World Cup 2022 Preview

With less than a week to go before the most prestigious sporting event kicks off in the Gulf state of Qatar. There is still barely any elation and euphoria among the supporters. Qatar was declared the host nation for the 2022 World Cup, and since has been swirled by a lot of controversies, perhaps more than the excitement for it. The foremost controversy erupted regarding Qatar being awarded the World Cup as it is strongly believed that Qatar bribed FIFA officials to secure the World Cup. Secondly, the working conditions of migrant workers paint a picture of a factory during the early years of industrialization. More than 6500 migrant workers passed away since the World Cup was awarded, and many supporters and human rights activists showed their anger against it albeit the fact the World Cup will be played irrespective of that. One of the main reasons why the excitement is so dim is because of its peculiar timing. Rather than being played in the summer during June-July the World Cup is scheduled for Nov-Dec due to the climate. 

Teams 

32 teams from across the globe would play in the 22nd Edition of the decorated competition. 

Asia 6 teams (Australia, Iran, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Korea)

Africa 5 teams (Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia)

South America 4 teams (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay)

North America 4 teams (Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States)

Europe 13 teams (Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and Wales)

Favourites - Brazil🇧🇷 

Brazil is the only team to feature in all the editions of the World Cup since its inception.

With Brazil being in really good form along with the stacked talents they have and no European team being in good form the stars look like they are aligning in the favour of the Seleção. Ranked #1 in the FIFA rankings the South American nation will be looking forward to adding the sixth star on top of their crest. Brazil last won the World Cup in 2002 in the year El Fenomeno (OG Ronaldo) got the crazy cut to take the attention away from his injury. 

Shall the Seleção fail to win the World Cup which could be the final one for Neymar, it'll be the longest World Cup draught in their history. Brazil is spoilt with talents especially up front which will make defending a nightmare. This probably is Brazil's best shot since 2002 at lifting the World Cup. Probably the weakest spot in the Brazilian team is that of fullbacks. Albeit the fact the talent they have at their disposal Brazil in my opinion will probably fall short and get knocked out similarly to 2018.

The Last Dance - Ronaldo 🇵🇹 and Messi 🇦🇷 

This probably is going to be the last World Cup for two of the greatest players the game has ever witnessed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both Portugal and Argentina have formidable squads which are capable of winning the whole thing, and not just depending on their talisman to deliver. This is a completely different and very talented Portugal squad but the main question will be shall Ronaldo start? The man has proven again and again and again throughout the years that he can deliver but considering his recent form and the few minutes he has played (and even the minutes he has played for both club and country haven't been impressive either) raises the question whether Portugal looks beyond him and onto the bright future and talents they have at their disposal.

 Another big question that has been raised even before the Euro 2020 started was whether or not Fernando Santos is the right man to lead this talented mix. Take no credit away from Fernando for winning the 2016 Euro against all odds but the Portuguese are giving that as an excuse to keep him at the job for which he no longer seems fit. Long gone are the days of a mediocre Portuguese team who could sit back tight and hit the opponent on the counter, the current squad is filled with attacking talents who should be playing a creative brand of football which isn't Santos' forte. It is probably for the best shall Santos step aside after the WC. He has won only 2 out of the 15 matches he oversaw at Euros and WC within 90 mins played.

  

Argentina is arguably the second favourite after Brazil to win in Qatar. With all European superpowers finding it difficult to set foot this is the golden opportunity for the duo of Argentina and Brazil. La Albiceleste is entering the competition with a streak of 35 matches unbeaten and ending their 28-year-long trophy drought by winning the 2021 Copa America. The team can play different systems and hoists unity and unison that they are willing to "die on the field for Messi". The team spirit coupled with the talent and confidence after ending the draught makes Argentina a dangerous opponent to play against. 

The only place where Argentina may have a problem is with centre-backs as Otamendi and Romero are decent but not World class defenders. As for La Pulga, he can enjoy his last World Cup with no pressure on his shoulder, which in previous editions took a toll on him. The international glory which previously haunted Messi came to an end with 4 goals and 5 assists the best player in the 2021 Copa America and the Copa America trophy. With no pressure and a great team, we can see Messi play some really enthralling football and go all the way. Shall he add the World Cup to his already glorious trophy cabinet it will most likely end the debate of Greatest Player of All Time.

The European Curse - France 🇫🇷 

If you are not aware of the European curse it started ironically with France after the 1998 World Cup when France, who were defending champions in the 2002 World Cup, crashed out in the group stage. So far, France in 2002, Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014, and Germany in 2018 have been victims of this vicious trap. 

Logic defies the possibility of France being the victim again and seems to end with the originator of the curse but in a knockout competition like the World Cup, anything can happen as it has proven on previous occasions. Although this is a weak Australia side and the Tunisians barely made it to the World Cup, getting out of the group shouldn't be a big deal (SPOILER ALERT: If France finishes 2nd in their group and Argentina finish 1st we would see a repeat of 2018 RO16 between France and Argentina). Since 1998, France has qualified for all 6 World Cups and made it to the finals 3 times(1998,2006,2018) winning twice (1998 and 2018). Les Bleus will be absolutely keen on becoming the first double Champions since Brazil in 1962. With Karim Benzema at his pinnacle returning to the national squad will give Les Bleus a tremendous boost by linking up with Griezmann who plays like his prime years when he donned the national colours along with the winner of the 2018 young player award Kylian Mbappe. 

Although key veterans in Paul Pogba and N'golo Kante won't be featuring this time around due to being ruled out because of injury, France has an abundant pool of young talents to choose from. France has had a topsy-turvy run since triumphing as World Champions. They were knocked out by Switzerland in a thrilling encounter on penalties and although they bounced back by winning the Nations League 2021 their form in the Nations Cup group stage this year hasn't been anywhere near what it should be. All of this makes France a promising but tricky bet and I wouldn't be much surprised shall they get knocked out in the group stage which is still very unlikely.  

Dark Horses- The Netherlands 🇳🇱  and Denmark 🇩🇰 

It's hard to pick a favourite for this World Cup and I'll probably have an odd bet of the Netherlands going all the way. The Dutch missed on 2018 WC and finished 3rd in 2014 under Louis Van Gaal who is back as the national team coach and was runners-up in 2010. The Netherlands have made it to the semis 50% of the time they have featured in the competition. It has been hard to believe the nation from where the idea of 'Total Football' emerged and has been home to a lot of football revolution and talents are yet to win the biggest international trophy yet. This is a team which doesn't necessarily have the greatest players but when they put on the orange shirt they are no less than the greats. The Dutch haven't been in stellar form like the Italians did before Euro but they still do have decent enough form and have what it takes to surprise the entire globe. Irrespective of whether they win it or not Oranje should have a deep run in the competition.

Dark Horses and Denmark are almost synonymous, especially after what unfolded in the Euro 2020. Not only was Denmark knocked out in the semis due to a controversial penalty being awarded but they have been playing scintillating football. They finished 2nd in their Nations League in a group which comprised Croatia, France and Austria. Denmark has beaten France in both recent matches and I think they could do the same during World Cup and finish 1st in their group. The way Kasper Hjulmand makes this team play is simply breathtaking along with the world-class players they have at their disposal. Especially after the unfortunate event during Denmark's first game in Euro 2020, this team has been on a different level altogether. Don't sleep on the Danes, they'll be playing some of the most entertaining football in Qatar. The only problem with both Oranje and the Danes is do they have the 'X' factor player who can just create a moment of brilliance and carry the team through like Karim Benzema or Lionel Messi. 

Germany 🇩🇪 

This is set to be Germany's 20th World Cup out of the 22 editions of the competition. The Germans are always a superpower when it comes to an international tournament and has made it to the semis 13 out of 19 times they have played which is very impressive. Die Mannschaft was shockingly knocked out in the group stage in the previous editions which have happened only once before, all the way back in 1938. Germany without any surprise have a tremendous squad and under Hansi Flick can make some noise. I personally don't think Germany are ready yet and would be favourites going into the 2024 Euros but this World Cup is way too soon. Germany's biggest weakness is striker. The only  decent #9 Timo Werner is injured and won't be featuring. Klose's boots are big once to fill which Werner so far has failed to. The striker problem of Germany was on full display in 2018 against an astute defensive Mexico who isolated Werner and didn't let the Germans create. 

But on a good day no one would wish to play Germany. 

Spain 🇪🇸

The 2010 World Champions would be the dark horses for quite a lot of people after their surprising run to the semis in Euro 2020.  This may not be a squad as talented as the 2010 World Cup winning squad but is still a decent squad. Spain have won only 2 matches in their previous two editions of the world cup and since 1978 have crossed the quarter finals only once, the year they went to win it all. Spain's biggest weakness is up front - there front 3 isn't typically worldclass and feels pretty average. The lack of conversion of chances by the front 3 could well end up being La Roja's kyrptonite. 

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 

The runners up of Euro 2020 are far from being favourites this time around albeit the talent they have at their disposal. England aren't a favourite thanks to their recent form. Any country in the world would love to have the players England boast, the manager Gareth Southgate has proven to be wasteful using the talented lot. His tactics, selection, reactive substitution are always under scrutiny. England finished runners up at the Euro 2020 and finished 4th at the previous edition of the World Cup may seem impressive but isn't. In World Cup they lost to quality opponent all three times Belgium twice (group stage match and 3rd place match) and Croatia in semis. In Euros, England struggled in the group stage, defeated Germany in RO16 and had easy ties up to the finals. Their performance at the recently concluded Nations League has been awful. This team may have a deep run if they get favourable draws but England really need to decide on possibly replacing Southgate. 

Croatia 🇭🇷 

The shocking runners up of 2018 World Cup have a lot of new but very talented players. A lot of players from the previous edition won't be this time around as they have hung up their boots but the Tom Cruise of football, Luka Modric is still around playing some brilliant football at the age of 37. The teams strongest area is the midfield. This team can emerge as a surprise package in the tournament. Although winning the World Cup is a longshot for them but not impossible. 

Belgium 🇧🇪 

This could be the last dance for Belgium's Golden Generation who finished 3rd in Russia 2018. The Red devils were knocked out in the last Euros(Italy) and WC(France) by the eventual champions. Some of the star players like Eden Hazard and Lukaku aren't in form with an ageing defence could be a problem for them. But they still have the best shot stopper in Courtois and the best midfielder in Kevin De Bruyne among their ranks. The young crop of exciting players would be something to watch out for. This would be the end of the line for a generation and the dawn for the next generation.  

This would be either a really intriguing World Cup with a lot of upsets or it could be a very boring World Cup with the obvious favourites winning it all without breaking a sweat. With the European teams not consistent, it could lead to unimaginable outcomes. The World Cup is set to start from 20th November.