Who will win the World Cup?

With less than a month away before the start of the World Cup, Germany are the the favorite to raise the trophy on July 15 in Moscow.

There are three teams that oddsmakers and pundits have declared as their leading candidates to lift the World Cup: Brazil, Germany, Spain. Out of these top-tier teams fancied as this summer’s favorites in Russia, one of them stands out above the rest, as they best fit the criteria required of a World Cup winner.

That team is Germany. Joachim Low’s side have that optimal mix of experience, grit and young, hungry talent. The Germans have an embarrassment of riches in all the key positions: goalkeeper (most likely Marc-Andre ter Stegen), center-back and full-back (Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng), central midfield (Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil), speedy wide players, essential in today’s game (Leroy Sane and Julian Draxler).

Unlike other star-studded squads, this is a team whose success is independent of any one star player, whose cohesive style has been the driving force behind their success. As opposed to a team like Brazil, the other main contender, Germany aren’t awaiting the return of their star player (Neymar) from injury, nor is their success contingent upon the performance of a singular figure, as may be the case with Argentina, who will only go as far as Lionel Messi takes them.

Next: The best player on every team at the World Cup

Germany’s most experienced and decorated players, such as Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos, still have plenty left in their tank and are on the right side of 30, which is not something that can be said of a team like Spain, another world-class unit with impressive depth and not reliant on their star power, but whose veteran leaders (Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets) are further removed from their past peak performances. In addition, Germany’s young up-and-coming budding stars such as Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka have shown the ability to contribute to the national team’s success during the World Cup qualifiers, while continuing to impress at the club level.

No team has been able to repeat as World Cup winners since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, but given the quality and depth of this current German team, their proven track record of success, as well as the issues faced by the other contenders, look for Germany to be the first team to repeat as World Cup winners in 56 years.