World Cup 2022 Group F: Belgium and Croatia can emerge from tricky test

Group F of the 2022 World Cup includes Belgium, Canada, Morocco and 2018 runners-up Croatia, and looks like a tough pool to predict.

Dangerous outsiders

While the European sides start as clear favourites to progress, they find themselves up against two dangerous outsiders and this could prove a difficult pool for any team to negotiate. 

Matches in Group F will begin on the third day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 23 November, and will conclude 1 December. Each of the top two teams will progress to the knockout stages of the tournament, with the other two nations eliminated.

Which teams are in Group F at the World Cup?

Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia are in this pool. It promises to be a difficult group to call. Belgium remain well placed in the FIFA Ranking but have been on a slide lately, while Croatia enjoyed a stellar run in 2018.

Group F World Cup fixtures

• 23 November, 10am: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
• 23 November, 7pm: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 27 November, 1pm: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)
• 27 November, 4pm: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 1 December, 3pm: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 1 December, 3pm: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)

Belgium: FIFA Ranking, Squad, Fixtures 

Belgium are No.2 on the FIFA Ranking behind only Brazil. Roberto Martinez’s side claimed top place in 2018 and had held onto it for the best part of four years before being dethroned in March 2022. 

Roberto Martinez’s side have long been considered a golden generation, but despite topping the FIFA Ranking, they have struggled to make a big impression in a major tournament. This could be the last chance for a generation that includes the likes of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. 

They did, of course, reach the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which was comfortably their best showing at such a competition. Although they defeated Brazil, they were subsequently knocked out by France, although they sealed third spot with a comfortable victory over England.

Their squad is full of household names but is starting to age, with many of their most important players now comfortably into their 30s. Kevin De Bruyne will be key to their hopes of a successful run at the 2022 World Cup, where rising stars Charles De Ketelaere and Alexis Saelemaekers will hope to explode onto the global stage. 

Belgium qualified for the World Cup undefeated in Group E, which contained Wales, Czech Republic, Estonia and Belarus.

Belgium’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 23 November, 7pm: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 27 November, 1pm: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)
• 1 December, 3pm: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

Canada: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad

Canada are 43 on the FIFA Ranking, but they are a side that should not be underestimated after a string of impressive performances and results. Indeed, this is a historic time for Canada, whose best position on the FIFA Ranking is 40, with their average 79. 

This is not Canada’s first World Cup finals, though. In 1986, they made it to Mexico but suffered three successive defeats without even scoring a goal. They will be hoping for better at Qatar 2022, while they will definitely be at the 2026 edition as they will qualify as co-hosts. 

The Canada team is young and exciting, possessing the likes of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, but it is anchored by veteran midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. If anything, this is a squad that should be even better in four years. 

Canada’s qualified for the 2022 World Cup in formidable style. They won Group B in the first round thanks to four straight victories, in which they scored 27 goals and conceded only one. They then eased past Haiti over two legs 4-0 to reach the ‘Octagonal’ – an eight-team group stage. Here, they stunned CONCACAF giants Mexico and USA to win the group. Canada’s qualification run was notable for their 2-0 home win over the USA, their first success over their neighbours in World Cup qualifying. 

Canada’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 23 November, 7pm: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 27 November, 4pm: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 1 December, 3pm: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)

Morocco: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad 

Morocco are 22 on the FIFA Ranking, making them the second best placed African side behind continental champions Senegal. For a nation that averages a spot of 45th on this list, it is a fine achievement, but still someway behind their highest FIFA Ranking of 10, which was achieved way back in 1998. Nevertheless, they have climbed the list sharply in recent months. 

Morocco qualified for the 2022 World Cup via the cut-throat African qualifiers. After a first-round bye, they powered through Group I, winning all six of their fixtures to book a place in the knockout round. Here, they overcame DR Congo 5-2 on aggregate to secure their spot in Qatar. 

This will be their fifth appearance at a World Cup finals. Only once previously have they come through the group stage, back in 1986. They came close in 1998, too, but Norway’s shock win over Brazil saw them eliminated. 

Morocco’s World Cup squad is likely to lean heavily on its players based in Europe’s big five leagues, such as Youssef En-Nesyri of Sevilla and new West Ham signing Nayef Aguerd. One man who is set to be notably absent from the squad is Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, who has retired from international duty along with Bayern Munich full-back Noussaid Mazraoui. 

Morocco’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 23 November, 10am: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
• 27 November, 1pm: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)
• 1 December, 3pm: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)

Croatia have finished in second and third position in World Cups, despite being a relatively young country

Croatia: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad

Croatia are at 16 on the FIFA Ranking, which marks a sharp decline from their position after the 2018 World Cup, when they finished as runners-up to France after a 4-2 defeat in Moscow. Indeed, they fell as low as 18 on the FIFA Ranking but have bounced back somewhat this year. 

Croatia have fared well at World Cup finals in the past for such a young country. This is their sixth qualification, with a third place and a second place achieved previously. Meanwhile, they were knocked out in the last 16 of Euro 2020 last summer. 

Croatia’s World Cup qualification was achieved almost at the last moment. Going into the final group match against Russia, they trailed their opponents by two points. Needing victory, they got it thanks to an own goal in the last 10 minutes. Subsequent events might have meant they would have qualified for the World Cup in any case. 

The Croatia squad for the 2022 World Cup will be led by Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and will largely be drawn from players in Europe’s Big 5 leagues. They have a wealth of experience throughout their team, but an underlying weakness could be a lack of goals. Their World Cup squad is likely to have only three players with 10 international goals or more – Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric and Modric. 

Croatia’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 23 November, 10am: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
• 27 November, 4pm: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 1 December, 3pm: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

Verdict

On paper, Croatia and Belgium should be the strongest sides. However, this is a group fraught with difficulty. In particular, Croatia’s match against Morocco in the heat of the day could be hugely influential in the outcome of the group. Belgium’s fixture list is kinder, and that could be the difference between first and second.