World Cup 2022 Group A Preview: Netherlands look the team to beat

The tournament in Qatar is almost upon us, and Group A World Cup looks like being one of the most open and unpredictable of the first round. Let’s take a look at how all four Group A teams might get on this winter.

Qatar

In the World Cup qualifiers, Group A teams made it to the tournament in different ways. As host nation Qatar were handed an automatic spot, and their position in Pot One alongside the likes of Brazil, France and Spain allowed them to avoid many of the heavyweight teams in the group stage draw.

The Qatar FIFA ranking of 51st does not tell the full story. It is true that the tiny Middle Eastern country has little in the way of footballing heritage, but the government’s huge investment into the sport over the last decade or so helped Qatar to triumph at the Asian Cup in 2019. 

The Qatar World Cup 2022 fixtures are favourable, with their toughest game against the Netherlands coming on matchday three. The main question mark is over how well the players will handle the pressure on home soil.

Ecuador

Brazil’s manager Tite believes the Ecuador World Cup team could surprise one or two people later this year. They certainly qualified in impressive fashion, finishing ahead of Peru, Colombia and Chile – each of whom was more fancied to make it to Qatar when the campaign began two years ago.

Only Brazil scored more goals than Ecuador in qualifying, although it is a slight cause for concern that most of the points they accumulated came in the high-altitude environment of Quito.

The Ecuador team 2022 will look to do damage to their Group A opponents on the counter-attack, but whether they are sufficiently solid defensively to reach the knockout phase remains to be seen.

Louis van Gaal's Netherlands side enjoyed a fine Nations League campaign in June, and are now ranked 10th in the world

Senegal 

The Senegal World Cup team of 2002 was one of that tournament’s surprise packages, and Aliou Cisse’s side will be looking to replicate that quarter-final appearance in Japan and South Korea.

Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, beating Egypt in the final. They then overcame the same opposition in Africa’s World Cup qualification playoffs, with Sadio Mane inspiring his country to victory over Mohamed Salah for a second time. 

Mane is the undoubted star of the Senegal team 2022, but Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye are fine players too. The Lions of Teranga will open the tournament against the Dutch on November 21.

Netherlands

After missing out on the 2018 World Cup, the Netherlands are back on the big stage and looking to make up for lost time. 

Louis van Gaal’s side were among Europe’s most impressive performers in the Nations League matches that took place in June, and the Netherlands FIFA ranking of 10th indicates that the three-time World Cup runners-up are potential dark horses this time around.

The Netherlands team 2022 possesses two of the best centre-backs in the world in Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt, while there is plenty of talent in midfield and attack too. Van Gaal has already led his country to the semi-finals of a World Cup, and he may well do so again in Qatar.

Verdict

The Netherlands should top the group, although they may struggle to amass maximum points. The race for second is wide open but as African champions, Senegal probably have the edge over Ecuador and Qatar.