FIFA World Cup 2022 will see 32 teams battle it out for the trophy over 64 games beginning November 20 in Qatar.
The teams for football’s biggest tournament have been drawn into eight groups of four teams each and the top two teams from each group will make the cut for the round of 16 or the pre-quarterfinals.
Group F of the Qatar World Cup has two clear favourites in Belgium and Croatia.
Which teams are there in Group F?
Group F of the 2022 FIFA World Cup has Belgium, Croatia, Canada and Morocco.
Who is expected to qualify for the Round of 16 from Group F?
Belgium and Croatia are the favourite teams to qualify for the Round of 16 from Group F.
Belgium, which is second in the FIFA rankings, is the highest-ranked team in the group. Belgium was actually one of the favourites to win the World Cup in 2018 but could only manage a third-placed finish. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Belgium is not a hot pick but still possesses enough talent to go deep in the tournament. Roberto Martinez’s Belgium qualified for the Qatar World Cup after finishing top of the Group E UEFA qualifiers. It did not lose a single match in its qualifying campaign, scoring 25 goals and conceding six.
Croatia defied all odds to reach the final of the 2018 World Cup where it lost to France. It is unlikely that Croatia will enjoy a similar run as it did in 2018 but the Vatreni still have a talented squad, rich with experience. Croatia qualified for the Qatar World Cup after finishing top of Group H of the UEFA qualifiers. It scored 21 goals in its qualifying campaign and conceded four.
The underdog from North America
Canada is one of the biggest underdogs of the 2022 World Cup. Bookmakers have placed Canada as the least favourite team to qualify from Group F. Canada had an excellent qualification campaign. It finished as the winner of the CONCACAF third round of qualifiers ahead of the United States of America, Mexico and Costa Rica. It had an 11-game unbeaten run and scored 54 goals in the qualifiers. With a FIFA rank of 41, it is the lowest-ranked team in the group but the Canadians have the ability to pack a punch in the 2022 World Cup.
The Atlas Lions
Morocco lost a chunk of important players but managed to qualify for the tournament. The Atlas Lions will miss the likes of Medhi Benatia, Karim El Ahmadi, Mbark Boussoufa and Nordin Amrabat but also have exciting players in Romain Saïss, Achraf Hakimi and Yassine Bounou.
Round of 16 qualification looks difficult for Morocco as it would face tough challenges for Spain and Germany. Canada might also prove to be a tricky opponent.
Comments
SHARE