea secured their place in the World Cup after finishing second in their qualifying group. Its players have an average of 65% of games in their respective championships and 0.52 points related to the average level of the clubs where they play.

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26. Tunisia - Another African team to make it to this year's World Cup is the iconic Tunisia. The team have an average of 70% of games in their club championships.

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25. Iceland - This national team was the surprise of Euro 2016 where they reached the quarterfinals after eliminating England. They will be present in the World Cup and the levels of clubs where Icelanders play scored 0.52 points.

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24. Nigeria - Nigeria might be a pleasant surprise at this years' World Cup. The team scored a total of 73% in the domestic league matches played.

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21. Japan - Japan won their qualifying group and will be present in Russia. The team stands out for the average rate of 75% of games played by the players in their respective leagues. 

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20. Sweden - The Swedes eliminated Italy in the playoffs. They are the 20th favorite team to win the competition and stand out in the regularity indicator in their respective championships, with 71%. In terms of coefficient of employer clubs, the score is 0.63.

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19. Morocco - Morocco could be one of the big surprises in the competition. The level of the clubs that employ Moroccan players was scored at 0.73.

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18. Senegal - They may not be the highest ranked national team, but they do play very regularly. A  total of 70%, to be more precise. The team scored 0.68 points in the indicator of the average clubs level.

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17. Mexico - Mexico is always a dangerous national team that can cause difficulties for other competitors. The team stands out for the 0.68 points in the indicator of the clubs that employ Mexican players.

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16. Serbia - Top clubs are signing more and more Serbs to play in the world's most prestigious soccer leagues. With a 0.73 score in the coefficient of employer clubs, it's no wonder they're in 16th place.

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15. Poland - The national team did really well in Euro 2016 and was only eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties. They're also a favorite, with 0.77 points in the average club level indicator.

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14. Russia - The tournament hosts appear in the 14th position. It has 72% regarding the regularity of its players in domestic leagues and 0.78 points in the coefficient of employer clubs.

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13. Uruguay - This national team has a good track record in World Cups and has already won  the tournament twice. Uruguay are back in the World Cup this year after finishing second in the South American qualifying group. Uruguay have 0.90 points in terms of the level of the clubs that hire their players.

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12. Colombia - James Rodriguez's team qualified after finishing fourth in their group. They're one of the favorites to win the competition, mostly due to the regularity of the players who play in big clubs. Colombia scored 0.91 points on average for clubs that hire Colombians.

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11. Denmark - The national team is again present in the World Cup. They have good scores in both indicators, with 81% average of games that the 23 players played in their respective championships, and 0.77 points of average level of the clubs that hire their players.

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10. Switzerland - Switzerland qualified for the World Cup after scraping through the playoffs against Northern Ireland. The team scored 74% in domestic league matches and 0.90 points in the average level of the clubs in which they play.

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9. Portugal - The Euro 2016 champions have a reputation to defend and Cristiano Ronaldo as their captain. The national team scored 1.09 points in the average level of the clubs where Portuguese players play. All the 23 players play in major leagues.

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8. Croatia - The Croatians have been in the spotlight in the last international competitions. They are one of the favorites to win the event and scored 1.10 points in the coefficient of employer clubs.

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7. Argentina - After a tough qualifying stage, Messi's team is still a favorite to win. They obtained 70% regarding the regularity of their players in their respective championships and scored 1.10 points in the average level of the clubs that they represent.

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6. Belgium - The Belgian national team is also a favorite to win the race, much in thanks to the large number of quality players it has. The team scored 73% in the regularity of his players in domestic leagues and 1.11 points in the average level of the clubs where they play.

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5. England - In fifth place is England. The English national team scored 74% in terms of regularity of their players in their respective leagues and 1.12 in the average level of the clubs they represent.

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4. Germany - Germany won the 2014 World Cup, and most recently won the Confederations Cup in 2017. They remain favorites, with 1.25 points in the average level of the clubs their players represent.

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3. France - The French were runners-up in Euro 2016, but now they want revenge and make history again. Their players have a lot of quality and the national team stood out in the study with 1.35 points in the coefficient of employer clubs.

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2. Brazil - The Brazilians are in great shape and their team is the second favorite to take the cup home. The 'canaries' scored 78% of points in the regularity of their players in their respective leagues.

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1. Spain - Spain are the favorites to win the World Cup. The team scored 81% in the regularity of its players in domestic league games and the average level of the clubs that employ Spanish players is of 1.37.

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