The FIFA World Cup brings all of the best footballing nations together for one tournament every four years, but not every team has it easy.
For smaller nations that don’t have the luxury of fielding world-class talent all across the pitch, it can be a gargantuan task to advance past the group stage and into the knockout rounds.
In 2022 it will be no different. Let’s take a look at five nations that did not have the luck of the draw when the action commences in Qatar:
Saudi Arabia, Group C
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It’s been a tough stretch for Saudi Arabia since making it to the Round of 16 in their World Cup debut in 1994. In four World Cup appearances since then (1998, 2002, 2006, 2018), the Falcons have won just one of 12 games, including two draws. One of those losses was a 8-0 drubbing against Germany in 2002. But it’s another difficult group in 2022, with Argentina, Mexico and Poland all vying for a top-two finish.
Japan, Group E
While there’s no clear-cut “Group of Death” in 2022, Group E definitely has a case. Germany and Spain are two historical international powerhouses and Costa Rica’s miraculous 2014 run is still embedded in many fans’ minds. So that leaves Japan out of the equation, as it has never made it past the Round of 16. Japan made its World Cup debut in 1998 and has qualified every time since, but it lost the Round of 16 knockout game in 2002, 2010 and 2018. Players like Takehiro Tomiyasu, Takefusa Kubo and Ritsu Doan are rising at the club level and will be tough to beat, but this wasn’t an ideal draw for the Samurai Blue.
Canada, Group F
After ending a 36-year drought, Canada is back in 2022 in its second ever World Cup appearance. It last made the quadrennial tournament in 1986 but lost all three group stage games and finished dead last out of 24 teams. However, it won’t be any easier in Qatar as Belgium and 2018 runner-up Croatia are the headliners in Group F, with Morocco rounding it out. Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David will have to go big if they want to lift Les Rouges past the group stage for the first time ever.
Korea Republic, Group H
South Korea has 10 World Cup appearances to its name, with its best finish coming in 2002 as the host nation. Korea finished in fourth place after losing the third-place game against Turkey but have seen little success since. Making it out of a Group H in 2022 that includes Portugal and Uruguay is already an uphill climb, but Ghana is a rising nation that should be tough to beat if healthy, too. Led by Heung-min Son, let’s see what Korea can do in Qatar.
Qatar, Group A
For its first ever World Cup appearance and as the host nation, Qatar has a burdensome path to making a shock run to the group stage. Never say never in this sport, but Netherlands is the clear favorite to top the group, Senegal is a rising country and a key underdog and Ecuador is a youthful, scrappy team of growing quality. Maybe Qatar can get a result on opening day against Ecuador and turn some heads, but it doesn’t look like the Maroon will stay on the pitch for long.
