World Cup favourites eye glory in Qatar
Brazil are the in-form team, but France, Argentina and England should put up a good fight
THERE are just 22 days to go until the Fifa World Cup begins in Qatar, and it’s quite puzzling why there doesn’t seem to be that usual buzz in the air yet, even though the big kick-off is looming large.
Perhaps it’s because the broadcast details and subscription prices have yet to be announced in Singapore, as of press time on Friday (Oct 28) night. The last we heard on this was back in August, when national broadcaster Mediacorp said it was partnering Singtel and StarHub in negotiations to secure the rights.
What we do know is that Mediacorp will beam nine of the 64 matches on its free-to-air channels, and these are likely to be the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador on Nov 20, five group matches, both semi-finals, and the final on Dec 18.
Four years after France won the trophy in Russia, 32 teams are ready to compete at the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East, and the first to take place outside of the usual June-July period.
In the first of a four-part series on the World Cup, BT Weekend looks at four countries that are the heavy favourites to do well at the quadrennial tournament.
Brazil
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The Samba Kings have not tasted World Cup glory since 2002, and every Brazilian fan will argue that is 20 years too long for this football-mad nation.
The five-time champions have a squad that is loaded with talented superstars, including the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Jr, Alisson, Gabriel Jesus and Casemiro. It’s little wonder the bookmakers are giving measly odds of just 4-to-1 for Brazil to lift the trophy.
Brazil are still smarting from the disappointment of their last two World Cups, which saw them tumble out in the semi-finals after a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany in 2014, and a 2-1 loss to Belgium in the quarter-finals in 2018.
Brazil are in Group G and they begin their campaign against Serbia on Nov 25, followed by games with Switzerland (Nov 28) and Cameroon (Dec 3).
France
If the defending champions want to retain their crown, they will have to accomplish something they have not done in 36 years - and that’s advancing past the quarter-finals at a World Cup held outside of Europe.
What’s more, they also have to overcome the so-called “winners’ curse”, as four of the last five World Cup winners failed to make it out of the group stage at the next edition.
That said, France have an embarrassment of riches in their squad, especially up front where coach Didier Deschamps can field the lethal duo of Kylian Mbappe and new Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema. The latter was awarded the title of the best footballer of the year after he scored 44 goals in just 46 games for Real Madrid, leading them to the Champions League and the La Liga title last season.
There are world-class players in every position, including goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (who will break the all-time national team appearances record if he plays at least four times in Qatar), midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and defender William Saliba.
France are in Group D and they will play Australia (Nov 23), Denmark (Nov 26) and Tunisia (Nov 30).
Argentina
Copa America winners Argentina travel to Qatar for what will be 35-year-old Lionel Messi’s final appearance on football’s grandest international stage. Believe it or not, Messi wasn’t even born the last time Argentina won the World Cup in 1986, when his idol Diego Maradona - the captain of the team - lifted the trophy.
Manager Leo Scaloni has done well to groom this squad into world-beaters, and that’s evidenced by an impressive 34-match unbeaten run (just one shy of Italy’s record of 35) going into this World Cup. Besides Messi, the main stars of the current team include Paulo Dybala, Lisandro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez.
Argentina should have few problems topping Group C, where they will face Saudi Arabia on Nov 22, before squaring off against Mexico (Nov 27) and Poland (Dec 1).
England
The Three Lions have reason to feel they are on the cusp of a breakthrough, especially after getting to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and a runner-up finish at last year’s Euro 2020 tournament.
England have endured years of hurt at major events, having won their one and only World Cup back in 1966 when they were hosts. Since then, they have largely underperformed, although manager Gareth Southgate does deserve some credit for his achievements since taking over the hot seat six years ago.
One thing’s for certain is that England must play better than they did at the recent Nations League, when they finished bottom of their group and were relegated to the “B” League.
The team will once again rely on Harry Kane for the goals, although Southgate has plenty of attacking options at his disposal including Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling.
England find themselves in Group B as they prepare to play Iran (Nov 21), the United States (Nov 26) and Wales (Nov 30).
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