In just 16 days, the most-anticipated sports event of the year, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, will kick off in Qatar at the Al Bayt Stadium where the host country will play Ecuador in Group A.
Commencing on November 20, this year’s World Cup promises to be a tournament like no other, as it is the first time it will be held in the winter with club football taking a month’s pause across the globe. Regardless, it is expected to be a spectacle that will bring an estimated audience of five billion people together.
The World Cup is filled with plenty of action and thrilling moments. After navigating the group phase of 32 teams, 16 teams will battle out in the knockout phase en route to the final. In this piece, the potential favourites to lift the 6.1kg 18 karat gold trophy come December 18 in Lusail, are previewed.
Brazil
The Selecao are the darlings of the World Cup and for good reason too. Their five titles at the mundial is the most of any nation since the competition’s inception in 1930.
Not only does Brazil have the reputation for most World Cup titles, they also have the reputation of constantly producing one of the strongest and fiercest teams on the planet. A look at the 2002 squad that was triumphant in South Korea/Japan notes the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, all of whom are winners of the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year crown. In fact, South America’s largest country has produced 12 winners in the aforementioned award and the standalone Balon d’Or.
Tite’s squad head to Qatar as the best ranked nation in the world and with plenty of confidence due to their impressive form. They are on a 15-match unbeaten run since losing – on home soil – last year’s Copa America final to eternal foes Argentina. Prior to that, the Selecao were unbeaten dating back to 2019 when they lost to Argentina as well, but this time in a friendly.
It’s going to be a contingent of stars flying to Qatar, including Neymar, Vinicius Jnr, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Antony, Fred, Casemiro, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Alisson Becker, Ederson Moraes, among others.
Brazil will tackle Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland in Group G, which should be a comfortable task for them, paving a straightforward path to a top finish.
Probable Brazil World Cup Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Defence: Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Alex Sandro
Midfield: Fred, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes
Attack: Vinicius Jnr., Neymar, Raphinha
Argentina
La Albiceleste, like Brazil, are one of the favourites going into every World Cup.
Argentina is a nation filled with stars, including those who are considered arguably the best to grace the game. One of them is the late, great Diego Maradona, the finest player of the 1980s, his hallmark being the 1986 World Cup in Mexico which Argentina won defeating West Germany in the final. Maradona – who passed away in November 2020 – was famously known for his ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the quarter-final. Though the goal is remembered with a little bit of injustice as it was a foul, meaning it wasn’t supposed to count as a goal, football thrives in the controversy that makes moments memorable, and that was one.
The other Argentine in the GOAT conversation is Lionel Messi, the diminutive forward, like Maradona, who has mesmerised the world since 2005. Messi enjoyed a productive 17 years at FC Barcelona, winning a mammoth 35 trophies in total before moving to Paris Saint-Germain last summer. The 35 year old has had success with the Argentina national team, scoring 90 goals, the most of any player for South America’s second largest country. Reaching five major finals, winning the 2021 Copa America after three previous tries (2007, 2015, 2016), Messi was part of the Argentina squad that reached the 2014 World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro but lost in extra-time to Germany. It was a very painful moment for Messi who was the player of the tournament.
Argentina have made it to the World Cup final five times and won twice (1978 and 1986). They are also in good form at the moment, unbeaten in 35 matches, losing last in the 2019 Copa America semis to Brazil. The South American side are just three games shy of surpassing Italy’s 37-game unbeaten run between 2018 and 2021, which is a record in international football. This means Argentina can achieve the feat by going unbeaten in the group phase in Qatar.
Argentina have a squad ready to deliver the goods in Qatar. The team might not be filled with the pedigree of high-profile players from the past like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano, Javier Zanetti among others, but the current crop are very disciplined and highly-motivated, off the back of their first international triumph in 28 years at last year’s Copa America.
Argentina will be up against Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia. It’s a potential banana skin but Lionel Scaloni’s men have what it takes to top the group with possible maximum points. It is also likely to be Messi’s last World Cup as he will be 39 at the next event billed for the United States, Mexico and Canada. He is still at the top of his game, hence this could be his last chance to win the only trophy that has eluded him.
Probable Argentina World Cup Start XI
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
Defence: Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico
Midfield: Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Rodriguez, Rodrigo de Paul
Attack: Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Correa
France
Les Bleus are the reigning world champions after beating Croatia 4-2 in Moscow in 2018. It was their second-ever title at the mundial after winning it exactly 20 years prior on home soil.
Since that historic moment in 1998, France became a force to reckon with on the global stage and are always favourites at major tournaments, but fall short at some, such as group stage exits at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. It still never deterred the French national side as they reached the World Cup final in 2006 and also the Euro 2016 final.
The 2018 World Cup triumph, followed by the UEFA Nations League win in 2021, has put Didier Deschamps’ men in a very strong position to defend their title, something that was last done at the World Cup in 1958 and 1962 by Brazil. Led by current Balon d’Or recipient Karim Benzema, France have the more than the required arsenal to get this done. Benzema was frozen out of the national team in 2015 because of allegations of blackmailing his countryman Mathieu Valbuena, of which he was found guilty. He returned with a bang in 2021, effortlessly dispelling any team chemistry concerns. Asides Benzema, Deschamps boasts Kylian Mbappe, Oliver Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and others to call on – all young or middle-aged players bursting with quality, talent and passion.
France will lock horns with Denmark, Tunisia and Australia in Group D. Les Bleus don’t usually get off to the best start (contrary to the 2018 tournament) but it is likely they will gather steam and pull through.
Probable France World Cup Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
Defence: Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez
Midfield: Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni
Attack: Christopher Nkunku, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema
Netherlands
The Oranje are one of Europe’s top countries and rightly so for the quality of talent they produce.
The likes of Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp and Arjen Robben were renowned not only for their flair and finesse, but for taking both club and international football by storm. That trend has not stopped with the current crop boasting of players like Memphis Depay, Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong, Denzel Dumfries and young star Cody Gakpo.
The Netherlands are among usual favourites going into any World Cup but often fall short when it matters, most notably in 2002 and 2018 where they failed to qualify. 2010 saw the Dutch reach the World Cup final for the third time in their history (previously 1974 and 1978) but were hard done by Andreas Iniesta’s 116th minute strike in extra time as Spain seized the win amidst the buzzing 84,490 crowd at Soccer City, Johannesburg.
Having been three-time runners-up, how magnificent it would be for the Netherlands side to lift the World Cup for the first time in their history in Qatar. The achievement will be even more poignant for coach Louis van Gaal who will be stepping down from his duties after revealing he has prostate cancer. The 71-year-old has previously been in charge of the Dutch national team twice (2000-2001, 2012–2014). His climax was leading the Dutch to third place at the 2014 World Cup after defeating hosts Brazil 3-0.
Probable Netherlands World Cup Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Jasper Cillessen
Defence: Daley Blind, Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt
Midfield: Denzel Dumfries, Frenkie de Jong, Teun Koopmeiners, Tyrell Malacia
Attack: Steven Bergwijn, Steven Berghuis, Memphis Depay
Belgium
The Red Devils have become a force to reckon with globally since the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne among many others came to the fore as hot prospects in club football. Not only did they shine but they became key cogs for clubs such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan and others.
These players have led Belgium to gathering a squad that matches or betters that of more established teams like Italy, Spain, Portugal. It is indeed a phenomenal transformation because, before the aforementioned players came to the scene, Belgium was very much in the peripheries of international football. Since the 2014 World Cup, however, their reputation has changed. Belgium reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, ultimately finishing third and also made it to the semi-finals of the 2021 Nations League, this time finishing fourth.
Between 2015 and 2022, Belgium were ranked the number one team in the world, though they hold the record as the only team to be world number one without winning a World Cup, or any other international trophy. With Brazil as the current number one, while the Belgians are number two, Roberto Martinez’s side still have a shot at joining the greats that have lifted the most prestigious trophy in the game of football.
It’s worth noting that a considerable number of the Belgium players are in their 30s and have more than 100 caps or close; namely Jan Vertonghen (Age: 35, Caps:141), Axel Witsel (Age:33, Caps:126) Toby Alderweireld (Age:33, Caps:123) Hazard (Age:31, Caps:122), Dries Mertens (Age:35, Caps:106), Lukaku, (Age:29, Caps:96) Thibaut Courtois (Age:30, Caps:96) and De Bruyne (Age:31, Caps: 96). Pressure mounts on head coach Roberto Martinez, as this could be the last chance for what is considered the Golden Generation of Belgium to get their hands on the much coveted trophy. First, they have Croatia, Canada and Morocco to contend with in Group F.
Probable Belgium World Cup Starting XI
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defence: Jason Denayer, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen
Midfield: Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, Yannick Carrasco
Attack: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard
