Defending champion France has been placed in a relatively easy group for the FIFA World Cup 2022, alongside Denmark, Tunisia and the Inter-continental playoffs (1) winner.
The draw ceremony was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center here on Friday. The World Cup will commence on November 21 in Qatar.
European heavyweights Spain and Germany will clash in an exciting Group ‘E’ affair. Japan and the Intercontinental playoff 2 winner are the other two sides in the group.
Fan favourite and UEFA Euro 2020 runner-up England received a favourable draw, placed with Iran, USA, and the European playoff winner in Group ‘B’. England coach Gareth Southgate will believe that his side has a good chance to progress to the knockout rounds, by finishing in the top two. Iran and USA, who have engaged in politically charged World Cup outings in the past, are set to meet again.
AS IT HAPPENED:
Lionel Messi’s Argentina faces two tricky opponents in Robert Lewandowski’s Poland and Mexico. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will not have it easy either, with Luis Suarez’s Uruguay and South Korea for company. Both Messi and Ronaldo are likely to feature in their last World Cups.
Cafu (Brazil), Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia) were among the past players who made the draw.
USA’s two-time Women's World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, former England player Jermaine Jenas and British-Jamaican sports presenter Samantha Johnson hosted the draw.
The Intercontinental World Cup playoffs
The two intercontinental World Cup play-off matchups in June will lead to one nation from four confederations — AFC, CONCAF, CONMEBOL and OFC — playing against another in a one-off game.
The names of the three playoff participants was known at the end of March, but nation from AFC confederation won't be decided until June 7 with a playoff game between the two Asian nations who finished third in their groups scheduled for that date.
The groupings:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Peru/Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
(The author is in Doha on invitation from Qatar Tourism)
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