By: Vassili Stroganov and Jeremy Hayes

The world prepares for the big stage to open in Brazil as the World Cup kicks off.

Every group has teams that are potential winners, but the field has plenty of dark horses as well who can potentially pull off the ultimate Cinderella story.

When thinking about potential favorites, reigning champs Spain have to be included in the mix.

Spain is a team with plenty of depth, as well as a potentially easy group besides reigning second place Netherlands.

They will have their key players Xavi and David Villa to lead the team to try and repeat.

Spain is traditionally known for their defense, but they have spread the ball around in friendly matches to score goals.

Pedro has been great for Spain scoring three goals in his friendly matches.

With a balanced attack, there is no reason why Spain can win it all again.

The undeniable favorite, Brazil will do all they can to win the title at their own ground.

The Brazilian people expect nothing less than a world cup trophy and the pressure on the samba team has never been higher. With world class players like Neymar, Oscar, Hulk and Thiago Silva Brazil don’t have to worry about the quality of the team.

If Brazil can establish the link between midfield and attack, they can defeat any team in the world. If Brazil’s defense will function well and don’t make stupid mistakes like in the past – the team will win the 2014 world cup.

Especially one player could make a huge difference in this tournament – Neymar. If the superstar continues his incredible streak, scoring goals and making assists, he could lead the most winning World Cup team to another cup.

In 2006, France let their chance at a shot for the cup slip away with the help of a “Zidane head-butt,” but they could have a shot at being a surprise team to win it all.

With players like Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema, they have a fiery offense that they hope can lead them to upset a few teams. The entire Group E, which also consists of Switzerland, Honduras, and Ecuador, is up for the taking.

If they manage to get through their group stage, they can be a threat to the rest of the field. They put on a poor performance in 2010, but now they have the chance to prove that they are the real deal.

A team that technically is an underdog and at the same time is a team that could go all the way is Belgium.

Not only is this team full of stars like Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Vermalen, but the team is also a great collective unit with a lot of team spirit.

This team did well in their World Cup qualification group and is a team that should be feared even though its history is title-less.