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Former Spain defender Gerard Pique believes France may be the team to beat at this year\u2019s World Cup but he is curious to see whether co-hosts the US can sustain the surge of interest around the sport once the event ends.<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking to Reuters ahead of the tournament running from June 11 to July 19 in the US., Mexico and Canada, the 2010 world champion noted there is \u201cbig hype\u201d around soccer \u2013 a level of attention he hopes will last in the world\u2019s largest economy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be interesting to see the level of hype in the country and that doesn\u2019t happen like what happened in 1994, that after the World Cup soccer disappeared in the US.,\u201d he said, referring to the first time the event was held in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, it stays,\u201d added the 38-year-old.<\/p>\n The 1994 World Cup preceded a jump in the sport\u2019s popularity across the US., with Major League Soccer launching two years later, but soccer remains far from dominant there despite the likes of Pele, David Beckham and now Lionel Messi having played in the country.<\/p>\n Pique himself is set to launch in the U.S. this year the Kings League, a seven-a-side version of the sport he created in 2022, blending soccer with video game-style rules, amid a global expansion that has included Germany, France, Brazil and Mexico.<\/p>\n FRANCE FAVOURITES?<\/strong><\/p>\n Pique named France as leading contenders to win this year\u2019s World Cup, citing their back-to-back final appearances and pool of top talent, but did not rule out other heavyweights such as Argentina, Brazil and his own country as strong candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cFrance are the favourites, I think. They arrived at the last two World Cup finals, they won one and lost the other one. In terms of names, I think they have the best talent. But then you need to be a team, and here is where I think Spain have a great team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s hopes will hinge on form, health and timing, Pique added. \u201cAnd then to have a little bit of luck in a competition that is so short that if you lose a game, you are out.\u201d<\/p>\n PRAISE FOR BARCELONA<\/strong><\/p>\n Pique cheered on Barcelona\u2019s recent Super Cup victory over Real Madrid, which resulted in coach Xabi Alonso leaving the Madrid side by mutual agreement, and said the rivalry\u2019s swings of dominance were part of a natural cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to see Barcelona winning titles and Madrid suffering,\u201d he said of the reigning Spanish champions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see so many times one team dominating and then the other team suffering, and the other way around. It\u2019s just a matter of enjoying the moment. I think that Barcelona have a very good team, a very young team that wants to win.\u201d<\/p>\n Hansi Flick\u2019s Barca side are top of LaLiga, four points ahead of Real Madrid at the halfway point of the season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n