The world cup, a special global event that only occurs every four years, will begin on November 20, 2022, and end on December 18. The world cup draws 3.57 billion voters, making it an exciting global event for all. Due to Qatar’s intense summer heat, this World Cup will be the first tournament not held in May, June, or July.
For those of you with little to no knowledge about the world cup, over 206 teams competed globally for a chance to qualify for one of the groups. 16 teams total to qualify and are separated into groups of four. The groups are determined by rankings, and no more than two European teams can play in the same group. The four teams play each other, and the two teams that emerge on top with the most wins move on to the next round, where the winner of each group plays against the runner-up of another group. After that, there is a quarter-final, semi-final, 3rd-place match, and the final game.
This year, Group A consists of Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands. The games for group A will run from November 21 through November 29th. As the host, Qatar automatically qualified as a team, and are ranked 49 out of 211 regional teams. Senegal, ranked 18th, has appeared twice in the world cup, and Ecuador is ranked 44 with third world cup appearances. The Netherlands, predicted to emerge the winner of this group, is ranked eighth with ten world cup appearances.
Group B consists of England, IR Iran, USA, and Wales. England has the highest ranking out of the group, as they are ranked fifth with 15 world cup appearances. The USA team is ranked 14th with nine world cup appearances. USA and England are predicted to emerge the top two victors of this group. Wales is ranked 19th with one previous appearance in the world cup, and Iran is ranked 23rd with five previous appearances.
Group C consists of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. An interesting mix of teams with different styles, this group will likely produce exciting games. A well-known team featuring Lionel Messi, Argentina ranks third with 17 world cup appearances and two world cup titles thus far. Next up is Mexico, ranked 12th after appearing 16 times in the world cup. Poland, previously appearing eight times in the world cup, is ranked 26th. Lastly, Saudi Arabia is ranked 53rd with five appearances.
France, Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia make up Group D. France, the winner of the last world cup proves determined to win the title again, after their win last World Cup. They are ranked fourth with two titles and 15 appearances. Australia ranked 39th with five world cup appearances, is predicted to lose against Denmark with ten world cup appearances, and is ranked tenth.
Group E consists of Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan. Many are expecting exciting games from this group. Spain, ranked sixth, has won previously and had 16 world cup appearances. Costa Rica is ranked 49th overall but has never won a world cup. Germany is ranked 11th, with 19 appearances and 4 world cup wins. Lastly, Japan is ranked 24th, with seven appearances. While not as experienced, their team often surprises viewers with high levels of talent on the field.
Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia make up Group F, with the powerhouses Croatia and Belgium expected to win first and second place. Belgium ranked second overall with 13 appearances, however, they have never won. Croatia is ranked 15th, with 5 appearances, but no wins. Morocco has appeared five times in the world cup and has never won. Canada is ranked 43rd with one appearance.
Group G, with Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon, will play from November 24 to December 2. Brazil, ranked first with star player Neymar, has appeared 21 times with five wins, and are predicted to do well this year. Serbia, ranked 25th, has appeared twice. Switzerland has never won either, and has appeared 11 times. Cameroon has appeared seven times, placing 38th overall.
Personally, I am looking forward to watching this year’s matches and I hope to see an underdog win. I highly recommend watching, starting off with the USA team’s first game against Wales on November 21st at 11 am!