Elephants take torturous route to AFCON victory

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2024

FINAL

Nigeria 1 Troost-Ekong 38
Ivory Coast 2 Kessie 62, Haller 81

Nigeria Nwabali, Ajayi, Troost-Ekong (c), Bassey, Aina, Onyeka (Aribo), Iwobi (Yusuf), Sanusi (Moffi), Chukwueze (Simon), Osimhen, Lookman (Iheanacho)
Subs not used Uzoho, Musa, Samuel, Onuachu, Awaziem, Omeruo, Nwadike Booked Nwabali, Aina
Ivory Coast Y Fofana, Aurier (c) (Singo), Kossounou, Ndicka, Konan, Kessie, Seri (Lazare), S Fofana (I Sangare), Gradel (Diakite), Haller (Krasso), Adingra
Sub not used Diomande, Bamba, Boga, Pepe, Kouame, B Sangare, Diallo Booked Aurier, Fofana, Ndicka
Attendance 57,094 at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan Referee Dahane Beida (Mauritius)

HOSTS Ivory Coast took a ridiculously circuitous route to their third African Cup of Nations title as Sebastian Haller completed his own remarkable comeback story.

Former West Ham United striker Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer shortly after joining Borussia Dortmund from Ajax Amsterdam in July 2022.

The 29-year-old underwent two surgical procedures and chemotherapy over the rest of that year before returning to action for Dortmund in January 2023.

Now, though, Haller has truly made his mark in the annals of Ivorian football history, cleverly using the toe-end of his boot to lift the ball over Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali for a deserved winning goal.

Deserved it may have been - but, in truth, the Elephants will have counted their blessings that they even had the chance to contest this Final.

After all, in the group stage, the home team had been utterly abysmal following their straightforward 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on the opening day of the tournament.

The 1-0 defeat to eventual runners-up Nigeria was painful enough without the collective defensive breakdown in the 4-0 capitulation to Equatorial Guinea. 

Ivory Coast - stranded in third place with a -3 goal difference having played all their matches - were staring an embarrassing early exit in the face.

The repercussions for French head coach Jean-Louis Gasset were immediate - he was sacked while, having played first, the rest of the squad were forced to hang around awkwardly on the off-chance that other results went in their favour.

But then results did go in their favour.

Chris Hughton's Ghana were particularly guilty of blowing their chance of reaching the Last 16 despite their own slow start to proceedings. 

The Black Stars lost to Cape Verde Isles in their opening game after conceding a stoppage-time goal then twice gave away the lead to draw against Egypt. 

Worse was to come, though. Seemingly sailing into the knockout stages with a 2-0 lead over Mozambique, Hughton's men contrived to concede twice in stoppage time at the end of the match, and fell out of the reckoning altogether.

The former Newcastle United, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion manager paid for the failure with his job - and the Ghanaians hardly found much consolation in being far from the only big name to be eliminated early on.

Algeria and Tunisia followed in the days which followed - both were winless, with the Algerians eliminated by minnows Mauritania, and Tunisians beaten by Namibia, who - along with the Mauritanians - won their first ever AFCON finals match.

Meanwhile, seven-time champions Egypt also exited the competition without a win in the Last 16 after sneaking through the first round with three draws.

However, the draw had not exactly opened up for the Ivorians.

Instead, their lowly finish left interim head coach Emerse Fae preparing for a knockout stage match against defending champions Senegal - and it looked set to go to form when Habib Diallo rifled a shot into the roof of the net inside four minutes.

But the Elephants hung in the contest and scored a late equaliser through Franck Kessie's penalty after former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe had been brought down by former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

The Ivorians then took the match to penalties and were perfect from the spot while, for Senegal, Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate was unable to find the net.

And so, in the space of exactly one week, the hosts had gone from embarrassing no-hopers to the team which had ousted the defending champions.

Incredibly, the quarter final against Mali also involved late drama.

Trailing again to Nene Dorgeles's goal for the Eagles and down to 10 men, Ivory Coast rescued the last eight tie in the last minute with a goal from Simon Adingra.

The Brighton winger was quickest to react when the ball ran loose to force another period of extra time - then, just as the match looked destined for penalties, Oumar Diakite flicked a boot to divert Seko Fofana's long-range effort into the net.

In contrast to all of that, the 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi final felt pretty straightforward as Haller hit his first goal of the tournament by bouncing a volleyed finish over the goalkeeper.

Indeed, Nigeria had a far more stressful night in their last four clash, being taken to penalties by a resurgent South Africa side after conceding a last-minute spot-kick in normal time.

Until then, the Super Eagles had shown great defensive fortitude and kept four consecutive clean sheets with the highlight  of that run coming in a 2-0 win over their great rivals Cameroon in the Last 16 through a brace from Ademola Lookman.

But, in a match of penalties in the last four, it was ultimately the South Africans who lost their nerve with two misses from the spot to put the Nigerians through to the Final.

To their credit, Bafana Bafana recovered to take third place after winning yet another penalty shootout - their third in four matches - to register their best finish at AFCON in 24 years.

Thankfully, though, the Final did not require spot-kicks as a decider - not that Ivory Coast made life any easier than usual for themselves.

Despite the hosts dominating proceedings from the kick-off in terms of possession and attacks, Nigeria took a 38th-minute lead with what ended up being their only effort on target all night, as William Troost-Ekong headed in from a corner.

In the now-familiar position of chasing the game, Ivory Coast kept plugging away - and, with just a little more than an hour on the clock, Kessie headed in the equaliser, the goal again coming from a corner.

Kessie had earlier been rather fortunate to stay on the pitch after deliberately throwing his elbow to stop a rare Super Eagles' break.

However, the Nigerians never looked like turning the tide after the equaliser - and another wave of Ivorian attacks eventually took its toll for a second time.

Haller's finish brought an explosion of joyous orange-tinged celebrations in the stands and the West African country at large as supporters saluted a most unlikely triumph in Abidjan. 

▪️

ASIAN CUP 2024

FINAL

Qatar 3 Atif 22(p), 73(p), 90+5(p)
Jordan 1 Al-Naimat 67

Qatar Barsham, Salman, Mendes, Mukhtar (Khoukhi), Abdurisag (I Mohammad), Al-Haydos (Hatem), Gaber (Assadalla), Fatehi, Waad, Ali, Afif Booked Assadalla, Barsham
Jordan Abulaila, Nasib, Al-Arab, Al-Ajalin, Haddad, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Olwan (Al-Awadat), Al-Taamari, Al-Naimat, Al-Mardi (Rateb) Booked Olwan Al-Ajalin, Al-Naimat, Abulaila
Attendance 86,492 at Lusail Stadium, Lusail Referee Ma Ning (China)

THE HOST nation also won the Asian Cup as Qatar defended their title with a 3-1 win in the Final against surprise package Jordan.

Akram Afif kept his cool to score a remarkable hat-trick of penalties - but, while that sounds extremely dubious, it was actually the result of repeated instances of clumsy Jordanian defending.

Al-Nashama appeared completely overwhelmed by the occasion - although the bigger names on the continent were a far bigger disappointment.

The failure of Japan and South Korea to win their groups resulted in some titanic knockout games as the Asian powerhouses took each other out.

Iran eliminated the Japanese in the last eight before their own semi defeat to the Qataris.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klinsmann's South Korea sneaked through against Saudi Arabia and Australia - before their good fortune ran out in the last four against Jordan.

The Jordanians thus reached the Final for the first time, having earlier edged out Iraq and first-time quarter finalists Tajikistan.

But Qatar had the last word to become the first team to defend the Asian Cup title since Japan in 2004. 

The big World Cup preview blog

WORLD CUP 2022 

PREVIEW

GROUP A QATAR - ECUADOR - SENEGAL - NETHERLANDS

	Date		Venue
BBC	Sun 20-Nov 4pm	QATAR v ECUADOR	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
ITV	Mon 21-Nov 4pm	SENEGAL v NETHERLANDS	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
BBC	Fri 25-Nov 1pm	QATAR v SENEGAL	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
ITV	Fri 25-Nov 4pm	NETHERLANDS v ECUADOR	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Tue 29-Nov 3pm	ECUADOR v SENEGAL	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Tue 29-Nov 3pm	NETHERLANDS v QATAR	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

QATAR Ranking 50 • Odds 250/1
▪︎ Head coach Felix Sanchez (since July 2017)
▪︎ Qualification Host nation
▪︎ Recent form W2-1 v Bulgaria, D0-0 v Slovenia, L0-1 v Linfield, D2-2 v Antwerp, D0-0 v Mallorca, W2-1 v Udinese, D0-0 v Lazio, D0-0 v Fiorentina, D2-2 v Morocco, W2-1 v Ghana, D1-1 v Jamaica, W2-0 v Partizan Domaniza, W3-0 v STK Samorin, L0-3 v Croatia U-23, L0-2 v Canada, D2-2 v Chile, W2-1 v Nicaragua, W2-0 v Guatemala, W1-0 v Honduras, W2-1 v Panama, W1-0 v Albania
▪︎ Best performance Never previous qualified
▪︎ Most recent appearance Never previous qualified
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Saad Al-Sheeb (Al-Sadd), Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd), Yousef Hassan (Al-Gharafa)
  • Defenders Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Musaab Khidir (Al-Sadd), Tarek Salman (Al-Sadd), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al-Duhail), Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Abdelkarim Hassan (Al-Sadd), Ismaeel Mohammad (Al-Duhail), Homam Ahmed (Al-Gharafa), Jassem Gaber (Al-Arabi)
  • Midfielders Ali Asad (Al-Sadd), Assim Modibo (Al-Duhail), Mohammed Waad (Al-Sadd), Salem Al-Hajri (Al-Sadd), Moustafa Tarek (Al-Sadd), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Abdelaziz Hatim (Al-Rayyan)
  • Forwards Naif Alhadhrami (Al-Rayyan), Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al-Gharafa), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd), Khalid Muneer (Al-Wakrah), Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Mohamed Muntari (Al-Duhail)
Controversial hosts Qatar make their scandal-hit, gift-wrapped debut at the World Cup finals having never previously qualified on merit. That is a fact which should not really come as a surprise as Qatar is a tiny nation on the Arabian Peninsula of fewer than three million people which has little football heritage. Efforts to bring The Maroon up to standards generally can be considered to have been a failure with a bizarre set of matches against a mix of international opposition and European club sides this summer. Then again, there is very little about this World Cup which has adhered to the standard playbook - and even the disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has admitted that the award of the tournament to Qatar back in 2010 was "a mistake". The cynics, of course, will reply that, from the perspective of FIFA, it was no mistake - and the cynics, on this occasion, would be right.
Prediction Group stages

ECUADOR Ranking 44 • Odds 150/1
▪︎ Head coach Gustavo Alvaro (since August 2020)
▪︎ Qualification Fourth place in CONMEBOL (W7 D5 L6 F27 A19)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W1-0 v Nigeria, D0-0 v Mexico, W1-0 v Cape Verde, D0-0 v Saudi Arabia, D0-0 v Japan, D0-0 v Iraq
▪︎ Best performance Last 16 in 2006
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2014
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Moises Ramirez (Independiente del Valle), Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito), Hernan Galindez (Aucas)
  • Defenders Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo), Pervis Estupinan (Brighton), Angelo Preciado (Genk), Jackson Porozo (Troyes), Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Diego Palacios (Los Angeles FC), Felix Torres (Santos Laguna), William Pacho (Royal Antwerp) 
  • Midfielders Carlos Gruezo (Augsburg), Jose Cifuente (Los Angeles FC), Alan Franco (Talleres), Moises Caicedo (Brighton), Angel Mena (Club Leon), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton), Jhegson Mendez (Los Angeles FC), Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna), Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid), Romario Ibarra (Santos Laguna)
  • Forwards Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell's Old Boys), Kevin Rodriguez (Imbabura), Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul), Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce)
Ecuador hardly look likely to set the pulses racing if the results in their warm-up matches are anything to go on - and El Tri rather stumbled over the line in qualifying. Maximum points from the first four matches were followed by just eight from the remaining 14 qualifiers - and their lack of form is perhaps indicative of the recent chaos at the top of Ecuadorian football. Hernan Dario Gomez lasted just 14 games on his return to the head coach position in 2019 having previously led Ecuador to their World Cup debut in 2002 - then his replacement Jordi Cruyff failed to oversee as much as a single training session due to COVID-19 and his premature resignation following the receipt of a lucrative offer from Chinese Super League club Shenzhen. Latest occupant Gustavo Alfaro is a much more low-key appointment - but a lack of goal threat leaves the 60-year-old with his work cut out.
Prediction Group stages

SENEGAL Ranking 18 • Odds 80/1
▪︎ Head coach Aliou Cisse (since March 2015)
▪︎ Qualification CAF playoff winners (won 4-2 on penalties v Egypt after 1-1 on aggregate (L0-1a, W1-0h aet)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W3-1 v Benin, W1-0 v Rwanda, D1-1 v Eswatini, L3-4 v Zambia, D1-1 v Mozambique, W2-0 v Bolivia, D1-1 v Iran
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 2002
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers), Alfred Gomis (Rennes), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea).
  • Defenders Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan), Pape Abdou Cisse (Olympiakos), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Formose Mendy (Amiens), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis)
  • Midfielders Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (Reading), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City), Moustapha Name (Pafos), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham)
  • Forwards Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United), Ismaila Sarr (Watford)
African Cup of Nations champions Senegal appeared to represent the best chance among the continent's teams of a good run at this World Cup with everything seemingly in place. The Lions of Teranga are a team in good form with vast tournament experience on the pitch and in the dugout, being led now for over seven years by 2002 World Cup skipper Aliou Cisse. Two decades and more have passed since the Senegalese shocked the world by beating France in the tournament opener before going on to reach the quarter finals - but Cisse, throughout his unusually long tenure, has continued to inspire a new generation of footballers from this West African nation. Then came the bombshell - on the eve of the World Cup, the absence of Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mane was confirmed. Former Liverpool striker Mane had not expected to make the first part of the tournament after suffering an injury to his knee - but, now that the 30-year-old has been ruled out altogether, head coach Cisse has a big job merely to lift the spirits of the rest of his squad.
Prediction Last 16

NETHERLANDS Ranking 8 • Odds 14/1
▪︎ Head coach Louis van Gaal (since August 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Group G winner in UEFA (W7 D2 L1 F33 A8)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W4-2 v Denmark, D1-1 v Germany, W4-1 v Belgium, W2-1 v Wales, D2-2 v Poland, W3-2 v Wales, W2-0 v Poland, W1-0 v Belgium
▪︎ Best performance Runners-up in 1974, 1978, 2010
▪︎ Most recent appearance Semi finals in 2014
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Andries Noppert (Heerenveen), Remko Pasveer (Ajax)
  • Defenders Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Tyrell Malacia (Manchester United), Jurrien Timber (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan)
  • Midfielders Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Xavi Simons (PSV Eindhoven), Kenneth Taylor (Ajax)
  • Forwards Steven Bergwijn (Ajax), Memphis Depay (Barcelona), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Vincent Janssen (Antwerp), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Noah Lang (Club Brugge), Wout Weghorst (Besiktas)
The Dutch decline is over - having followed up their third place at the 2014 World Cup by failing to qualify for both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, the Netherlands enter this tournament as the only European team to be unbeaten since Euro 2020+1. A generous group stage draw has only served to add to the optimism among Oranje fans as experienced coach Louis van Gaal - in a third spell in charge of his nation - attempts at least a repeat of that previous run to the semi finals in 2014. Aged 71 and having been treated successfully for prostate cancer earlier this year, van Gaal needs no invitation to take one last shot at glory. A move by the veteran to a 5-3-2 formation ahead of Dutch favourite 4-3-3 has caused consternation even among some of his own players, though.
Prediction Quarter finals

⚽️

GROUP B ENGLAND - IRAN - UNITED STATES - WALES

	Date		Venue
BBC	Mon 21-Nov 1pm	ENGLAND v IRAN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Mon 21-Nov 7pm	UNITED STATES v WALES	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Fri 25-Nov 10am	WALES v IRAN	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
ITV	Fri 25-Nov 7pm	ENGLAND v UNITED STATES	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
BBC	Tue 29-Nov 7pm	WALES v ENGLAND	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Tue 29-Nov 7pm	IRAN v UNITED STATES	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

ENGLAND Ranking 5 • Odds 7/1
▪︎ Head coach Gareth Southgate (since September 2016)
▪︎ Qualification Group I winner in UEFA (W8 D2 L0 F39 A3)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W2-1 v Switzerland, W3-0 v Ivory Coast, L0-1 v Hungary, D1-1 v Germany, D0-0 v Italy, L0-4 v Hungary, L0-1 v Italy, D3-3 v Germany
▪︎ Best performance Winners in 1966
▪︎ Most recent appearance Semi finals in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
  • Defenders Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
  • Midfielders Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City)
  • Forwards James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Semi finalists in the 2018 World Cup, runners-up at Euro 2020+1 - so, logically, the next step for England would be to win this tournament, much in the same way as Germany built towards their victory in the 2014 World Cup following their near-misses in 2008, 2010 and 2012. In reality, though, England - having taken the lead - should have won that home European Championship, only to go on to play far too cautiously in the second half and extra time. Subsequently, it would be fair to say the last 16 months have not gone smoothly for head coach Gareth Southgate with relegation from Nations League Group A in a winless campaign featuring six uninspiring performances. The Three Lions really were desperately short on creativity in the Nations League, something which made the complete omission of Jack Maddison from those squads even more baffling. Moreover, the fact that the highlight of those Nations League matches was an out-of-the-blue comeback from 3-1 down to draw against Germany shows that England have concerns at both ends of the pitch. Maddison has been selected for this squad at least - but the prevailing feeling among supporters is that Southgate's natural caution is holding back an undoubtably talented generation.
Prediction Quarter finals

IRAN Ranking 20 • Odds 500/1
▪︎ Head coach Carlos Queiroz (since September 2022)
▪︎ Qualification Group A winner in AFC (W8 D1 L1 F15 A4)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L1-2 v Algeria, W1-0 v Uruguay, D1-1 v Senegal, W1-0 v Nicaragua, L0-2 v Tunisia
▪︎ Best performance Group stage in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Amir Abedzadeh (Ponferradina), Seyed Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan)
  • Defenders Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK Athens), Morteza Pouraliganji (Persepolis), Ramin Rezaeian (Sepahan), Milad Mohammadi (AEK Athens), Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Al Ahli), Shojae Khalilzadeh (Al Ahli), Sadegh Moharrami (Dinamo Zagreb), Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Majid Hosseini (Kayserispor), Abolfazl Jalali (Esteghlal)
  • Midfielders Ahmad Noorollahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Saman Ghoddos (Brentford), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Saeid Ezatolahi (Vejle), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi), Ali Karimi (Kayserispor)
  • Forwards Karim Ansarifard (Omonia Nicosia), Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen), Mehdi Taremi (Porto)
Iran make the short journey across the Persian Gulf to Qatar and effectively hold home advantage in Group B - but much has changed since Team Melli comfortably secured qualification in January. Firstly, there is a new head coach with the return of former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz, more than three-and-a-half years after his previous tenure ended in acrimony. Queiroz got the surprise call after his Serbian predecessor Dragan Skocic was fired following a handful of poor results and, somewhat more crucially, a power struggle within the Iranian federation. Outside of football, there remains tension in the country at large between the government and protestors - and, in the context of ongoing international sanctions against the ruling theocracy, all three of the group stage matches could be tense encounters. Back on the pitch, Iran are the highest-ranked team from Asia and, with fervent support, might pose a greater threat than their historic reputation would suggest. Against that, though, Queiroz was reappointed less than 11 weeks ago leaving the Portuguese with little time to prepare.
Prediction Group stages

UNITED STATES Ranking 16 • Odds 100/1
▪︎ Head coach Gregg Berhalter (since December 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Third place in CONCACAF (W7 D4 L3 F21 A10)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W3-0 v Morocco, D0-0 v Uruguay, W5-0 v Grenada, D1-1 v El Salvador, L0-2 v Japan, D0-0 v Saudi Arabia
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 1930
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2014
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Ethan Horvath (Luton), Sean Johnson (New York City), Matt Turner (Arsenal)
  • Defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergino Dest (AC Milan), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Shaq Moore (Nashville), Tim Ream (Fulham), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)
  • Midfielders Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles), Tyler Adams (Leeds), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle)
  • Forwards Jesus Ferreira (Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich), Tim Weah (Lille), Haji Wright (Antalyspor)
United States return to the World Cup stage after an eight-year absence looking to put their embarrassment at failing to qualify for the 2018 edition firmly behind them. Gregg Berhalter brings with him a freshened up squad with the second youngest average age in the tournament - but, while these players are unscathed by previous failures, a lack of big-game experience equally could be their undoing. After all, recent results and performances have been poor, especially in away matches, with the Americans finishing in third place in their final qualifying group after winning only one of their seven ties on the road. A lame 2-0 defeat to Japan and a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, played on neutral soil in Europe in September, will have done little for the confidence of the squad - and it is possible that this tournament has arrived too early in their development. At least in four years at the 2026 World Cup, there will be no such lacking of home comforts with the United States enjoying hosting rights along with Canada and Mexico - but, until then, American soccer fans might just need to be a little patient with this team.
Prediction Group stages

WALES Ranking 19 • Odds 100/1
▪︎ Head coach Rob Page (since November 2020)
▪︎ Qualification Playoff Path A winner in UEFA (won 1-0 v Ukraine in final)
▪︎ Form since qualifying D1-1 v Czech Republic, L1-2 v Poland, L1-2 v Netherlands, D1-1 v Belgium, L2-3 v Netherlands, L1-2 v Belgium, L0-1 v Poland
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 1958
▪︎ Most recent appearance Quarter finals in 1958
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Wayne Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), Danny Ward (Leicester City), Adam Davies (Sheffield United)
  • Defenders Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Cabango (Swansea City), Joe Rodon (Rennes, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Ethan Ampadu (Spezia, on loan from Chelsea), Chris Gunter (AFC Wimbledon), Connor Roberts (Burnley), Tom Lockyer (Luton Town)
  • Midfielders Aaron Ramsey (Nice), Joe Allen (Swansea City), Harry Wilson (Fulham), Joe Morrell (Portsmouth), Dylan Levitt (Dundee United), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City), Jonny Williams (Swindon Town), Matthew Smith (Milton Keynes Dons), Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield Town)
  • Forwards Gareth Bale (Los Angeles FC), Dan James (Fulham, on loan from Leeds United), Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth), Mark Harris (Cardiff City), Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest)
Among the 31 teams attending the World Cup to have qualified for the finals previously, Wales have waited longest to return - a 64-year wait, no less. But the current crop of Welsh players - who saw off Austria and Ukraine in the playoffs - are far from overawed by the big stage. For, while Wales have had a long absence from the World Cup, Cymru are about to partake in their third major tournament finals since 2016. That tournament in France six years ago remains a high point as the Welsh finished above England in the group stages, despite losing to them, and then beat Northern Ireland and Belgium to reach the semi finals. Wales have found it more difficult since then - although they still progressed beyond the group stages at Euro 2020+1 under then-interim coach Rob Page. The head coach position became available after former occupant Ryan Giggs was charged over allegations of assault and coercive behaviour against his former girlfriend. Following a failure by the jury to reach a verdict, the case remains outstanding and subject to a retrial in the summer. Regardless of the outcome, though, this is already very much Page's team. Altogether, it is a squad with plenty of talent - and, while star player Gareth Bale is now aged 33 and past his prime, his big-game experience can still inspire Cymru yet to another appearance in the knockout stages.
Prediction Last 16

⚽️

GROUP C ARGENTINA - SAUDI ARABIA - MEXICO - POLAND

	Date		Venue
ITV	Tue 22-Nov 10am	ARGENTINA v SAUDI ARABIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Tue 22-Nov 4pm	MEXICO v POLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 1pm	POLAND v SAUDI ARABIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 7pm	ARGENTINA v MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 7pm	POLAND v ARGENTINA	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 7pm	SAUDI ARABIA v MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

ARGENTINA Ranking 3 • Odds 5/1
▪︎ Head coach Lionel Scaloni (since August 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Runners-up in CONMEBOL (W11 D6 L0 F27 A8)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W3-0 v Italy, W5-0 v Estonia, W3-0 v Honduras, W3-0 v Jamaica, W5-0 v United Arab Emirates
▪︎ Best performance Winners 1978, 1986
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Franco Armani (River Plate) and Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal)
  • Defenders Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla)
  • Midfielders Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion)
  • Forwards Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), Lionel Messi (Paris St Germain), Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Time waits for no man as Argentinian legend Lionel Messi can attest - and, now aged 35, this will be a fifth and final attempt to win the biggest prize in football. Messi and Argentina came painfully close at the 2014 World Cup, of course, when beaten in the Final after extra time by Germany - but this squad is far less reliant on their captain. Moreover, La Albiceleste will start this campaign with a high degree of confidence having embarked on a 36-match unbeaten run stretching back to 2019 - one which includes victory in the 2021 Copa America. Defensive frailties have affected Argentina badly in the past - but, having ended their 28-year wait for major silverware last summer, the South Americans under head coach Lionel Scaloni are well-set for a strong run in Messi's swansong.
Prediction Runners-up

SAUDI ARABIA Ranking 51 • Odds 500/1
▪︎ Head coach Herve Renard (since July 2019)
▪︎ Qualification Group B winner in AFC (W7 D2 L1 F12 A6)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L0-1 v Colombia, L0-1 v Venezuela, D0-0 v Ecuador, D0-0 v United States, W1-0 v North Macedonia, D1-1 v Albania, D0-0 v Honduras, W1-0 v Iceland, D1-1 v Panama, L0-1 v Croatia
▪︎ Best performance Last 16 in 1994
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2022
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly)
  • Defenders Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al-Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal)
  • Midfielders Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab)
  • Forwards Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh)
Shot-shy Saudi Arabia are huge underdogs and come into the World Cup having scored just four goals in their last 10 games. Even in winning their qualifying group prior to those fixtures, the Saudis netted just 12 times in the 10 matches - and Argentina, Mexico and Poland will provide a far sterner test than any of those previous opponents. There will be plenty of Saudi fans who will hop across the 54-mile-wide border to Qatar - but, despite fervent backing, there will be no repeat of the remarkable debut at the 1994 World Cup where Said Al-Owairan scored a great solo goal and the team made it through to the Last 16. Instead, this will be a hard slog for an exclusively domestically-based squad - although they would expect at least to fare better than the 2002 World Cup outfit which conceded 12 (including eight in a defeat to Germany) and lost all three matches without scoring.
Prediction Group stages

MEXICO Ranking 13 • Odds 100/1
▪︎ Head coach Gerardo Martino (since January 2019)
▪︎ Qualification Runners-up in CONCACAF (W8 D4 L2 F17 A8)
▪︎ Form since qualifying D0-0 v Guatemala, W2-1 v Nigeria, L0-3 v Uruguay, D0-0 v Ecuador, W3-0 v Suriname, D1-1 v Jamaica, L0-1 v Paraguay, W1-0 v Peru, L2-3 v Colombia, W4-0 v Iraq, L1-2 v Sweden
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 1970, 1986
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Guillermo Ochoa (Club America), Alfredo Talavera (Juarez), Rodolfo Cota (Leon)
  • Defenders Jorge Sanchez (Ajax), Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca), Nestor Araujo (Club America), Johan Vasquez (Cremonese), Hector Moreno (Monterrey), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Gerardo Arteaga (Genk), Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey)
  • Midfielders Andres Guardado (Real Betis), Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo), Charly Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Erick Gutierrez (PSV Eindhoven), Luis Chavez (Pachuca), Edson Alvarez (Ajax), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens), Luis Romo (Monterrey)
  • Forwards Alexis Vega (Guadalajara), Hirving Lozano (Napoli), Raul Jimenez (Wolves), Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Uriel Antuna (Cruz Azul), Henry Martin (Club America), Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey)
For football-mad Mexico, the wait for a run to the quarter finals is interminable - and has, in fact, become such a national obsession that the term "el quinto partido" makes a quadrennial appearance in the Mexican lexicon. Mexico last played in the quarter finals in 1986 when they hosted the tournament and their only other appearance in the last eight came in the 1970 World Cup which they also hosted. Remarkably, since 1994, El Tri have got through the group stages on every single occasion - only then to fail in the Last 16. That is seven World Cup finals in a row - and, with Argentina in the same section and France as possible, or perhaps even likely, opponents in the knockout stage, an eighth exercise in frustration beckons.
Prediction Last 16

POLAND Ranking 26 • Odds 100/1
▪︎ Head coach Czelaw Michniewicz (since January 2022)
▪︎ Qualification Playoff Path B winner in UEFA (won 2-0 v Sweden in final)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W2-1 v Wales, L1-6 v Belgium, D2-2 v Netherlands, L0-1 v Belgium, L0-2 v Netherlands, W1-0 v Wales, W1-0 v Chile
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 1974, 1982
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Bartlomiej Dragowski (Spezia), Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus)
  • Defenders Jan Bednarek (Aston Villa), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), Matty Cash (Aston Villa), Kamil Glik (Benevento), Robert Gumny (FC Augsburg), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Jakub Kiwior (Spezia), Mateusz Wieteska (Clermont), Nicola Zalewski (Roma)
  • Midfielders Krystian Bielik (Birmingham City), Przemyslaw Frankowski (Lens), Kamil Grosicki (Pogon Szczecin), Jakub Kaminski (VfL Wolfsburg), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Al-Shabab), Michal Skoras (Lech Poznan), Damian Szymanski (AEK Athens), Sebastian Szymanski (Feyenoord), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli), Szymon Zurkowski (Fiorentina)
  • Forwards Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Arkadiusz Milik (Juventus), Krzysztof Piatek (Salernitana), Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC)
In a section set to be dominated by the efforts of a certain diminutive Argentine, Polish fans instead will be looking for a last hurrah from their own big-name forward Robert Lewandowski. But, while the goal record of the 34-year-old Barcelona striker is impressive, he has helped them reach the knockout stages of a tournament only once. That was at Euro 2016 so it remains the case that the Biało-Czerwoni's last knockout match at the World Cup came all the way back in 1986. Frustratingly, in qualifying, Poland were as inconsistent as ever, requiring the playoffs route to reach the finals - and, as such, it is difficult to see Czeslaw Michniewicz's men springing much of a surprise in Qatar.
Prediction Group stages

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GROUP D FRANCE - AUSTRALIA - DENMARK - TUNISIA

	Date		Venue
ITV	Tue 22-Nov 1pm	DENMARK v TUNISIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC	Tue 22-Nov 7pm	FRANCE v AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Sat 26-Nov 10am	TUNISIA v AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 4pm	FRANCE v DENMARK	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 3pm	AUSTRALIA v DENMARK	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 3pm	TUNISIA v FRANCE	Education City, Al Rayyan

FRANCE Ranking 4 • Odds 13/2
▪︎ Head coach Didier Deschamps (since July 2012)
▪︎ Qualification Group D winner in UEFA (W5 D3 L0 F18 A3)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W2-1 v Ivory Coast, W5-0 v South Africa, L1-2 v Denmark, D1-1 v Croatia, D1-1 Austria, L0-1 v Croatia, W2-0 v Austria, L0-2 v Denmark
▪︎ Best performance Winners 1998, 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Winners in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Rennes)
  • Defenders Axel Disasi (Monaco)*, Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), *replaced Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St-Germain)
  • Midfielders Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Jordan Veretout (Marseille)
  • Forwards Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)*, Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach), *replaced Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Defending champions France dominated the 2018 tournament, winning each of its knockout stage matches within 90 minutes, as Kylian Mbappe became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup Final after Pele. But, in contrast to the previous triumphant French team of 1998 which also went onto win Euro 2000, this current vintage has not enjoyed quite the same level of superiority. At Euro 2020+1, Les Bleus were knocked out on penalties at the Last 16 by Switzerland after an extraordinary 3-3 draw and, more recently, the team suffered home defeats to Croatia and group rivals Denmark in the Nations League. Injuries have not helped but have not cleared up either with Presnel Kimpembe, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Antony Martial and Karim Benzema all notable absentees. No team since Brazil in 1962 have successfully retained the World Cup - and, while Didier Deschamps's men will surely avoid the fate which has befallen four of the five champions since 1998 by getting through the group stage, France will need another superstar showing from Mbappe to make history.
Prediction Semi finals

AUSTRALIA Ranking 38 • Odds 400/1
▪︎ Head coach Graham Arnold (since July 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Intercontinental playoff winner (won 5-4 on pens v Peru, following 0-0 draw aet)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W1-0 v New Zealand, W2-0 v New Zealand
▪︎ Best performance Last 16 in 2006
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2022
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Mathew Ryan (FC Copenhagen), Andrew Redmayne (Sydney FC), Danny Vukovic (Central Coast Mariners)
  • Defenders Aziz Behich (Dundee United), Milos Degenek (Columbus Crew), Thomas Deng (Aibirex Niigata), Joel King (Odense Boldklub), Nathaniel Atkinson (Hearts), Fran Karacic (Brescia), Harry Souttar (Stoke City), Kye Rowles (Hearts), Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United)
  • Midfielders Aaron Mooy (Celtic), Jackson Irvine (St Pauli), Ajdin Hrustic (Hellas Verona), Bailey Wright (Sunderland), Cameron Devlin (Hearts), Riley McGree (Middlesbrough), Keanu Baccus (St Mirren)
  • Forwards Awer Mabil (Cadiz), Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City), James Maclaren (Melbourne City), Jason Cummings (Central Coast Mariners), Mitchell Duke (Fagiano Okayama), Garang Kuol (Central Coast Mariners), Marco Tilio (Melbourne City)*, *replaced Martin Boyle (Hibernian)
Australia coach Graham Arnold arrives in Qatar arguably still not knowing his best team, which is something of a worry considering the Socceroos' first match comes against the defending champions France. In all, the Aussies used a staggering 68 players in qualifying as they finished in third place in their group behind Saudi Arabia and Japan after taking just one point out of 12 in the matches against their closest rivals. As such, the Socceroos' campaign was extended by the need for a playoff match against the United Arab Emirates and then, for their place in the finals, victory in an intercontinental decider against Peru on penalties. In fairness, this will be a fifth successive World Cup finals appearance for Australia - a creditable record which has justified the move by association chiefs at Football Australia to move from Oceania to the Asian confederation in search of more competition. Nevertheless, at the highest level, the Aussies still regularly come up a bit short - and Arnold's men head into the tournament looking for a first win in a finals match since 2010.
Prediction Group stages

DENMARK Ranking 10 • Odds 28/1
▪︎ Head coach Kasper Hjulmand (since July 2020)
▪︎ Qualification Group F winner in UEFA (W9 D0 L1 F30 A3)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L2-4 v Netherlands, W3-0 v Serbia, W2-1 v France, W2-1 v Austria, L0-1 v Croatia, W2-0 v Austria, L1-2 v Croatia, W2-0 v France
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals 1998
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel (Nice), Oliver Christensen (Hertha Berlin), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin)
  • Defenders Alexander Bach (Benfica), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta), Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Rasmus Kristensen (Leeds United), Jens Stryger Larsen (Trabzonspor), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray), Daniel Wass (Brondby)
  • Midfielders Thomas Delaney (Sevilla), Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Christian Norgaard (Brentford), Jesper Lindstrom (Eintracht Frankfurt), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford)
  • Forwards Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Bruges), Andreas Cornelius (Copenhagen), Martin Braithwaite (Espanyol), Kasper Dolberg (Sevilla), Jonas Wind (VfL Wolfsburg), Robert Forest (Hoffenheim), Yussuf Yurary Poulsen (RB Leipzig)
Rarely can there have been a more confident Denmark team - indeed, many observers are more than happy to compare this generation of Danish Dynamite favourably with the teams of the mid-1980s and the Euro 1992 winners. Still pulling the strings behind the forwards is, of course, the remarkable Christian Eriksen who has recovered from suffering an on-field cardiac arrest at his last major tournament to line up for Manchester United this season after helping Brentford survive in the Premier League in the spring. Eriksen's team mates went onto the semi finals at Euro 2020+1 but the furthest that the Danes have gone at a World Cup is a run to the quarter finals in 1998 when they were beaten 3-2 by Brazil in a truly classic match. If Kasper Hjulmand's men are at least to equal that feat, they will likely need to overcome defending champions France, or Argentina, or perhaps even both. But even then, the French in particular should hold no fear for a Danish team who have already beaten their group rivals home and away in the Nations League this year.
Prediction Last 16

TUNISIA Ranking 30 • Odds 300/1
▪︎ Head coach Jalel Kadri (since January 2022)
▪︎ Qualification CAF playoff winners (won 1-0 on aggregate v Mali (W1-0a, D0-0h))
▪︎ Form since qualifying W4-0 v Equatorial Guinea, D0-0 v Botswana, W2-0 v Chile, W3-0 v Japan, W1-0 v Comoros, L1-5 v Brazil, W2-0 v Iran
▪︎ Best performance Group stage in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Aymen Dahmen (Club Sportif Sfaxien), Mouez Hassan (Club Africain), Bechir Ben Said (US Monastir), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile du Sahel)
  • Defenders Ali Abdi (Caen), Mohamed Drager (FC Luzern), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly), Wajdi Kechrida (Atromitos), Nader Ghandri (Club Africain), Yassine Meriah (Esperance), Bilel Ifa (Kuwait FC), Dylan Bronn (Salernitana), Montassar Talbi (Lorient)
  • Midfielders Ellyes Skhiri (FC Cologne), Ghaylen Chaalali (Esperance), Aissa Laidouni (Ferencvaros), Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Esperance), Ferjani Sassi (Al-Duhail), Hannibal Mejbri (Birmingham City)
  • Forwards Youssef Msakni (Al Arabi SC), Seifeddine Jaziri (Zamalek), Naim Sliti (Ettifaq), Issam Jebali (Odense), Taha Yassine Khenissi (Kuwait SC), Anis Ben Slimane (Brondby), Wahbi Khazri (Montpellier)
Tunisia were the first African country to a World Cup finals match, back in 1978 when they beat Mexico 3-1 - but are making a sixth finals appearance still looking to get past the group stages for the first time. Frankly, though, it would be a big surprise if it was this Tunisian team who break the mould considering they struggled in their qualifying playoff against Mali. Ultimately, the Eagles of Carthage relied on an own goal to help them squeeze through the tie 1-0 on aggregate after mounting a rearguard action at home to protect their narrow lead - but France and Denmark, in particular, will not be as profligate. The selection by head coach Jalel Kadri of four goalkeepers rather belies the lack of options while first-choice forwards Wahbi Khazri and Youssef Msakni are now both the wrong side of 30.
Prediction Group stages

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GROUP E SPAIN - COSTA RICA - GERMANY - JAPAN

	Date		Venue
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 1pm	GERMANY v JAPAN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 4pm	SPAIN v COSTA RICA	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
ITV	Sun 27-Nov 10am	JAPAN v COSTA RICA	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 7pm	SPAIN v GERMANY	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
ITV	Thu 01-Dec 7pm	JAPAN v SPAIN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Thu 01-Dec 7pm	COSTA RICA v GERMANY	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

SPAIN Ranking 7 • Odds 8/1
▪︎ Head coach Luis Enrique (since November 2019)
▪︎ Qualification Group B winner in UEFA (W6 D1 L1 F15 A5)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W2-1 v Albania, W5-0 v Iceland, D1-1 Portugal, D2-2 v Czech Republic, W1-0 v Switzerland, W2-0 v Czech Republic, L1-2 v Switzerland, W1-0 v Portugal, W3-1 v Jordan
▪︎ Best performance Winners in 2010
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), David Raya (Brentford)
  • Defenders Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Hugo Guillamon (Valencia), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Gaya (Valencia)
  • Midfielders Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri Hernandez (Manchester City), Gavi (Barcelona), Carlos Soler (Paris St-Germain), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedri Gonzalez (Barcelona), Koke Resurreccion (Atletico Madrid)
  • Forwards Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremi Pino (Villarreal), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Pablo Sarabia (Paris St Germain), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Ansu Fati (Barcelona)
Spain field the youngest squad among the main contenders and find themselves in a decent position to build upon their run to the semi finals of Euro 2020+1. That represented a vast improvement on the previous three tournaments in which they failed to progress beyond the Last 16 - and La Roja's preparations for this World Cup have certainly gone far smoother than the build-up to the 2018 World Cup where coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of the competition. Lopetegui's replacement Luis Enrique has reinvigorated the national team blooding in a fresh group of players who have enjoyed some excellent results in the past couple of years including a 6-0 thrashing of group opponents Germany in the Nations League. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder is no diplomat, and regularly says exactly what he thinks - but the 52-year-old has good reason to feel bullish about his new-look side.
Prediction Semi finals

COSTA RICA Ranking 31 • Odds 500/1
▪︎ Head coach Luis Fernando Suárez (since June 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Intercontinental playoff winner (won 1-0 v New Zealand)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L0-2 v Panama, W2-0 v Martinique, D2-2 v South Korea, W2-1 v Uzbekistan, W2-0 v Nigeria
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 2014
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Keylor Navas (Paris St-Germain), Esteban Alvarado (Herediano), Patrick Sequeira (CD Lugo)
  • Defenders Francisco Calvo (Konyaspor), Juan Pablo Vargas(Millonarios FC), Kendall Waston (Saprissa), Oscar Duarte (Al-Wehda), Daniel Chacon (Colorado Rapids), Keysher Fuller (Herediano), Carlos Martinez (San Carlos), Bryan Oviedo (Real Salt Lake), Ronald Matarrita (Cincinnati)
  • Midfielders Yeltsin Tejeda (Herediano), Celso Borges (Alajuelense), Youstin Salas (Saprissa), Roan Wilson (Grecia), Gerson Torres (Herediano), Douglas Lopez (Herediano) Jewisson Bennette (Sunderland), Alvaro Zamora (Saprissa), Anthony Hernandez (Puntarenas FC), Brandon Aguilera (Nottingham Forest), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense)
  • Forwards Joel Campbell (Leon), Anthony Contreras (Herediano) Johan Venegas (Alajuelense)
Costa Rica were the last of the 32 participants to confirm their place in Qatar, overcoming New Zealand in an intercontinental playoff after finishing in fourth place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. During that group phase, Los Ticos scored only 13 goals in their 14 matches and won just twice on the road - and, therefore, it is a stretch to imagine Luis Fernando Suarez's Central American side ruffling too many feathers in the next two weeks. True, Costa Rica have upset the odds in previous editions, beating Scotland and Sweden to reach the Last 16 in the 1990 World Cup before going one better than that at the 2014 tournament. Eight years ago, the Costa Ricans emerged from a group of previous champions - Uruguay, Italy and England - on their way to the quarter finals, where they lost on penalties to the Netherlands. There will be no such close calls this time, though.
Prediction Group stages

GERMANY Ranking 11 • Odds 10/1
▪︎ Head coach Hansi Flick (since August 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Group J winner in UEFA (W9 D0 L1 F36 A4)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W2-0 v Israel, D1-1 v Netherlands, D1-1 v Italy, D1-1 v England, D1-1 v Hungary, W5-2 v Italy, L0-1 v Hungary, D3-3 v Germany, W1-0 v Oman
▪︎ Best performance Winners in 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
  • Defenders Armel Bella-Kotchap (Southampton), Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Christian Gunter (SC Freiburg), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Niklas Sule (Borussia Dortmund)
  • Midfielders Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Jonas Hofmann (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
  • Forwards Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund), Niclas Fullkrug (Werder Bremen), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Mario Gotze (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Germany are still in shock from their performance four years ago when they lost to Mexico and South Korea to be knocked out of a World Cup in the first round for the first time since 1938. Since then, matters have little improved - Euro 2020+1 ended at the Last 16 stage with a 2-0 defeat to England then, shortly after that, Joachim Loew's 15-year reign ended on a low note with a shock 2-1 home defeat against North Macedonia in the qualifiers for this tournament. In fairness, the Nationalmannschaft won their other nine matches to make it to Qatar quite comfortably - but, against stronger opposition, their modest Nations League record of three wins out of 16 matches since 2018 suggest that this is not a German team to fear. No longer then are Germany classed as a threat by virtue of their tournament reputation alone - and new head coach Hansi Flick will be acutely aware of the need of a good start in their first game against Japan with Spain lying in wait in their second fixture.
Prediction Last 16

JAPAN Ranking 24 • Odds 250/1
▪︎ Head coach Hajime Moriyasu (since July 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Group B runners-up in AFC (W7 D1 L2 F12 A4)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W4-1 v Paraguay, L0-1 v Brazil, W4-1 v Ghana, L0-3 v Tunisia, W6-0 v Hong Kong, D0-0 v China, W3-0 v South Korea, W2-0 v United States, D0-0 v Ecuador, L1-2 v Canada
▪︎ Best performance Last 16 in 2002, 2010, 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg)
  • Defenders Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Schalke), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo)
  • Midfielders Wataru Endo (Stuttgart), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting CP), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)
  • Forwards Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Takuma Asano (Bochum), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Bruges)
Japan simply must look to the vulnerability of Germany as a chance to get an immediate foothold in the tournament - and, certainly, Hajime Moriyasu's side are talented enough to make life uncomfortable for their more illustrious opponents. Moriyasu is known to be a cautious coach, however - and defeat in the first match to the Germans would leave the Blue Samurai likely needing a positive result against Spain to progress. Four years ago at the 2018 World Cup, the Japanese showed good progress in reaching the Last 16 for the first time on overseas soil - and indeed they should have made it to the quarter finals for the first time if they had held their nerve when 2-0 up against Belgium with just over 20 minutes left, only to lose 3-2. Moriyasu was on the bench in that tournament as an assistant coach to Akira Nishino - and, even having been grouped with two European powerhouses, the 54-year-old will be under pressure to cause an upset and match the achievement of his predecessor.
Prediction Group stages

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GROUP F BELGIUM - CANADA - MOROCCO - CROATIA

	Date		Venue
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 10am	MOROCCO v CROATIA	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
BBC	Wed 23-Nov 7pm	BELGIUM v CANADA	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 1pm	BELGIUM v MOROCCO	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 4pm	CROATIA v CANADA	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
BBC	Thu 01-Dec 3pm	CROATIA v BELGIUM	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Thu 01-Dec 3pm	CANADA v MOROCCO	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

BELGIUM Ranking 2 • Odds 16/1
▪︎ Head coach Roberto Martínez (since August 2016)
▪︎ Qualification Group E winner in UEFA (W6 D2 L0 F25 A6)
▪︎ Form since qualifying D2-2 v Ireland, W3-0 v Burkina Faso, L1-4 v Netherlands, W6-1 v Poland, D1-1 v Wales, W1-0 v Poland, W2-1 v Wales, L0-1 v Netherlands, L1-2 v Egypt
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 1986, 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Semi finals in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg) 
  • Defenders Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Toby Alderweireld (Antwerp), Leander Dendoncker (Aston Villa), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund)
  • Midfielders Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Amadou Onana (Everton), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)
  • Forwards Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Charles De Ketelaere (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Brighton), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Michy Batshuayi (Fenerbahce), Lois Openda (Lens)
Have Belgium missed the boat? It feels like it - or at least it feels like this really is the last chance for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku to make their mark at a World Cup finals. The Red Devils have had a talented side for a while now - but their current ranking at number two is something of a misnomer, and so was their oft-false placing at number one between September 2018 and March 2022. During that period, the Belgians lost 5-2 to Switzerland, to Italy twice, to England and France, and drew matches against the Ivory Coast, Czech Republic and Greece. The biggest problem has been the failure of head coach Roberto Martinez to use the talent at his disposal - and with, the Spaniard having been in charge for over six years, it seems unlikely at this stage that he is going to work out the answers at this point. Of course, the Group F line-up appears to offer Belgium enough time to ease their way into the tournament - but the possibility of Spain and Germany as Last 16 opponents means even a run to the quarter finals might be a stretch this time.
Prediction Quarter finals

CANADA Ranking 41 • Odds 150/1
▪︎ Head coach John Herdman (since January 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Group winner in CONCACAF (W8 D4 L2 F23 A7)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W4-0 v Curacao, L1-2 v Honduras, W2-0 v Qatar, L0-2 v Uruguay, D2-2 v Bahrain, W2-1 v Japan
▪︎ Best performance Group stage in 1986
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 1986
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade), James Pantemis (CF Montreal), Dayne St Clair (Minnesota United)
  • Defenders Sam Adekugbe (Hatayspor), Derek Cornelius (Vancouver Whitecaps - Panetolikos), Alistair Johnston (CF Montreal), Richie Laryea (Nottingham Forest), Kamal Miller (CF Montreal), Steven Vitoria (Chaves), Joel Waterman (CF Montreal)
  • Midfielders Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto), Liam Fraser (Deinze), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas), Mark-Anthony Kaye (Toronto FC), Ismael Kone (CF Montreal), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Samuel Piette (CF Montreal), David Wotherspoon (St Johnstone)
  • Forwards Tajon Buchanan (Club Bruges), Lucas Cavallini (Vancouver Whitecaps), Jonathan David (Lille), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Junior Hoillett (Reading), Cyle Larin (Club Bruges), Liam Miller (FC Basel), Ike Ugbo (Troyes)
Canada have qualified for a World Cup finals for the first time since 1986, surprisingly topping the final section ahead of Mexico and the United States. Indeed, the Maple Leafs have made the big leap back to the world stage at a particularly good time, for the Canadians will act as one of the three 2026 World Cup co-hosts along with the Americans and the Mexicans. As such, it is heartening to see Canada reach the finals on their own merits ahead of that tournament - and much credit for that belongs to their coach John Herdman. The County Durham-born 47-year-old never gave up hope of returning his adopted nation to the World Cup - although the achievement has been rather soured by a row among the players with the Canadian FA over unpaid bonuses and an injury doubt to the team's best player, Bayern Munich midfielder Alphonso Davies. Hopefully, though, this appearance will go better than that of 36 years ago when the Canucks departed without winning a single point or scoring a single goal.
Prediction Group stages

MOROCCO Ranking 22 • Odds 200/1
▪︎ Head coach Walid Regragui (since August 2022)
▪︎ Qualification CAF playoff winners (won 5-2 on aggregate v DR Congo (D1-1a, W4-1h))
▪︎ Form since qualifying L0-3 v United States, W2-1 v South Africa, W2-0 v Liberia, W2-0 v Chile, D0-0 v Paraguay, W3-0 v Georgia
▪︎ Best performance Last 16 in 1986
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)
  • Defenders Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United), Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Achraf Dari (Stade Brest), Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Romain Saiss (Besiktas)
  • Midfielders Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria)
  • Forwards Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Soufiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille), Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea)
Morocco have taken an unorthodox approach towards preparing for the World Cup by sacking their coach just weeks before the start of the tournament. Vahid Halilhodzic led the Atlas Lions to a convincing 5-2 aggregate win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African playoffs in March but, less than five months later, the Bosnian was dumped following a disagreement with star player Hakim Ziyech and federation chief Fouzi Lekjaa. Bizarrely, this marked the third time that Halilhodzic had led a successful qualification campaign and then been sacked immediately before a World Cup following his dismissals in 2010 and 2018 from the Ivory Coast and Japan jobs respectively. New head coach Walid Regragui has arrived in the job with a decent reputation in his native country after finishing the most recent season by winning the African Champions League with Moroccan club Wydad AC. Such a late shake-up, though, has put the pressure firmly on the 47-year-old to take the North Africans into the knockout stages for the first time since the 1986 World Cup.
Prediction Group stages

CROATIA Ranking 12 • Odds 50/1
▪︎ Head coach Zlatko Dalić (since October 2017)
▪︎ Qualification Group H winner in UEFA (W7 D2 L1 F21 A4)
▪︎ Form since qualifying D1-1 v Slovenia, W2-1 v Bulgaria, L0-3 v Austria, D1-1 v France, W1-0 v Denmark, W1-0 v France, W2-1 v Denmark, W3-1 v Austria, W1-0 v Saudi Arabia
▪︎ Best performance Runners-up in 2018
▪︎ Most recent appearance Runners-up in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Domink Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Ivusic (NK Osijek), Ivo Grbic (Atletico Madrid)
  • Defenders Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens), Dejan Lovren (Zenit St Petersburg), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Josip Juranovic (Celtic), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Borna Sosa (VfB Stuttgart), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Josip Sutalo (Dinamo Zagreb)
  • Midfielders Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino, on loan from West Ham), Lovro Majer (Rennes), Kristijan Jakic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Luka Sucic (RB Salzburg)
  • Forwards Ivan Perisic (Tottenham), Andrej Kramaric (1899 Hoffenheim), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk Split)
Despite being runners-up at the 2018 World Cup, Croatia were still unseeded in the draw for this tournament - and that is down to an extremely mixed record under coach Zlatko Dalic in the past four years. Vatreni were poor at Euro 2020+1, managing only to defeat Scotland on their way to a Last 16 exit in a 5-3 defeat to Spain. Since then, though, the Croatians have enjoyed a rich vein of form - and Dalic's men have recently reached the four-team final stage of the Nations League next summer with five wins out of six in a section which also featured Denmark, France and Austria. Qualification for this tournament came easily - and, as unpredictable as Croatia can be, there is a lot to be said for a midfield trio with more than 300 caps between them. Experience in this squad is certainly not a concern then, but on the other hand, energy levels might be - after all, their talisman Luka Modric is aged 37.
Prediction Last 16

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GROUP G BRAZIL - SERBIA - SWITZERLAND - CAMEROON

	Date		Venue
ITV	Thu 24-Nov 10am	SWITZERLAND v CAMEROON	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Thu 24-Nov 7pm	BRAZIL v SERBIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 10am	CAMEROON v SERBIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 4pm	BRAZIL v SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Fri 02-Dec 7pm	SERBIA v SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Fri 02-Dec 7pm	CAMEROON v BRAZIL	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

BRAZIL Ranking 1 • Odds 4/1F
▪︎ Head coach Tite (since June 2016)
▪︎ Qualification Group winner in CONMEBOL (W14 D3 L0 F40 A5)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W5-1 v South Korea, W1-0 v Japan, W3-0 v Ghana, W5-1 v Tunisia
▪︎ Best performance Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
▪︎ Most recent appearance Quarter finals in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras)
  • Defenders Dani Alves (UNAM), Danilo (Juventus), Alex Sandro (Juventus), Alex Telles (Sevilla), Bremer (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Thiago Silva (Chelsea)
  • Midfielders Casemiro (Manchester United), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Fabinho (Liverpool), Fred (Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
  • Forwards Antony (Manchester United), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Neymar (PSG), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Five-time former winners Brazil find themselves in the reassuringly familiar position of favourites heading into a World Cup - but it is actually now 20 years since the South Americans won the trophy, a barren spell which almost matches the 24-year gap between 1970 and 1994. It is not even as if the Seleção have gone all that close over the past two decades with three of their four World Cup campaigns since the 2002 triumph ending with defeat in the quarter finals. Indeed, the Brazilians' only recent appearance in the last four, on home soil at the 2014 World Cup, concluded with a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany - and so, the Little Canary is well overdue a team which will make it sing. In qualifying, Tite's men went unbeaten, dropping just six points in 17 matches to progress to the finals with six games to spare - and, even then, the runaway leaders did not let up, winning 4-0 in each of their last three qualifiers to finish with a goal difference of +35. Of course, none of the players has contributed a chapter to the illustrious annals of the Brazilian football history - yet - but this tournament comes at about the right time for this generation to make its mark.
Prediction Winners

SERBIA Ranking 21 • Odds 66/1
▪︎ Head coach Dragan Stojković (since March 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Group A winner in UEFA (W6 D2 L0 F18 A9)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W1-0 v Hungary, L0-3 v Serbia, L0-1 v Norway, W4-1 v Slovenia, W1-0 v Sweden, D2-2 v Slovenia, W4-1 v Sweden, W2-0 v Norway, W5-1 v Bahrain
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 1930, 1962
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Marko Dmitrovic (Sevilla), Predrag Rajkovic (Mallorca), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Torino)
  • Defenders Stefan Mitrovic (Getafe), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Strahinja Pavlovic (RB Salzburg), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Filip Mladenovic (Legia Warsaw), Strahinja Erakovic (Red Star Belgrade), Srdjan Babic (Almeria)
  • Midfielders Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Sasa Lukic (Torino), Marko Grujic (Porto), Filip Kostic (Juventus), Uros Racic (Braga), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe), Ivan Ilic (Hellas Verona), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK), Darko Lazovic (Hellas Verona)
  • Forwards: Dusan Tadic (Ajax), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Filip Duricic (Sampdoria), Luka Jovic (Fiorentina), Nemanja Radonji (Torino)
Serbia are searching for a way through the group stages of a major tournament since Euro 2000 when the team was still playing under the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia banner. Their last involvement in knockout stages of a World Cup was from the same era - in 1998 - but, since then, the Eagles have suffered early exits in 2006, 2010 and 2018, winning just two matches and losing the other seven. This time, though, it could - and perhaps even should - be different, for the Serbians bring with them a huge goal threat in the form of Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Fulham striker scored 43 goals in the 2021-22 Championship season to break the post-1992 record for the division - and he has added nine in 12 appearances in the Premier League since August. In international football, Mitrovic is no less prolific - he has 14 goals from his last 15 caps, and so it would have sent a shudder down the spine of every Serbian when the 28-year-old was ruled out of the Cottagers' two most recent Premier League matches with an ankle injury. Head coach Dragan Stojkovic understandably still had no hesitation to name Mitrovic in his squad and, if fully fit, the striker will be salivating at the opportunity to fire his country into territory which has not been chartered for quite some time. 
Prediction Last 16

SWITZERLAND Ranking 15 • Odds 80/1
▪︎ Head coach Murat Yakin (since August 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Group C winner in UEFA (W5 D3 L0 F15 A2)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L1-2 v England, D1-1 v Kosovo, L1-2 v Czech Republic, L0-4 v Portugal, L0-1 v Spain, W1-0 v Portugal, W2-1 v Spain, W2-1 v Czech Republic, L0-2 v Ghana
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 1934, 1938, 1954
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Kohn (Red Bull Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach)
  • Defenders Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Sylvan Widmer (Mainz 05)
  • Midfielders Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz 05), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Noah Okafor (Red Bull Salzburg), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibril Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea)
  • Forwards Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Haris Seferovic (Galatasaray), Reuben Vargas (FC Augsburg)
Like clockwork, Switzerland are back again in a major tournament - and their successful qualification for Qatar in fact means they have qualified for five World Cup finals in a row for the first time in their history. By further adding in European Championship finals, the Swiss will be making it nine appearances out of the last 10 in a sequence which stretches back to 2004. Nati are reliable qualifiers then - but they often hit a glass ceiling when it comes to the real deal, particularly at the Last 16 stage. Notably, three of their four World Cup efforts since 2006 have ended at that hurdle - although there was progress at Euro 2020+1 when Switzerland reached their first major tournament quarter final since the 1954 World Cup, beating France on penalties following a remarkable 3-3 draw. That match was rather out-of-keeping with the modus operandi usually employed by the Swiss at major finals as defence is customarily the team's stronger hand. Undoubtedly, though, head coach Murat Yakin will hope that balmy night in Bucharest can inspire his side to engage in a more attacking mindset throughout this campaign too.
Prediction Group stages

CAMEROON Ranking 43 • Odds 250/1
▪︎ Head coach Rigobert Song (since February 2022)
▪︎ Qualification CAF playoff winners (drew 2-2 on aggregate v Algeria (L0-1h, W2-1a aet), won on away goals)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W1-0 v Burundi, L0-2 v Uzbekistan, L0-1 v South Korea, D1-1 v Jamaica, D1-1 v Panama
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 1990
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2014
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Devis Epassy (Abha Club), Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Marseille), Andre Onana (Inter Milan)
  • Defenders Jean-Charles Castelletto (Nantes), Enzo Ebosse (Udinese), Collins Fai (Al Tai), Olivier Mbaizo (Philadelphia Union), Nicolas Nkoulou (Aris Salonika), Tolo Nouhou (Seattle Sounders), Christopher Wooh (Stade Rennes)
  • Midfielders Martin Hongla (Verona), Pierre Kunde (Olympiakos), Olivier Ntcham (Swansea City), Gael Ondoua (Hannover 96), Samuel Oum Gouet (Mechelen), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)
  • Forwards Vincent Aboubakar (Al Nassr), Christian Bassogog (Shanghai Shenhua), Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting (Bayern Munich), Souaibou Marou (Coton Sport), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu (Young Boys Berne), Jerome Ngom (Colombe Dja), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Besiktas), Jean-Pierre Nsame (Young Boys Berne), Karl Toko Ekambi (Lyon)
Cameroon hardly live up to their nickname - the Indomitable Lions - and, in fact, come into this World Cup merely looking to end a record streak of consecutive finals defeats which currently stands at seven. For sure, to football fans of a certain age, there will always be something magical about Cameroon after their run to the quarter finals in the 1990 World Cup where they were beaten by England after extra time. Since then, though, the West African nation has won just one match at the finals - against Saudi Arabia in 2002 - and has lost 10, conceding 33 goals. The familiar face of defender Rigobert Song - parachuted into the job of head coach in February - took charge of the last-gasp playoff victory in extra time over Algeria. But, having seen his side only just scrape into the finals, the former Liverpool and West Ham United defender faces a stern task against the weight of recent history.

Prediction Group stages

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GROUP H PORTUGAL - GHANA - URUGUAY - SOUTH KOREA

	Date		Venue
BBC	Thu 24-Nov 1pm	URUGUAY v SOUTH KOREA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Thu 24-Nov 4pm	PORTUGAL v GHANA	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Mon 28-Nov 1pm	SOUTH KOREA v GHANA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 7pm	PORTUGAL v URUGUAY	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Fri 02-Dec 3pm	GHANA v URUGUAY	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Fri 02-Dec 3pm	SOUTH KOREA v PORTUGAL	Education City, Al Rayyan

PORTUGAL Ranking 9 • Odds 14/1
▪︎ Head coach Fernando Santos (since September 2014)
▪︎ Qualification Playoff Path C winner in UEFA (won 2-0 v North Macedonia in final)
▪︎ Form since qualifying D1-1 v Spain, W4-0 v Switzerland, W2-0 v Czech Republic, L0-1 v Switzerland, W4-0 v Czech Republic, L0-1 v Span, W4-0 v Nigeria
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 1966, 2006
▪︎ Most recent appearance Last 16 in 2018
▪︎ Squad

  • Goalkeepers Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Patricio (AS Roma), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) 

  • Defenders Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Nuno Mendes (Paris St-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Danilo Pereira (Paris St-Germain), Antonio Silva (Benfica) 

  • Midfielders William Carvalho (Real Betis), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Mario (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Otavio (Porto), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Vitinha (Paris St-Germain) 

  • Forwards Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Andre Silva (RB Leipzig)
Portugal must put the distraction caused by the Cristiano Ronaldo saga aside as they seek a first ever World Cup after the build-up has been dominated by the complete breakdown in relations between the 37-year-old and Manchester United. On Tuesdays this week, the Red Devils terminated Ronaldo's contract by mutual consent - but, while that will be of little concern to Ronaldo, it remains unclear quite what the rest of the squad has made of the last few weeks. After all, Fernando Santos's collective are far from a one-man team nowadays, and their successes at Euro 2016 and in the 2019 Nations League finals had their foundations in a strong defence. Recent form has been less impressive and a home defeat to Serbia in their final qualifying group game consigned A Seleção to the playoff matches against Turkey and then North Macedonia. The Portuguese easily dealt with those opponents to make it to a sixth World Cup finals in a row - but, outside of a couple of semi final appearances in 1966 and 2006, their record is extremely modest. Any slip-up in Group H, of course, is likely to set up a knockout tie against Brazil so it is not difficult to see how this could easily be another underwhelming World Cup for the men in the distinctive dark red-and-green colours.

Prediction Last 16

GHANA Ranking 61 • Odds 250/1
▪︎ Head coach Otto Addo (since February 2022)
▪︎ Qualification CAF playoff winners (drew 1-1 on aggregate v Nigeria (D0-0h, D1-1a aet), won on away goals)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W3-0 v Madagascar, D1-1 v Central African Republic, L1-4 v Japan, D0-0 v Chile, L1-2 v Qatar, L0-3 v Brazil, W1-0 v Nicaragua, W2-0 v Switzerland 
▪︎ Best performance Quarter finals in 2010
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2014
▪︎ Squad
  • Goalkeepers Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen), Danlad Ibrahim (Asante Kotoko), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (Eupen) 

  • Defenders Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Alexander Djiku (Racing Strasbourg), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Hove Albion), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Denis Odoi (Club Bruges), Baba Rahman (Reading), Mohammed Salisu (Southampton), Alidu Seidu (Clermont) 

  • Midfielders Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (Freiburg), Elisha Owusu (Gent), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Salis Abdul Samed (Lens)

  • Forwards Daniel Afriyie (Hearts of Oak), Andre Ayew (Al Sadd), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade), Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Sporting Lisbon), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City), Kamal Sowah (Club Bruges), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Rennes), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao).

With a ranking of 61, Ghana are the biggest outsiders at the World Cup - and, coincidentally, the Black Stars are also the youngest squad in Qatar with a collective average age of just 24.7. It would be fair to say the Ghanaians' rebuild - which began after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup - has taken a little bit of time, and certainly they were not particularly impressive in going out at the group stage of the 2021 African Cup of Nations following an embarrassing defeat to Comoros. It did not seem possible at that stage that Ghana would get even near to qualifying for this World Cup - but in March, only six weeks after being appointed, Otto Addo led his outfit to a shock win over Nigeria on away goals after two tight draws. The job now for Ghana is to cause an even bigger shock on the world stage - and, to assist him, Addo has joined forces with former Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United coach Chris Hughton whose father Willie is himself a Ghanaian. Hughton knows all about gaining results in adversity - but this looks like a step too far for such an inexperienced squad. 
Prediction Group stages

URUGUAY Ranking 14 • Odds 40/1
▪︎ Head coach Diego Alonso (since December 2021)
▪︎ Qualification Third place in CONMEBOL (W8 D4 L6 F22 A22)
▪︎ Form since qualifying W3-0 v Mexico, D0-0 v United States, W5-0 v Panama, L0-1 v Iran, W2-0 v Canada
▪︎ Best performance Winners in 1930, 1950
▪︎ Most recent appearance Quarter finals in 2018
▪︎ Squad

  • Goalkeepers Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Sebastian Sosa (Independiente) 

  • Defenders Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Coates (Sporting CP), Diego Godin (Velez Sarsfield), Martin Caceres (LA Galaxy), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Nacional), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Matias Vina (Roma)

  • Midfielders Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting CP), Matias Vecino (Lazio), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Nicolas De La Cruz (River Plate) 

  • Forwards Agustin Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense), Facundo Torres (Orlando City), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Maxi Gomez (Trabzonspor), Luis Suarez (Nacional), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)

Two-time champions Uruguay are caught between two generations heading into this World Cup with head coach Diego Alonso including a pair of 35-year-old forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in his squad, while also finding room for youngsters Darwin Nunez and Facundo Pellistri. The elder generation have represented La Celeste well and helped the small South American nation of only 3.5 million people to a fifth World Cup finals out of six. In that period, Uruguay have reached the semi finals of tournament in 2010, won the Copa America in 2011 - and have gone some way to restore the football reputation of the inaugural World Cup winner. After all, the Uruguayans qualified only once between 1978 and 2002. That is all in past, of course - and, without being at their best, Uruguay won their last four qualifying matches to finish comfortably enough in third place behind Brazil and Argentina. Right at this moment, though, Uruguay appear to be a team which is past its best while the next generation are too inexperienced to cover for them.
Prediction Group stages

SOUTH KOREA Ranking 28 • Odds 250/1
▪︎ Head coach Paulo Bento (since August 2018)
▪︎ Qualification Group A runners-up in AFC (W7 D2 L1 F13 A3)
▪︎ Form since qualifying L1-5 v Brazil, W2-0 v Chile, D2-2 v Paraguay, W4-1 v Egypt, W3-0 v China, W3-0 v Hong Kong, L0-3 v Japan, D2-2 v Costa Rica, W1-0 v Cameroon, W1-0 v Iceland
▪︎ Best performance Semi finals in 2002
▪︎ Most recent appearance Group stage in 2018
▪︎ Squad

  • Goalkeepers Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Motors) 

  • Defenders Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Motors), Hong Chul (Daegu FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yu-min (Daejon Citizen) 

  • Midfielders Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Jeong Woo-yeong (Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca) 

  • Forwards Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

This finals appearance for South Korea will be a 10th World Cup in a row - a proud record stretching back to 1986 and bettered only by Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. Of course, the highlight during the sequence is still the Taegeuk Warriors' run all the way to the semi finals on home soil at the 2002 World Cup when they defeated Poland, Portugal, Italy and Spain - although not without some controversy. This generation is also a talented team, far better than their ranking of 28 suggests - and, spearheaded by Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, the Koreans are more than capable of winning this section, avoiding Brazil in the knockout stages, and making a real impression at this tournament. At the top, head coach Paulo Bento has been in charge for over four years, a refreshing change of tack from the often-trigger happy Korean Football Association - but he will need some sort of result against his native Portugal if he is to meet his bosses' heady expectations. Worryingly, Son became a doubt on the eve of the competition after his eye socket was fractured in a 2-1 win at Marseille in the Champions League for Spurs. Having been passed fit, though, the 30-year-old will be key to the Koreans' chances in Qatar.
Prediction Quarter finals

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SECOND ROUND

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Sat 03-Dec	(1) WINNER A v RUNNER-UP B	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
7pm	Sat 03-Dec	(2) WINNER C v RUNNER-UP D	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
3pm	Sun 04-Dec	(3) WINNER D v RUNNER-UP C	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
7pm	Sun 04-Dec	(4) WINNER B v RUNNER-UP A	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
3pm	Mon 05-Dec	(5) WINNER E v RUNNER-UP F	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
7pm	Mon 05-Dec	(6) WINNER G v RUNNER-UP H	Stadium 974, Doha
3pm	Tue 06-Dec	(7) WINNER F v RUNNER-UP E	Education City, Al Rayyan
7pm	Tue 06-Dec	(8) WINNER H v RUNNER-UP G	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

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QUARTER FINALS

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Fri 09-Dec	WINNER (5) v WINNER (6)	Education City, Al Rayyan
7pm	Fri 09-Dec	WINNER (1) v WINNER (2)	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
3pm	Sat 10-Dec	WINNER (7) v WINNER (8)	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
7pm	Sat 10-Dec	WINNER (3) v WINNER (4)	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

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SEMI FINALS

Time	Date		Venue
7pm	Tue 13-Dec	WINNER QF1 v WINNER QF2	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
7pm	Wed 14-Dec	WINNER QF3 v WINNER QF4	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

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THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Sat 17-Dec	LOSER SF1 v LOSER SF2	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan

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WORLD CUP FINAL

Time	Date		Venue
4pm	Sun 18-Dec	WINNER SF1 v WINNER SF2	Lusail Iconic, Lusail