We’re finally drawing close to yet another FIFA World Cup, this time to be held in Qatar, marking the first edition to be hosted by an Arab nation and the second edition to be held entirely in Asia. This year’s tournament will also mark the last to involve 32 teams, since there’s an increase to 48 teams scheduled for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 18 2022, with the group stage running through December 2, and the knockout stage scheduled to start on December 3 with the Round of 16. The final match will be played on Qatar National Day at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Due to the extreme heat in Qatar during the summer, the World Cup will be held from late November to mid-December, making it the first tournament not to be hosted in May, June, or July; it will also be played over a shorter period of time, roughly 28 days.
On March 30, 2022, the official match ball, the “Al Rihla,” was unveiled. It was mostly influenced by Qatar’s culture, architecture, iconic boats, and the country’s flag. The word Al Rihla means “the journey” in Arabic. According to Adidas, “the ball was designed with sustainability as a priority, making it the first ever official match ball created with water-based glues and inks”. The official mascot of the tournament was revealed on April 1, 2022, during the group stage draw. Its name is La’eeb, which is an Arabic term that means “super-talented player.”
France are the defending champions, after having beaten Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. However, according to bookmakers and analysts at us-bookies.com, Brazil are the odds-on favorites to win the tournament, at +450 odds, with France and England as second-favorites at +600 odds. At +750 odds, Spain and Argentina are also among the favorites to claim this year’s title.
Brazil
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Despite being ranked as favorites by several bookmakers, sportsbooks, analysts and pundits, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding the Brazilian national team. The lack of matches against top-tier teams, especially the Europeans, is cited as one of main reasons as to why the Seleção still has a lot to prove.
However, with an incredibly talented group of players that include Neymar, Alisson Becker, Thiago Silva, Richarlison, and Vinícius Junior, it’s hard to count Brazil out, particularly considering the consistency the team has been showing under head coach Tite.
The Brazilians were seeded into Group G, alongside Serbia and Switzerland (who were also seeded into the same group as Brazil in the 2018 World Cup), and Cameroon. They played their opening match against Serbia on November 24.
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The defending champions remain one of the strongest sides in international football, with the likes of Kyllian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, and N’Golo Kanté leading Les Bleus to significant results in the past few months, despite a disappointing campaign in the UEFA Euro 2020.
France, however, has gone undefeated since that early exit, and they returned to form by winning the Nations League against Spain in October 2021. It’s hard to identify a flaw in Didier Deschamps’ team, which has undoubtedly become stronger since 2018.
Les Bleus were drawn into Group D, alongside Denmark, Tunisia, and the winners of the AFC-CONMEBOL playoffs. The French play their first match on November 22 against the playoff winners.
Other contenders
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England are also among the favorites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and it finally might be true that “football is coming home”. With a skillful squad led by Tottenham Hotspurs striker Harry Kane under head coach Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions have evolved into a squad that performs in major competitions, after failing to live up to the hype in so many past World Cups and European Championships. They were seeded into Group B, alongside the United States, the UEFA playoffs winners, and Iran, with whom they play their first match on November 21.
After coming within a penalty shootout of reaching the UEFA Euro 2020 final, Spain has evolved into a competitive team, and the quality within Luis Enrique’s squad make the Spaniards a serious threat in the upcoming tournament. La Furia was drawn into Group E with Germany, Japan, and the winners of the CONCACAF-OFC playoffs, with whom they play their opening match on November 23.Finally, Argentina are also among the favorites, and the team led by legend Lionel Messi is under huge pressure to put up a good fight in Qatar. Coach Lionel Scaloni, on the other hand, faces a monumental task if Argentina is to win its first World Cup since 1986. Argentina is on a 30-game undefeated streak dating back to a Copa America loss to Brazil in July 2019, but the match against Italy at Wembley in June may provide a better indication of how strong they truly are. They were seeded into Group C alongside Saudi Arabia – their first opponents in the tournament – Mexico, and Poland