Qatar 2022 World Cup Group Previews

World Cup Group Previews

Group A

Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands play in group A. This group includes the host nation, Qatar, who make their World Cup debut. Netherlands are probably the strongest side in this group, as they have reached the World Cup finals on three different occasions but have yet to win the title. Senegal are the African champions, and with players such as Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy and captain Kalidou Koulibaly, they are also a strong side. Ecuador placed third for most of the qualification rounds, before they dropped down to fourth place.

Group B

In group B, are England, Iran, United States and the UEFA Path A winners. England will hope to try and win their first World Cup since 1966, with a team that reached the semifinals in the last World Cup and the finals in the European Championship. There are many key players in the English squad who play regular football in some of the biggest teams in the Premier League. The USA is an interesting team; they were drawn against England in previous World Cup group stages and England failed to beat them in their last two matches. Iran put in some strong performances during the qualification rounds, winning 10 games in the third qualification round, scoring 15 goals and only conceding 4. The UEFA Path A winner will either be Scotland, Wales or Ukraine.

Group C

Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland play in group C. This could be the final season for Argentina's Lionel Messi. Argentina are one of the strongest teams in this group, and they look like they can win the group stage. Poland and Mexico will probably battle for which team gets second place. Polish captain Robert Lewandowski is also nearing the end of his footballing career, and he is one of the most prolific strikers around. Saudi Arabia won their Asian qualifying group, beating teams that have played in the World Cup such as Japan and Australia.

Group D

Group D consists of France, Denmark, Tunisia and the winners of the AFC-CONMEBOL playoffs. France are the World Cup champions, and they look to be strong favourites to win the group. They have many highly talented players and are led by head coach Didier Deschamps. Denmark and Tunisia are teams that have played in the World Cup before and have moments when they perform very well. The group will be completed with the winners of the AFC-CONMEBOL playoffs, which could either be the UAE, Australia or Peru.

Group E

Spain, Germany, Japan and the winners of the CONCACAF-OFC playoffs play in Group E. Watching Spain and Germany play will be a highlight in the group stages. The 2010 champions and 2014 champions of the World Cup are likely to take the first two places in the group, although anything can happen. Japan will have their seventh successive World Cup appearance, and are usually an exciting team to watch. The group will be completed with the winner of the playoff between Costa Rica and New Zealand.

Group F

Group F comprises the national teams of Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia. Both Belgium and Croatia have ageing teams, though they do not lack any quality. The two nations have come far in recent editions of the World Cup. Morocco has some younger attacking players in their squad, who play in some of the top leagues in Europe. Canada qualified for the competition late in the qualification rounds. It is only their second World Cup appearance; the first was in 1986.

Group G

Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon all play in group G. It has been 20 years since Brazil won the World Cup. Brazil dominated the World Cup qualification rounds, and with their star player Neymar they will hope to win the competition for a record 6 times. Serbia have good attacking players who play in La Liga, Eredivisie and the EFL Championship, but they have problems with their defence, keeping only one clean sheet in their qualification matches. Switzerland and Cameroon have weaker sides, though this does not mean much in the competition. Switzerland knocked out the champions France in the Euro Championships, which proves that anything can happen at these tournaments.

Group H

Group H consists of Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. Just as much as this is probably Messi's last World Cup, it is also probably the last chance for Cristiano Ronaldo to put a World Cup winner's medal in his impressive trophy cabinet. Portugal has quite a strong team, with many top players who play in the Premier League. Uruguay, with ageing duo Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, usually play very well in the World Cup and come quite far in the competition. Ghana will be able to take revenge on Uruguay, after they were knocked out in the quarter finals in 2010 in a highly controversial game. South Korea is a strong team that is led by their key player Heung Min Song, who plays as a forward for Tottenham Hotspurs.