In less than a week, the 32 best football-playing nations in the world will converge on Qatar to determine which team is the ultimate champion. With teams initially split into eight groups of four for the Group Stage of the tournament, this phase will spark some fascinating games before the business end of the FIFA World Cup later in November and December. We look at three of these games and break down exactly why they are going to be so important.
Qatar vs. Ecuador (Group A, November 20)
The host nation Qatar will play Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match on November 20 to kick off the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Qatar will take the field right after the opening ceremonies of the tournament in an effort to begin the World Cup with a victory. Even though this is only the first of 64 games that will take place in Qatar over the next month, the stakes could not be higher. This is Qatar’s first World Cup, and they are the only country to host one without ever having qualified for prior competitions. But a host country has only ever failed to advance past their group once, and Qatar will want to avoid being the second.
With two excellent teams in the Netherlands and Senegal making up the remainder of Group A, Qatar will need to win this one if they are to have a chance of progressing. They’ve shown positive signs in the past few years, holding their own against Brazil and climbing their way inside the world’s Top 50. Expect this one to be an enthralling match-up to start the tournament, as Ecuador is expected to be one of the teams that may surprise the football world.
England vs. Wales (Group B, November 29)
Wales has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958, and they will be eager to take advantage of this once every 64 years opportunity.
On November 29, the team plays big brothers England in a Group B matchup, and they will bet on an upset. Wales will likely be the big underdog in this match, according to the odds at https://betting.com/, considering that England is ranked No. 5 in the world while Wales is ranked 19th. Find the finest odds to use for this particular match by visiting betting sites to stay current on the most recent betting odds.
With the world No. 16 USA and No. 20 Iran all drawn in the group, Group B is also a very competitive pool. There will be a lot on the line in this matchup as England will be desperate to avoid another World Cup humiliation should either of these teams manage to pull off an upset over England in their matches prior to England vs. Wales on November 20.
Spain vs. Germany (Group E, November 27)
You read that correctly—this is a group match, not a World Cup final.
The majority of the major bookmakers rank these two teams as the fifth and sixth favourites to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022, indicating that they are both legitimate contenders for the championship this year. Spain and Germany have each won the trophy in the past 12 years, Spain in 2010 after defeating Germany in the semifinals, and Germany in 2014 after Spain was unable to advance past the Round of 16.
Spain, rated No. 7 in the world, and Germany, ranked No. 11, were both assigned to the Group E. Even though there is a good likelihood that both teams will advance to the Round of 16, this game will still be fiercely contested and serve as a benchmark for other knockout matches in the competition. Although Spain will be slightly favoured to win, this game should conclude the tournament’s group stage.
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