FIFA World Cup 2022 Discussion Thread

[Sithara007]

Qatar's only advantage in this world cup is as the home team, nothing more.

while Senegal, has several players who play in the European league competition. apart from Sadio Mane who became the mascot of their squad, there are several other names who also have important positions in their respective clubs. such as, Edouard Mendy who became the main goalkeeper in the Chelsea team, Kalidou Koulibaly who became this player in the Chelsea defense, and several other names who played in the European league. in terms of strength, it is clear that Senegal has more depth than Ecuador and Qatar. the FIFA rankings are also quite far apart.

Clearly, Senegal's probability is greater as a team that is certain to qualify for the next round than the other two candidates.  However, in football it is teamwork that determines a victory. for the Netherlands, I've covered it in many previous posts.

You haven't checked the recent matches involving Qatar, and that is the reason why you are underestimating them. And this is the same team that won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, by defeating Japan in the final. I know that AFC is not a tough confederation, but they have performed well against various European teams recently as well. One thing I don't like about Qatar is the dominance of naturalized players in their team. A large part of their squad is made up of players who have no real connection to Qatar, but representing them. Bassam Al-Rawi is a prime example.

[rahmad2nd]

@sithara007 although Qatar has 13 naturalized names, it doesn't change their FIFA rankings. if I'm not mistaken, Bassam Al-Rawi is a defender who was originally an Iraqi national. Honduras is ranked 80th in FIFA, it's only natural that Qatar won the match.  Guatemala is ranked 118th in FIFA, the match ended 2-0.

the only interesting match, was the friendly against Chile. the score of the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and even then the ball possession was owned by Chile with 64%.

I admit, Qatar has improved a lot, their football is growing rapidly and is proving to be a champion in the 2019 Asian Cup. however, one thing they don't have. experience, they have not been tested in the world cup stage championship. they have nothing but the home team.
So, it's interesting, I want to know how strong they are to beat Ecuador in the opener later. and as we know, that Ecuador has a higher probability of winning this match. so let's wait, just counting the days this world cup celebration will be held.

[Daniel91]

If you only look at recent history, then you are right, but if we look at the entire history of world championships, then we already had examples of Brazil and Italy being world champions twice in a row.
And as far as recent history is concerned, in the period 1994-2002, Brazil played three times in a row in the final of the world championship and was twice the world champion.
I personally think that France, along with Brazil, has the best team at the world championship in Qatar and I see France as the main favorite for the world championship title.
Of course, surprises are always possible 

You can't even compare the Brazil team of 1994-2002 with the current French team. It would be an insult to the former. Back then Brazil had not one or two, but more than half a dozen of the best players in the world. On top of that, they had the best captain back then (Dunga). Players such as Ronaldo, Cafu, Romário, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Edmundo, Bebeto, Emerson and Zé Roberto were capable of singlehandedly winning matches for their team. Current French team is nowhere near when we talk about the skills and capability.

I agree with you, the Brazil team in the period between 1994-2002 was one of the best in history, next to the famous Pele generation.
That team was really a pleasure to watch, and in fact even today I still don't understand what happened to them in the 1998 final with France.
Today's France is also a good team, but Brazil from the period 1994-2002 was a better team.
In fact, after the latest news that key players in the French midfield, such as Pogba, will not play due to injury, I no longer consider France to be the main favorites for this World Cup.
I think Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain have better chances.

[jostorres]

@sithara007 although Qatar has 13 naturalized names, it doesn't change their FIFA rankings. if I'm not mistaken, Bassam Al-Rawi is a defender who was originally an Iraqi national. Honduras is ranked 80th in FIFA, it's only natural that Qatar won the match.  Guatemala is ranked 118th in FIFA, the match ended 2-0.

the only interesting match, was the friendly against Chile. the score of the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and even then the ball possession was owned by Chile with 64%.

I admit, Qatar has improved a lot, their football is growing rapidly and is proving to be a champion in the 2019 Asian Cup. however, one thing they don't have. experience, they have not been tested in the world cup stage championship. they have nothing but the home team.
So, it's interesting, I want to know how strong they are to beat Ecuador in the opener later. and as we know, that Ecuador has a higher probability of winning this match. so let's wait, just counting the days this world cup celebration will be held.

Qatar is doing good for the positive performance in this World Cup even it has never been easy for them because they are having average rank players which is clearly indicating about their chances, but few things are still positive as they are investing and having good domestic structure most chances they could be in better shape and able to do improving performances in coming years here they have teams like the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador all are difficult teams with aggressive background here I am feeling they have no chance for going into next round even its possible for them to have third spot but going into next round is definitely needed extraordinary performance specially against the Netherlands and Senegal which is current African Champions.

[slackovic]

Qatar is doing good for the positive performance in this World Cup even it has never been easy for them because they are having average rank players which is clearly indicating about their chances, but few things are still positive as they are investing and having good domestic structure most chances they could be in better shape and able to do improving performances in coming years here they have teams like the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador all are difficult teams with aggressive background here I am feeling they have no chance for going into next round even its possible for them to have third spot but going into next round is definitely needed extraordinary performance specially against the Netherlands and Senegal which is current African Champions.

I really don't see Qatar advancing to the next round. Their national team is composed of naturalized players who didn't make the cut in their national teams so they "sold" themself to Qatar. This may sound a little harsh but it isn't. It's normal when a nation like Qatar is hosting a competition like the World Cup. They don't want to see their national team losing 5-0 so they picked up few players of other nations. For me it's understandable.

[Sithara007]

Qatar is doing good for the positive performance in this World Cup even it has never been easy for them because they are having average rank players which is clearly indicating about their chances, but few things are still positive as they are investing and having good domestic structure most chances they could be in better shape and able to do improving performances in coming years here they have teams like the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador all are difficult teams with aggressive background here I am feeling they have no chance for going into next round even its possible for them to have third spot but going into next round is definitely needed extraordinary performance specially against the Netherlands and Senegal which is current African Champions.

Qatar going to the next round is possible, but not probable. The advantage with Qatar is that they are virtually unknown to their opponents. They are in excellent form recently and we always over-estimate the chances of both Netherlands and Senegal. Obviously Senegal has given some of the most spectacular upsets in the world cup, but they have failed to perform in a consistent manner. IMO, the strongest team in the group is actually Ecuador, and not Netherlands. There is even a chance that Netherlands may fail to qualify.

[rahmad2nd]

@sithara007 although Qatar has 13 naturalized names, it doesn't change their FIFA rankings. if I'm not mistaken, Bassam Al-Rawi is a defender who was originally an Iraqi national. Honduras is ranked 80th in FIFA, it's only natural that Qatar won the match.  Guatemala is ranked 118th in FIFA, the match ended 2-0.

the only interesting match, was the friendly against Chile. the score of the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and even then the ball possession was owned by Chile with 64%.

I admit, Qatar has improved a lot, their football is growing rapidly and is proving to be a champion in the 2019 Asian Cup. however, one thing they don't have. experience, they have not been tested in the world cup stage championship. they have nothing but the home team.
So, it's interesting, I want to know how strong they are to beat Ecuador in the opener later. and as we know, that Ecuador has a higher probability of winning this match. so let's wait, just counting the days this world cup celebration will be held.

Qatar is doing good for the positive performance in this World Cup even it has never been easy for them because they are having average rank players which is clearly indicating about their chances, but few things are still positive as they are investing and having good domestic structure most chances they could be in better shape and able to do improving performances in coming years here they have teams like the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador all are difficult teams with aggressive background here I am feeling they have no chance for going into next round even its possible for them to have third spot but going into next round is definitely needed extraordinary performance specially against the Netherlands and Senegal which is current African Champions.

Without trivializing the Qatar squad, they come with a lot of naturalized players. this is natural for teams from asia, at least naturalized players are expected to have a good influence and can improve team performance. however, at this world cup event.  the only advantage of the Qatar squad is being the home team, the moral support from the public itself can improve their mentality when they play the game later.

only Ecuador are almost at the same level, and even then if we refer to the rankings they have. Qatar is ranked 50th and Ecuador is ranked 44th, not too far off the ranking gap. even so, it's hard to imagine just to beat Ecuador in the opening match later. because after all, Ecuador is far more experienced on the world stage than Qatar.

So, we agree with what you said. but here we have to be balanced in judging, during 2x45 minutes of the game running, anything can happen.

[Woodie]

What's happening in group D, a week ago or so its believed that Fifa threatened to disqualify Tunisia from the Qatar world cup for government interference by the Sports minister which it hasnt taken lightly. I know Fifa has taken such decisions in the past, but has it passed its judgment over Tunisia issue, could this be their early exit

[Patrol69]

@sithara007 although Qatar has 13 naturalized names, it doesn't change their FIFA rankings. if I'm not mistaken, Bassam Al-Rawi is a defender who was originally an Iraqi national. Honduras is ranked 80th in FIFA, it's only natural that Qatar won the match.  Guatemala is ranked 118th in FIFA, the match ended 2-0.

the only interesting match, was the friendly against Chile. the score of the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and even then the ball possession was owned by Chile with 64%.

I admit, Qatar has improved a lot, their football is growing rapidly and is proving to be a champion in the 2019 Asian Cup. however, one thing they don't have. experience, they have not been tested in the world cup stage championship. they have nothing but the home team.
So, it's interesting, I want to know how strong they are to beat Ecuador in the opener later. and as we know, that Ecuador has a higher probability of winning this match. so let's wait, just counting the days this world cup celebration will be held.

Qatar is doing good for the positive performance in this World Cup even it has never been easy for them because they are having average rank players which is clearly indicating about their chances, but few things are still positive as they are investing and having good domestic structure most chances they could be in better shape and able to do improving performances in coming years here they have teams like the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador all are difficult teams with aggressive background here I am feeling they have no chance for going into next round even its possible for them to have third spot but going into next round is definitely needed extraordinary performance specially against the Netherlands and Senegal which is current African Champions.

I think Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador are very strong opponents. It will not be easy for Qatar to progress from the group stage to the next stage. Because Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador have been performing very well recently. But in the last World Cup we saw Qatar beat Ecuador.  But here Qatar will have a little advantage.  Because Qatar will be playing on their own conditions, they will have this advantage that no other team will get. The journey of the World Cup begins with the match between Qatar and Ecuador on the 20th. As Qatar is going to host the World Cup for the first time, best wishes to the Qatari football team and hope they do well in this World Cup.

[nullama]

~snip~
Qatar going to the next round is possible, but not probable. The advantage with Qatar is that they are virtually unknown to their opponents. They are in excellent form recently and we always over-estimate the chances of both Netherlands and Senegal. Obviously Senegal has given some of the most spectacular upsets in the world cup, but they have failed to perform in a consistent manner. IMO, the strongest team in the group is actually Ecuador, and not Netherlands. There is even a chance that Netherlands may fail to qualify.

Yeah, I guess Qatar would need to be lucky, say win with a surprise 1 - 0 to the Netherlands, or something like that. It can happen, but in my view the Netherlands and Ecuador are the two teams going forward under normal circumstances.

[Sithara007]

Yeah, I guess Qatar would need to be lucky, say win with a surprise 1 - 0 to the Netherlands, or something like that. It can happen, but in my view the Netherlands and Ecuador are the two teams going forward under normal circumstances.

The first group is very unpredictable and has 4 strong teams. Senegal is the strongest team from CAF and therefore we can't underestimate them. Qatar has the home advantage and their recent form is really good. Although I don't think that either Senegal or Qatar may be able to defeat Netherlands, it is quite possible that one of the matches may end up as a draw. And if Ecuador manages to defeat Netherlands, then qualifying scenarios for the next round will get very interesting. And Netherlands do have a history of suffering big upsets in the world cup.

[nullama]

~snip~
The first group is very unpredictable and has 4 strong teams. Senegal is the strongest team from CAF and therefore we can't underestimate them. Qatar has the home advantage and their recent form is really good. Although I don't think that either Senegal or Qatar may be able to defeat Netherlands, it is quite possible that one of the matches may end up as a draw. And if Ecuador manages to defeat Netherlands, then qualifying scenarios for the next round will get very interesting. And Netherlands do have a history of suffering big upsets in the world cup.

Absolutely.

It will probably be one of the toughest groups to advance. My guess though is that still Netherlands and Ecuador will end up at the first 2 spots, the order is yet to be seen, and I can see Qatar and Senegal tied at 3rd place.

[Sithara007]

~snip~
The first group is very unpredictable and has 4 strong teams. Senegal is the strongest team from CAF and therefore we can't underestimate them. Qatar has the home advantage and their recent form is really good. Although I don't think that either Senegal or Qatar may be able to defeat Netherlands, it is quite possible that one of the matches may end up as a draw. And if Ecuador manages to defeat Netherlands, then qualifying scenarios for the next round will get very interesting. And Netherlands do have a history of suffering big upsets in the world cup.

Absolutely.

It will probably be one of the toughest groups to advance. My guess though is that still Netherlands and Ecuador will end up at the first 2 spots, the order is yet to be seen, and I can see Qatar and Senegal tied at 3rd place.

3rd place will not do any good for either of these two (Qatar and Senegal) teams. Because only the top two will qualify for the next round. What they should target is a draw against either Netherlands or Ecuador. Take Senegal for example. If they could get 1 point from the matches against Ecuador or Netherlands and win the match against Qatar, then it will give them 4 points from 3 matches. And with some luck, that may enable them to finish within the top-2. But even getting a draw is going to be a herculanean task.

[nullama]

~snip~
3rd place will not do any good for either of these two (Qatar and Senegal) teams. Because only the top two will qualify for the next round. What they should target is a draw against either Netherlands or Ecuador. Take Senegal for example. If they could get 1 point from the matches against Ecuador or Netherlands and win the match against Qatar, then it will give them 4 points from 3 matches. And with some luck, that may enable them to finish within the top-2. But even getting a draw is going to be a herculanean task.

There is a total of 9 points to be had at that stage, and things can get tricky.

Say for example that one team wins three matches, and another one wins two (Probably Netherlands and Ecuador, in any order as I think they are the stronger teams), then it's done for the other 2 teams as the top teams will have 9 and 6 points.

Qatar or Senegal might have a chance if The Netherlands and Ecuador end up tied, but still it will be very hard to go to the next stage with 4 points only in that group. Winning at least twice will be crucial.

[Sithara007]

There is a total of 9 points to be had at that stage, and things can get tricky.

Say for example that one team wins three matches, and another one wins two (Probably Netherlands and Ecuador, in any order as I think they are the stronger teams), then it's done for the other 2 teams as the top teams will have 9 and 6 points.

Qatar or Senegal might have a chance if The Netherlands and Ecuador end up tied, but still it will be very hard to go to the next stage with 4 points only in that group. Winning at least twice will be crucial.

Hmmm.. that is a bit dubious.

There are 4 teams in Group A, and each team will play the other once. There are a total of 6 matches in the group. A win gives 3 points, and a draw will give one point each to the teams. Maximum points available are 18, and for each team, the maximum is 9. But there is no guarantee that all the matches will end up as wins or loses. There can be draws as well. If the no.1 team wins all their matches, it will give them 9 points. But for the second place, it is quite possible to have two teams with 4 points each.

[jostorres]

3rd place will not do any good for either of these two (Qatar and Senegal) teams. Because only the top two will qualify for the next round. What they should target is a draw against either Netherlands or Ecuador. Take Senegal for example. If they could get 1 point from the matches against Ecuador or Netherlands and win the match against Qatar, then it will give them 4 points from 3 matches. And with some luck, that may enable them to finish within the top-2. But even getting a draw is going to be a herculanean task.

Things looking equal for both Ecuador and Senegal even I have feeling Ecuador is better side but still its not easy game against Senegal and here we can face any result Qatar is surely coming at fourth, and they have no chance for going up because their quality is surely not good, and they are just playing as host and home advantage is good but not favourable many cases for me winner from Senegal vs Ecuador can go at second spot as both have ability to win against Qatar and Netherlands is not going to give any chance as they are looking for good result after absent from last world cup now they are at their best.

Ups and downs are part of the game even we can expect defeat for the Netherlands but realistically currently form and quality are not good from three teams to bring them down even a draw could be also counted as win for the team which done this against the Netherlands.

[nullama]

~snip~
Hmmm.. that is a bit dubious.

There are 4 teams in Group A, and each team will play the other once. There are a total of 6 matches in the group. A win gives 3 points, and a draw will give one point each to the teams. Maximum points available are 18, and for each team, the maximum is 9. But there is no guarantee that all the matches will end up as wins or loses. There can be draws as well. If the no.1 team wins all their matches, it will give them 9 points. But for the second place, it is quite possible to have two teams with 4 points each.

In that scenario you presented(one team with 9 points), the only way to have 2 teams with 4 points each is that the last team loses every single match and the 2 teams tie between each other.

That's possible, but I think it won't happen like that.

[slackovic]

Things looking equal for both Ecuador and Senegal even I have feeling Ecuador is better side but still its not easy game against Senegal and here we can face any result Qatar is surely coming at fourth, and they have no chance for going up because their quality is surely not good, and they are just playing as host and home advantage is good but not favourable many cases for me winner from Senegal vs Ecuador can go at second spot as both have ability to win against Qatar and Netherlands is not going to give any chance as they are looking for good result after absent from last world cup now they are at their best.

Ups and downs are part of the game even we can expect defeat for the Netherlands but realistically currently form and quality are not good from three teams to bring them down even a draw could be also counted as win for the team which done this against the Netherlands.

I too don't think that Qatar has any chance to finish in the top two spots. They have many naturalized players and they play for the money (at least I think that's the case). It's different when a player plays for his own nation because often they put an extra effort to play. Of course, this is football and surprises are always possible but in the group A I think surprise is reserved for Senegal to advance to the next round, especially now that Mane is injured and it's questionable if he will play for Senegal.

[rahmad2nd]

I too don't think that Qatar has any chance to finish in the top two spots. They have many naturalized players and they play for the money (at least I think that's the case). It's different when a player plays for his own nation because often they put an extra effort to play. Of course, this is football and surprises are always possible but in the group A I think surprise is reserved for Senegal to advance to the next round, especially now that Mane is injured and it's questionable if he will play for Senegal.

I'm not too sure just because of money problems they want to play for the Qatar squad, because most of Qatar's naturalized players are from Arabian peninsula countries, only 3-4 are from outside Arabia.
So in my personal opinion, it's not about money, I mean here for the naturalized Qatari players. for soccer players, playing in the world cup is a dream for most professional players who don't necessarily have the opportunity to feel the atmosphere of fighting in the world cup. they have a chance, and will play all out to the best of their ability. no matter which country they are defending.  on paper, the Qatar squad is not a formidable opponent for a team that is in this group A phase.

however, they have a distinct advantage over the opponents they will face. Of course, being the home team was not the deciding factor for them to qualify for this preliminary round. however, we will not know until this fight starts.

[Sithara007]

In that scenario you presented(one team with 9 points), the only way to have 2 teams with 4 points each is that the last team loses every single match and the 2 teams tie between each other.

That's possible, but I think it won't happen like that.

Why not?

Let's take a scenario like this:

There are a total of 6 matches. Let's assume an outcome like this:

Ecuador wins all of their 3 matches, end up with 9 points.
Netherlands loses against Ecuador, draws against Senegal and wins against Qatar -  4 points
Senegal losses against Ecuador, draws against Netherlands and wins against Qatar - 4points
Qatar ends up with 0 points from 3 matches.

It is a hypothetical scenario, but still possible. If that happens, then the second ranked team will be decided on the basis of goal difference.