The World Cup is Sunday! With the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador approaching, RTSsport immerses you in the most prestigious football competition. Discover the 32 countries, divided into 8 groups, who will compete from 20 November in Qatar.
Holland, absent from Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, then ingloriously eliminated in the round of 16 of Euro 2020 by the Czech Republic, has got back into the game and is approaching this Qatar World Cup with confidence. After a steady qualifier that saw them top a strong group that included Turkey and Norway, Louis van Gaal’s men impressed in the League of Nations and progressed brilliantly for the semi-finals.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) and Cie are therefore naturally the favorites of a group A formed by Senegal, the only African nation to have the status of favorites for qualifying for this World Cup, of the astonishing Ecuadorian team, which managed to extricate itself from the qualifiers of the South American area, as well as from Qatar, the organizing country, which will try to surprise for its first participation in a World Cup.
ECUADOR
After causing major problems for the Swiss team at the 2014 World Cup (Switzerland won 2-1 in the 93rd minute), Ecuador sat out 2018. Now coached by Argentinean Gustavo Alfaro, the new Ecuadorian generation is surprising. Qualifying for the World Cup is not an easy task, but perhaps even more so when you have to navigate the qualifiers in the South American zone. Brazil and Argentina almost automatically monopolize the first 2 tickets, you have to fight hard to win one of the remaining 2 tickets. But that’s what the star Enner Valencia’s (Fenerbahçe) teammates managed to do, as they managed to beat Peru, Colombia and Chile in particular to be away in Qatar. All dreams are now permitted, in a group that we will qualify as accessible.
HOLLAND
They are “THE” big favorites in this group A. After the failure in 2018 when they missed the event in Russia, the Netherlands have big ambitions for this World Cup. The Batavians are indeed in top form. Very simple: from the Czechs’ elimination in the round of 16 of Euro 2020, the “Oranje” remain 15 games without defeat. Coach Louis van Gaal will be able to count above all on an iron defense, with big names in European football such as Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich) and Stefan de Vrij (Inter).
QATAR
What can we expect from Qatar for its first participation in a World Cup, which is more in front of its public? This is one of the many questions surrounding this World Cup. A country without international references for many years, Qatar gained credibility by becoming Asian champions in 2019, dominating Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan along the way. Just that! Composed only of players playing in its national league, this team has assets to establish and recent references with in particular a participation in the Copa America for which it had received an invitation. She came out with part of the match against Paraguay and 2 short defeats against Colombia and Argentina. Encouraging.
SENEGAL
Senegal has been one of the hottest nations in recent months. Winner of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations at the expense of Egypt before eliminating Egypt themselves in the play-offs of this World Cup (each time on penalties), Aliou Cissé’s side are on the rise. The best-armed African nation at this World Cup can boast of having a large number of talented players in its workforce. Do we still have to introduce Sadio Mané, the master of the Teranga Lions? It remains to be seen whether the Bayern Munich player, hit by a kneecap, will be able to play… Knowing that next to the former Liverpool player, we find Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea) or even Idrissa Gueye (Everton) , Senegal looks good.
find later in the article the presentation sheets of the teams as well as the program and the standings of the group.
Thomas Zinguinian – @ZinguinianT
