World Cup 2022 Previews, Groups A + B
Does the host nation have a shot? Can the United States get anything going?
With the World Cup just around the corner, we at The Low Major are excited to provide you previews of each group leading up to the action, followed by coverage throughout international football’s premier tournament.
This is the first winter edition of the Cup, being played in November and December to escape the desert heat present nearly year-round in Qatar — even now, as we crest into winter, it’s a balmy 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s frankly a travesty that the Cup is occurring in Qatar — and that’s leaving aside the monumental human rights abuses that occurred to bring this tournament into existence, the corruption and money that changed hands to make this happen.
However, as much as we can acknowledge that — and believe me, it is something we have all had our reckoning with — it is clear that the tournament will go on regardless, and as such, we have soccer to talk about.
World Cup posting schedule
For each of the next four days, we’ll provide previews for two of the eight groups in the Cup. Keep an eye out for a World Cup predictor competition on the 19th, and as matches get underway on the 20th of November, we’ll get you coverage from the group stage midpoint and the end of every subsequent stage.
November 15: Groups A + B Preview
November 16: Groups C + D Preview
November 17: Groups E + F Preview
November 18: Groups G + H Preview
November 19: World Cup Pick ‘em Contest
November 26: Group Stage Halfway
December 3: Round of 16 Preview
December 8: Round of 8 Preview
December 12: Semifinals Preview
December 16: Final/Third Place Preview
So, with that, let’s get into today’s two groups.
All ranks in parentheses from the most recent edition of the FIFA World Rankings dated October 6, 2022.
Group A
Qatar [QAT] (50)
Ecuador [ECU] (44)
Senegal [SEN] (18)
Netherlands [NED] (8)
Schedule
11/20 | QAT-ECU
11/21 | SEN-NED
11/25 | NED-ECU, QAT-SEN
11/29 | NED-QAT, ECU-SEN
Squads
Qatar
Fixtures: Ecuador (Nov. 20), Senegal (Nov. 25), Netherlands (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousef Hassan
Defenders: Pedro Miguel, Musaab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Bassam Al-Rawi, Boualem Khoukhi, Abdelkarim Hassan, Homam Ahmed, Jassem Gaber
Midfielders: Ali Asad, Assim Madabo, Mohammed Waad, Salem Al-Hajri, Moustafa Tarek, Karim Boudiaf, Abdelaziz Hatim, Ismail Mohamad
Forwards: Naif Al-Hadhrami, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Hassan Al-Haydos, Khalid Muneer, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Mohamed Muntari
Ecuador
Fixtures: Qatar (Nov. 20), Netherlands (Nov. 25), Senegal (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Moises Ramirez, Alexander Dominguez, Hernan Galindez
Defenders: Piero Hincapie, Robert Arboleda, Pervis Estupinan, Angelo Preciado, Jackson Porozo, Xavier Arreaga, Felix Torres, Diego Palacios, William Pacho
Midfielders: Carlos Gruezo, Jose Cifuentes, Alan Franco, Moises Caicedo, Angel Mena, Jeremy Sarmiento, Ayrton Preciado, Sebastian Mendez, Gonzalo Plata, Romario Ibarra
Forwards: Djorkaeff Reasco, Kevin Rodriguez, Michael Estrada, Enner Valencia
Senegal
Fixtures: Netherlands (Nov. 21), Qatar (Nov. 25), Ecuador (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Seny Dieng
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Youssouf Sabaly, Fode Ballo-Toure, Pape Abdou Cisse, Ismail Jakobs, Formose Mendy
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, Nampalys Mendy, Krepin Diatta, Pape Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr, Pathe Ciss, Moustapha Name, Loum Ndiaye
Forwards: Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia, Bamba Dieng, Famara Diedhiou, Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye
Netherlands
Fixtures: Senegal (Nov. 21), Ecuador (Nov. 25), Qatar (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert, Remko Pasveer
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Jurrien Timber, Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Marten de Roon, Cody Gakpo, Kenneth Taylor, Xavi Simons
Forwards: Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst
The Group
This one’s certainly not the Group of Death from the outside looking in — hosts Qatar come in as the field’s third lowest ranked team, just ahead of continental rivals Saudi Arabia and the Black Stars of Ghana. The Dutch are the top team in, sitting 8th, and possess a roster that matches that ranking, behind international superstars like van Dijk and Depay, though it wouldn’t be wise to run out the Senegalese and Ecuadorian contingents.
It does appear that this group is likely going to a far more interesting race for the second spot, with the Dutch seemingly through safely. Any of the other three could absolutely take it — Senegal has the power of Sadio Mane, while Ecuador weathered a brutal CONMEBOL qualifying campaign to sneak through. Only debutants Qatar seem the underdog of the sides here, but even then, longer odds have been beaten.
I’m predicting the Dutch to take first, followed by Senegal. I think it’ll come down to Ecuador in third, though it’ll be close, and I have the hosts making their exit pretty early in this one, through no fault of their own. The international stage is a big one, and I am skeptical of their ability to hold serve with teams that have been here and done that.
Group B
England [ENG] (5)
Iran [IRN] (20)
United States [USA] (16)
Wales [WAL] (19)
Schedule
11/21 | ENG-IRN, USA-WAL
11/25 | ENG-USA, WAL-IRN
11/29 | IRN-USA, WAL-ENG
Squads
England
Fixtures: Iran (Nov. 21), United States (Nov. 25), Wales (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope
Defenders: Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Ben White, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Luke Shaw
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Kalvin Phillips, Jordan Henderson, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount
Forwards: Harry Kane, Callum Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison
Iran
Fixtures: England (Nov. 21), Wales (Nov. 25), United States (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Amir Abedzadeh, Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand.
Defenders: Ehsan Hajsafi, Morteza Pouraliganji, Ramin Rezaeian, Milad Mohammadi, Hossein Kanani, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Sadegh Moharrami, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Majid Hosseini, Abolfazl Jalali
Midfielders: Ahmad Noorollahi, Saman Ghoddos, Vahid Amiri, Saeid Ezatolahi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Torabi, Ali Gholizadeh, Ali Karimi
Forwards: Karim Ansarifard, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi
United States
Fixtures: Wales (Nov. 21), England (Nov. 25), Iran (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sergino Dest, Aaron Long, Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, DeAndre Yedlin, Walker Zimmerman
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan
Forwards: Jesus Ferreira, Jordan Morris, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Joshua Sargent, Timothy Weah, Haji Wright
Wales
Fixtures: United States (Nov. 21), Iran (Nov. 25), England (Nov. 29)
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies
Defenders: Ben Davies, Ben Cabango, Tom Lockyer, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts
Midfielders: Sorba Thomas, Joe Allen, Matthew Smith, Dylan Levitt, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Jonny Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Rubin Colwill
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Brennan Johnson, Daniel James
The Group
Talk about pressure. It’s the Americans that have a lot to live up to — after the embarrassment of getting beaten out of the 2018 edition following a devastating failure against Trinidad and Tobago, the team burst out of the gates strongly in the 2022 qualification rounds, but limped home towards the end of the run. It’s going to be Gregg Berhalter’s job on the line as he leads his men into a group that’s certainly more sinister than the neighbors over in A.
Is it coming home? England sure hopes so. They’re back again after losing the final on penalties in EURO 2020, with the hopes being that they’ll be able to take the trophy back to where it all began for the first time since 1966. They’ll have to contend with three teams that want to get in their way — not least of which is their neighbor to the west in Wales. Behind Gareth Bale, the Welsh will hope to make a strong run of things.
Bringing up the rear — but only barely — are the Iranians. With the ongoing civil unrest and the political divisions that exist between the United States, the United Kingdom and Iran, there’s a lot more than football at play here in what many are calling the Group of Death.
As for me? It’s hard to call. The homer in me wants to tell the world it’s called SOCCER NOT FOOTBALL and walk the trophy home to Washington, fingers flipped towards the Brits and anyone else — but I think that’s probably not the most honest answer.
I’ve got England on top, with the United States, Wales, and Iran splitting their matches in such a fashion that the second knockout spot is decided on goal difference — but despite that, I think I’m comfortable sending the Yanks on through. Iran and Wales, though undeniably talented, should succumb to what I hope is a strong run of form from the squad put forth by our nation.
However it shakes out, when we win against England on Black Friday, I’ll be the most insufferable person alive, so I’ve got that to look forward to.
There you have it! First two groups done, six more to go! The schedule referenced earlier in the post is what I’m aiming for, so you’ll get a lot of international soccer content from me in the next few weeks (and outside of it, hopefully, wink wink). I hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back tomorrow with Groups C + D.