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Team Guides
Born in Barcelona, Felix Sanchez was a youth coach with the Liga giants for 10 years before moving to Qatar. He won the AFC U-19 championship in 2014 and was appointed head coach of the full men's national team in 2017 after three years with the U-23 side. His success at the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 saw him rewarded with a new contract to take him through to the World Cup and the tournament will allow him and his players to show the world what they can do.
Qatar's main one to watch is forward Akram Afif. He has played in Spain's top flight for Sporting Gijon and scored 26 goals in just 22 league games for Al Sadd in 2018-19. Almoez Ali is another goal threat for the host nation, and was the top scorer at the Asia Cup in 2019, while experienced left-back Abdelkarim Hassan won the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2018.
Scoring a goal on their first appearance at a World Cup would spark jubilant scenes in Qatar, and that will surely be the aim, to begin with. If they can deliver a win, in a group alongside Netherlands, Senegal, and Ecuador, it would be a special moment - advance to the knockout stages and it really would be a significant achievement. They are, however, expected to struggle in Group A, even with the home support behind them.
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Qatar World Cup 2022
Overall, Southgate has done a fine job since taking over in difficult circumstances in 2016. Indeed, the statistics show that he is England's most successful manager since Alf Ramsey. However, there are question marks over his tactics, with his critics arguing that his preferred 3-4-3 formation, with two defensive midfielders stationed in front of the backline, is too conservative, and fails to make full use of the vast array of attacking talents he has at his disposal.
Harry Kane will be eyeing a repeat of 2018, when he claimed the Golden Boot after running amok against weak opposition in the group stage, while Phil Foden should prove himself one of the best young players on the planet - if Southgate selects him ahead of the more defensively minded Mason Mount of course. England's key man, though, could be teenage sensation Jude Bellingham, the prodigiously gifted, all-action Borussia Dortmund midfielder who has already taken the Champions League by storm.
Lowered considerably after a disastrous Nations League campaign that featured home-and-away losses to Hungary, including a humiliating 4-0 humbling at Molineux which ended with some fans calling for Southgate to be sacked. Still, he retains the full support of not only the FA but also his players, who produced a stirring comeback in a 3-3 draw with Germany. It's also worth noting that England once again has a very favorable draw and should easily make the quarter-finals. They have the talent to go further.
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A treble-winner with Barcelona, Luis Enrique is regarded as one of the brightest coaches in the international game today, and his results in charge of Spain have largely been positive. He is not afraid to rotate heavily from game to game and has handed out debuts and call-ups to a host of young, in-form players instead of picking more experienced heads. That has led to some fans - particularly those of a Real Madrid persuasion - criticizing his methods, but for the most part, they are working.
The breakout star of Euro 2020, Pedri will be expected to confirm himself among the world’s best midfielders in Qatar, even though the Barcelona man will still only be 19 when the tournament kicks off. He will be joined in midfield by fellow Barca teenager Gavi - himself only 18 - for what many Spain fans hope will be the first major finals of many that the pair can run the show in. The much-maligned Alvaro Morata, meanwhile, is out to prove that he remains one of Europe’s most underrated strikers, even if his finishing is not always up to scratch.
Being drawn into a group alongside Germany does mean that Spain will enter the tournament with some immediate jeopardy to overcome. Regardless, the expectation back home will be to at least match their run to the final four from the Euros, with winning the whole competition certainly not out of the question. To do that, they may well need to top their group, so a slow start will not be acceptable.
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England World Cup 2022
Spain World Cup 2022
Gustavo Alfaro took over 30 days before Ecuador's opening qualifier against Argentina and discovered that a disturbing amount of players had lost interest in playing for the struggling and divided national team. The Argentine quickly revived the squad, both with his motivational skills and his shrewd decision to put his faith in several members of the Under-20s. The net result was the youngest panel in CONMEBOL qualifying holding both Argentina and Brazil to draws at home, as well as routing Colombia 6-1.
Moises Caicedo was given his international debut in Alfaro's first game, a 1-0 loss to Argentino in Buenos Aires, and the midfielder is the undoubted pick of Ecuador's exciting crop of youngsters. Indeed, after making a massive impact at Brighton, whom he joined last year, the 20-year-old is widely expected to move to one of the Premier League's top teams next summer. However, Ecuador's hopes hinge upon Enner Valencia. He's not just the skipper, he's also his country's all-time leading scorer. Shot-shy Ecuador desperately needs Valencia to carry over his fine form at Fenerbahce this season if they are to make it out of their group.
The draw has undoubtedly boosted their hopes of at least matching their best-ever showing at the finals: a last-16 appearance in 2006. Everything hinges on the tournament-opening clash with Qatar. Hit the ground running by beating the hosts and Ecuador might well be capable of taking points off the Netherlands and/or Senegal. This, after all, is a team that hasn't conceded a goal in its past five matches. However, the big concern is the lack of goals.
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Ecuador World Cup 2022
Carlos Queiroz is without a doubt one of the most experienced coaches around at the World Cup and he has shown time and time again that he has that rare ability to get the best out of his players. He previously managed Iran at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, before leaving to take charge of first Colombia and then Egypt. He couldn't say no when Iran came knocking again in September, though and is now in charge of his third World Cup with Team Melli.
Mehdi Taremi is Iran's undisputed star player and the Porto man has been in fine form both domestically and in the Champions League in 2022-23. There's far more to the Iranian attack, though, with Serdar Azmoun and Karim Ansarifard set to complete their dangerous front three.
Iran has never made it out of the group stages at the World Cup, so doing so this time around would be considered a big success. They came close in 2018 with four points from three games and will be aiming to do even better in Qatar.
Frenchman Herve Renard has been in charge of the Saudi Arabia national team since 2019, after leaving Morocco following a disappointing AFCON finals performance. He has, however, won that tournament twice before, with Zambia and Ivory Coast respectively, and has delivered more wins for Saudi Arabia than any other foreign manager.
Center-back duo Abdulelah Al-Amri and Ali Al-Bulaihi are likely to have pivotal roles to play for Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, especially if they're going to pick up any points. First-choice goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais will be responsible for providing the last line of defense and if he has a strong tournament, the Saudis certainly won't be disgraced in Qatar.
After reaching the round of 16 in 1994, Saudi Arabia hasn't made it out of the group stage in their subsequent four appearances at World Cups. They will be desperate to change that in Qatar, although a difficult group awaits them, with Argentina, Poland, and Mexico as their opponents. A win, as they managed against Egypt in 2018, would certainly be greeted with jubilation back home.
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Iran National Football Team
After stints as caretaker, assistant, and Under-23 manager, Graham Arnold was finally handed the top job in Australian football back in 2018. His first major tournament was a disaster, with the Socceroos crashing out of the 2019 Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage. The mood was pretty hostile before their miraculous qualification, and poor performance in Qatar could see him dismissed.
This Australian side lacks a bonafide star in the mold of Tim Cahill or Harry Kewell, but they are not entirely without talent. Mathew Ryan remains a solid goalkeeper, while Aaron Mooy’s pinpoint delivery will be key as his side looks to maximize their set-piece opportunities. The vastly-experienced Matthew Leckie will be their main source of goals.
Australia has been placed in a tough group alongside France, Denmark, and Tunisia, meaning their chances of progression are slim. They’ll be hoping for a French meltdown, but realistically no one is expecting them to pull up any trees. Scoring a few goals would be nice.
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Saudi Arabia National Football Team
Australia National Football Team
Costa Rica has had four managers since Oscar Ramirez was axed following the last World Cup. Currently in the ejector seat is Colombian Luis Fernandez Suarez, who has previously excelled in tournament football. In 2006, he led Ecuador to the second round in Germany, leading them to group-stage victories over Poland and, ironically, Costa Rica.
He may be 35 and he may have been ousted at PSG by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Keylor Navas remains his country’s most vital cog. He’s not getting many club minutes at the moment so could be coming into the tournament cold, but he is a guaranteed starter. Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz are still kicking around too at a combined age of 67.
A repeat of their 2014 quarter-final appearances seems unlikely this time around, but stranger things have happened. Progression to the knockout stages would represent a very good World Cup, but if that’s not on the cards, winning a game - as they failed to do in 2018 - is a more achievable goal.
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Costa Rica National Football Team
English-born John Herdman deserves so much credit for what he's done with Candian soccer, having first taken the helm of the women's team before being appointed men's manager in 2018. In the years since he's helped Canada reach the top of CONCACAF while building a team culture that has been bought into by all of the country's top young stars.
Alphonso Davies is Canada's first true superstar, and what a player he is. Blessed with incredible pace, Davies has been able to take his game to an even higher level with Bayern Munich, asserting himself as one of the best left-backs in the world. He plays a more attacking role for Canada than he does with Bayern, though, with his country asking him to help lead them to a new level alongside the likes of Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, both reliable goalscorers in top European leagues.
It was a tough draw for Canada, who will face off against two European veterans and a Moroccan team loaded with experienced talent. Getting past both Belgium will be a difficult ask for Canada, who would be extremely happy if they were to somehow push their way into the knockouts.
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Canada National Football Team
After losing to Scotland in the Euro 2020 play-off on penalties, it was time for a change in the Serbia national team set-up. In came Dragan Stojkovic, and what a remarkable impact he's had. The 57-year-old, who had spent his entire coaching career in Asia before taking the Serbia job in March 2021, has won an impressive 13 of his 20 matches in charge, losing just three times and successfully steering them to the World Cup.
Serbia will be looking to their front two to guide them as far as possible in Qatar. In Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, they have the firepower to trouble any opponent, with the former having scored six times in his last four international appearances. Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is another one to watch and is having a storming season in Serie A.
They may be in the same group as competition favorites Brazil, but Serbia should be taken very seriously. The aim will be to qualify out of Group G with the Selecao, whom they were also paired with at World Cup 2018. Cameroon and Switzerland are the other opponents standing in the Balkan nation's way, and for that reason, they will be confident of progression.
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Serbia National Football Team
Ghana had not been in great form when Addo took over ahead of the decisive World Cup qualification play-offs, but he got the job done by dramatically beating Nigeria. The inexperienced coach now gets the chance to show what can do on the biggest stage and a strong run in Qatar could give his coaching career a major boost.
Andre and Jordan Ayew have been leading the way for Ghana for years, but they've got some high-profile support in attack following Inaki Williams' decision to switch allegiances and represent the Black Stars. The Athletic Bilbao forward possesses impressive pace and has an eye for goal to go with it.
Ghana failed to qualify for the 2018 edition of the tournament and will be determined to show the world they do belong at the biggest stage of all. It will not be easy to make it out of the group stages, but that will most certainly be the goal for the Black Stars.
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Ghana National Football Team
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