The draw for the group stage of the World Cup offered a chance for some teams to avenge their losses, as well as a renewal of old rivalries.
Brazil and France can now plot their path to the final, with Brazil aiming for a record sixth title and France aiming to become the first country to win back-to-back World Cup since 1962. To have a chance of winning the World Cup, you have to get out of the group, and there are some exciting games to look forward to.
In Group C, Argentina and Mexico will play each other, while Spain and Germany will play each other.
The United States will face England and Iran in Group B, while England will face Wales or Scotland in a battle for the final European qualification spot.
How will it end? The teams who will qualify have been assessed by Gabriele and Mark.
- England drawn against U.S. | Bracket and fixtures
- How the World Cup draw played out
- World Cup draw by the numbers: The most intriguing stats
Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G, Group H.
Ed Dove is optimistic that all of the African teams will make it to the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
In the past, every host nation has made it out of the group stage and into the knockout phase. They entered the 2021 Gold Cup as an invitational team, despite not going through qualification, and played a string of high-profile games.
On paper, the Dutch are above the others. The Netherlands, which was third for most of the CON MEBOL qualification tournament, has been rejuvenated by the return of Louis van Gaal.
The must-see match is the Netherlands vs. Senegal.
From the goal to the back to the front, there is a deep and gifted group of people in the country. They won the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup playoffs on the strength of their big-game experience. This should be an open affair because they won't be rattled by the Dutch.
Will home-field advantage matter?
You don't expect loud and loud support from the Qataris at their game because we have never seen it before. They know the territory, the grounds and the hosts get a bit of the green. They need to start with a win over Ecuador if they want to have a chance.
The predicted finish is Netherlands, Senegal, and Qatar.
England should progress from their group, but will face three awkward games against the USA, IR Iran and Scotland.
England is deep and talented. They reached the semifinals of the World Cup and the final of the European Championship, but they felt that they could have done more. Is there a lesson to be learned from past mistakes? The sense is that he has.
Things should be very tight behind England. The United States has a lot of stars in top European teams, but for different reasons, the likes of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna aren't always difference-makers at club level. They will need to be in the state of Qatar.
Iran lost only one game in Asian qualification, but on paper it doesn't look as strong as previous editions. You know who most neutrals will be rooting for if it is Ukraine at this stage.
The must-see match is England vs. USA.
There will be a lot of references and stories from 1950 here. If both teams need a result, and if they haven't played well until that stage, the tabloids will call for blood.
There are Welsh or Ukrainian fairytales.
Wales might not even be there, but we have seen Bale carry Wales on his shoulders to seemingly impossible heights. Right now, Ukraine are the second-favorite team in the world. There is no telling what can happen when there is a bit of fairy dust.
Predicted finish: England, USA, Wales/Ukraine/Scotland.
England and the USMNT will make it out of Group B at the World Cup.
The fact that the narrative isn't about Lionel Messi or his struggles at Paris Saint-Germain as much as it is about Argentina's long run should help relieve some. They will be very happy with this group.
Mexico and Poland are likely to fight for second place. Poland, having changed coaches before the playoffs, are in some ways still finding themselves, while El Tri blew hot and cold in qualification. Robert Lewandowski will get you out of jams, but only if you can get him the ball in dangerous areas. The Saudis won the Asian qualification group but were disappointing at the Asian Cup and look a bit below the rest of the group.
Mexico vs Poland is a must-see match.
It could be an early decider in this group, as it is the opening game of this group. Mexican supporters tend to travel in large quantities, which could give this the feel of a home game. Poland overcame Sweden in a tense playoff final to qualify, but there is a sense that they have yet to get their best out of their stars.
Lionel Messi is an X factor.
There are many layers to his World Cup experience. Argentina have bounced back from the chaos they saw in Russia and have done it without putting too much pressure on Messi. We don't see the Messi-dependency we've seen in the past, he's still key, but the side is still built around it. Is it the difference in him finally conquering the game's biggest prize?
Predicted finish: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia.
Mexico will face Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Les Bleus have reloaded and have a lot of money at their disposal. It will be interesting to see if he sticks to the defend-and-counter approach that delivered the World Cup last time, or if he opts to be more of a team player. He is in the drivers seat.
The rest of the group is very tight. Tunisia won't win points for style and are nowhere near as talented as they have been in the past, but they have proven to be difficult to play against and cagey. The Danes are solid at the back and showed at the Euros that they can compete with the big boys all the way to the semifinals.
If they make it, they look stronger than Australia, who had a poor campaign, and the United Arab Emirates, who had a worse run.
The must-see match is Tunisia vs.Denmark.
This is easy. After his cardiac arrest at the Euros, Christian Eriksen will play his first game at the World Cup. This is where he will live, he said. The World Cup will not have a more emotional moment in the first week.
Is it possible that Paul Pogba can return to being the person he used to be?
It's not always the same for Pogba for Manchester United and for France. His role in offering creativity, quality and leadership in the middle of the par can not be overstated. We don't know where he will be playing football next season, but we know he is a man on a mission.
Predicted finish: France, Australia, and Tunisia.
The chances of Asia's teams progressing to the knockout stages of the World Cup are assessed by Gabe Tan.
This looks to be one of the simpler groups in the country. Costa Rica and New Zealand have both recorded surprise results in recent tournaments, and Japan have shown the ability to cause an upset at previous World Cup. Spain and Germany are two European powerhouses, and it is hard to see either of them slipping up in this group.
Four years ago, holders Germany were humiliated in a group stage exit, while Spain were knocked out in the second round by hosts Russia. Which team finishes top is likely to be the key issue in this group. The runners-up are likely to face Belgium in the second round, while the winners are likely to see off Croatia or Canada.
The must-see match is Spain vs. Germany.
The second group game is on Nov. 27. In this game, Germany will have too much for Spain in all areas of the pitch because of their lack of a reliable goal scorer.
Which Germany will we see in the Middle East?
The big appeal of this group is to see if Germany are over their poor tournament at Russia and Euro 2020. The German team is once again a team to be feared with Hansi Flick as coach.
Germany, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica/New Zealand are predicted to finish.
Croatia made it to the World Cup final before losing to France, while Belgium have never fulfilled their potential over the past decade. Although both teams have world-class talent, they are also two of the oldest teams in the tournament and could be vulnerable to an upset against Morocco.
Canada is a young and ambitious team under coach John Herdman, who will be desperate to impress in the upcoming World Cup in the Middle East, as well as co-hosting the World Cup with the USA and Mexico. Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi, Wolves defender Romain Saiss, and Sevilla forward Youssef En-nesyri are just a few of the top players in the squad.
Croatia vs Canada is a must-see match.
The meeting between Croatia and Canada on Nov 27 could be the most important game in the group. If Canada can get a positive result in this game, they will face Morocco in the final match knowing that a win will take them through.
Alphonso Davies will be under a lot of pressure, but Cyle Larin and Jonathan David are proven scorers at international level, so they could give Canada the chance of qualification.
Oh, Canada?
Canada is the X factor in this group. They have been the sleeping giant of the region since 1986, so this is their chance to show they deserve to be in the spotlight.
Predicted finish: Belgium, Croatia, Canada.
If Brazil are drawn into a World Cup group, one qualification spot is already taken. The five-time winners have made it to the knockout rounds in each of the last 13 World Cups, but their early exit in 1966 remains the only time they have failed to emerge from their group.
Group G will be decided by which team qualifies alongside Tite's squad, who have reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings. The recent form suggests that Switzerland will make it through. They knocked France out of Euro 2020 in the second round a year ago.
Serbia have not made it through the group stage of the World Cup since 1990.
The must-see match is Serbia vs. Switzerland.
The game to watch is the one that could decide who qualifies alongside Brazil. When the two nations met at Russia, Switzerland's Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri wentading the Serbia supporters with an Albanian nationalist symbol after scoring their goals. Kosovo is not recognised by Serbia and relations between the two countries remain tense.
The captain and vice-captain of Switzerland, Xhaka and Shaqiri, are likely to be involved against Serbia.
Which Brazil will show up?
Since 2002, no South American nation has won the World Cup, but Brazil always start as the favorites and are often at their best in the group stage.
Predicted finish: Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia.
Group H feels like a bunch of old rock stars getting together for one last tour. Heung-min Son will be 30 by the time of the first game of the World Cup in 2022, while the others are well into their 30s. Son might have another World Cup in him with South Korea in 2026, but this really feels like the end of an era for Portugal'sRonaldo and Uruguay. They have all been placed in a tough group with a young and emerging team likely to make it a four-way battle for qualification.
Portugal, who qualified via the play-offs, are no longer solely reliant on the goals ofRonaldo. Portugal will be favorites to win the group because of the quality of their back to front players. Group H is too close to call, with each team capable of beating each other and South Korea proving on several occasions that they are capable of beating anyone at a World Cup.
The must-see match is Portugal vs. Uruguay.
The two sides met in the second round of the World Cup in Russia, and the winner was sealed by two stunning goals by Cavani, and it might be a case of Manchester United teammates facing off to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
Can the emerging stars of Uruguay stand out?
Are the three young men ready to step up and help their older teammates get through the group and into the knockout stages?
The predicted finish is Portugal, Korea Republic, and Uruguay.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
