On Friday the 1st of April the world came a step closer to the beginning of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar as the group stage draw took place. Let’s take a look at how the first stage of the tournament could play out…
Group A – Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.
Group A features the World Cup hosts Qatar who will be competing in the tournament for the first time ever. Joining them are Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands, making up an entertaining couple of games.
Ecuador will be delighted to be drawn in a relatively ‘weak’ group after qualifying above the likes of Chile and Colombia, and will be thinking that they have a special opportunity to progress from the group. Reigning AFCON champions Senegal will be confident of making it through to the round of 16 after defeating Egypt to gain a place in the tournament. This will be Senegal’s second straight appearance in the World Cup and the fans will be hoping that their ‘golden generation’ will be able to achieve something special in this year’s tournament.
The favourites to top Group A are surely the Netherlands. The dutch are currently ranked 10th in the world (acc. to FIFA), and with big names such as Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay & Frenkie de Jong – they are almost guaranteed to be in the round of 16.
Group B – England, Iran, USA, TBC.
This group is another that contains a heavy favourite… England manager Gareth Southgate would have been delighted with the draw as realistically, he could not have chosen an easier group if he had tried.
The other confirmed participants in Group B are Iran & the USA. Both teams will most likely be fighting for the second place in the group and the Americans will see this tournament as good preparation for the the 2026 World Cup that they will host.
The final spot in the group will be awarded to one of three teams: Scotland, Ukraine or Wales. The Scots and Ukrainians will face off in a play-off match with the winner taking on Wales for the chance to qualify. If either Scotland or Wales make it through, we could be treated to a spicy all-British affair.
Group C – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.
Lionel Messi and Argentina will be looking for glory in what is most likely the last World Cup of his career. After coming close in 2014, Messi knows that a World Cup trophy would truly cement his status as the greatest player of all time, and luckily for him Argentina could not be in better form. ‘La Albiceleste’ are coming off of a Copa America win in the summer and are currently on a 31 game unbeaten streak. But in order to make it all the way, they will have to take care of Saudi Arabia, Mexico & Poland.
The Saudis are clear underdogs in this group but will be looking to make some noise and shock the world. Mexico vs Argentina might prove to be one of the great matches of the tournament, and with their ever faithful supporters, the Mexicans are a fierce opponent for any team.
Poland qualified for the World Cup following a 2-0 win over Sweden in the play-off matches, and with a lethal talisman such as Robert Lewandowski leading the line, anything is possible…
Group D – France, TBC, Denmark, Tunisia.
2018 champions France will be looking to defend their title and win a second consecutive World Cup, a feat achieved only by Italy (1934, 1938) & Brazil (1958, 1962). With the addition of Karim Benzema to their squad and the continuing rise of Kylian Mbappe, ‘Les Bleus’ will be looking to go all the way in Qatar. Joining them in Group D are Denmark and Tunisia. The final place in the group will go to the winner of the play-off match between Peru and UAE/Australia.
Group E – Spain, TBC, Germany, Japan.
Group E serves as this tournaments supposed “Group of Death” with Spain, Germany & Japan all confirmed to face off against one another. Spain, led by manager Luis Enrique, will be looking to usher in a new era of football dominance as they transition into a new generation of players with the likes of Pedri, Ferran Torres, Pau Torres & Ansu Fati. Mixed with the experience of players like Busquets, Jordi Alba & Thiago – Spain could be capable of something special in Qatar.
Not unlike The Spaniards, Germany are also going through some sort of a ‘rebuild’. New manager Hansi Flick will also look to rely on a blend of youth and experience with the likes of Kroos, Havertz & Thomas Muller. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Germany bounced back strongly following a disappointing Euro’s campaign.
Despite being grouped with two European powerhouses, don’t count Japan out quite yet… Last time round in Russia the Japanese were an inch away from upsetting Belgium in the round of 16. At times they are able to play gorgeous technical football and you can be sure they will not back down from a challenge.
Finally, fighting it out for the final place of Group E are Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Group F – Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.
Group F offers an intriguing mixture of teams and no clear weak link. Belgium will surely be viewed as the best team out of the four, thanks to their massive star power (De Bruyne, Lukaku), but we could get an unexpected upset from this group.
2018 finalists Croatia most certainly won’t repeat their impressive run but with the experience their squad possesses, the Croatians are a challenge for any team in the world.
Despite star man Hakim Ziyech’s International future still being deep in obscurity, Morocco, led by Achraf Hakimi will be looking to impress in Qatar.
And finally after a 36 year drought, Canada are BACK in the World Cup. With talents such as Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, the Canadians will want to make a statement to the rest of the world, four years before co-hosting the tournament themselves.
Group G – Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.
Group G is certainly one of the most entertaining groups of this year’s tournament!
Cameroon make their return to the World Cup and they will hope to do so in style. ‘Les Lions indomptables’ recently finished in 3rd place as they hosted the last AFCON tournament and they will hope to build on that momentum.
Serbia and Switzerland will renew their heated rivalry in a rematch of the controversial 2018 World Cup match. Both teams have loads of quality & big names and we think this clash also has potential for game of the tournament.
Speaking of quality… Five time World Cup winners Brazil will try to make it six as they come in hot, ranked number 1 in the world. The ‘Seleção’ will look to avenge their Copa America final loss to Argentina and add to their tremendous history in this competition.
In the last months, Neymar has hinted that this will be his final World Cup. If true, he will surely want to cap it off with a happy ending. We are expecting big things from Brazil!
Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.
We cap off the Qatar 2022 World Cup with an intriguing prospect in Group H.
Ghana come in to this tournament following a disappointing AFCON display in which they where eliminated in the group stages. The ‘Black Stars’ will have to put that disappointment behind them as they come up against some seriously tough competition.
South Korea will also have to overcome the odds as they are led by Heung-Min Son. The Spurs star will have to be in peak form if he wishes to advance in to the round of 16.
The two favourites to progress are Uruguay and Portugal.
Uruguay will be led by Luis Suarez as always, but will have a different looking line-up compared to prior campaigns. ‘La Celeste’ will rely on Ronald Araujo to take the reins from legendary CB Diego Godin. They will also hope that in-form Benfica ST Darwin Nunez will be able to provide a spark and interchange with Cavani & Suarez.
Last but not least, Portugal will try to give Cristiano Ronaldo the World Cup sendoff that he deserves. Similarly to Lionel Messi, the World Cup is virtually the only trophy Ronaldo is yet to win in his career and in possibly his last chance, The Portuguese would love nothing more than having the last say in the GOAT conversation.
