2022 World Cup Group A preview
Qatar
- FIFA Rank: 50th
- Qualification: Automatic (host country)
- Previous World Cup appearances: 0
- Odds to win group: +1000
- Odds to make knockout stage: +350
- Odds to win World Cup: +30000
The defending Asian Cup winners from 2019 are making their first-ever appearance at the World Cup thanks to the controversial scandal that awarded them host duties this year. None of the players on their roster play their domestic-league soccer outside of the country, so they are naturally hefty underdogs against more experienced sides within the group.
X-Factor: Almoez Ali The 26-year-old forward is Qatar’s star up front, recording 41 goals in 84 caps with the national team. He’s played his domestic soccer with Al-Duhail since 2016, but before that, he had the rare distinction of being the first Qatari soccer player to score in a Spanish league when he spent time with Cultural Leonesa in Segunda Division B.
Qatar World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Saad Al-Sheeb | Al-Sadd |
| Goalkeeper | Meshaal Barsham | Al-Sadd |
| Goalkeeper | Yousuf Hassan | Al-Gharafa |
| Defender | Pedro Miguel | Al-Sadd |
| Defender | Musaab Khidir | Al-Sadd |
| Defender | Tarek Salman | Al-Sadd |
| Defender | Bassam Al Rawi | Al-Duhail |
| Defender | Boualem Khoukhi | Al-Sadd |
| Defender | Abdelkarim Hassan | Al-Sadd |
| Defender | Ismaeel Mohammad | Al-Duhail |
| Defender | Homam Ahmed Al Amin | Al-Gharafa |
| Defender | Jassim Jabir | Al-Arabi |
| Midfielder | Ali Asad | Al-Sadd |
| Midfielder | Assim Madibo | Al-Duhail |
| Midfielder | Mohammed Waad | Al-Sadd |
| Midfielder | Salem Al-Hajri | Al-Sadd |
| Midfielder | Mustafa Meshaal Tarek | Al-Sadd |
| Midfielder | Karim Boudiaf | Al-Duhail |
| Midfielder | Abdulaziz Hatim | Al-Rayyan |
| Forward | Naif Al-Hadhrami | Al-Rayyan |
| Forward | Ahmed Alaaeldin | Al-Gharafa |
| Forward | Hassan Al-Haydos | Al-Sadd |
| Forward | Akram Afif | Al-Sadd |
| Forward | Almoez Ali | Al-Duhail |
| Forward | Mohammed Muntari | Al-Duhail |
| Forward | Khalid Muneer | Al-Wakrah |
Ecuador
- FIFA Rank: 44th
- Qualification: 4th in COMNEBOL
- Previous World Cup appearances: 3
- Best finish: Round of 16 (2006)
- Odds to win group: +500
- Odds to make knockout stage: +100
- Odds to win World Cup: +15000
A younger side is quick on the ball and defensively stout at times, but a lack of legitimate goal-scoring menace could prove problematic for La Tri. Their best chance of success is to live and die by the counter-attack.
X-Factor: Moises Caicedo There is no player more indicative of Ecuador’s style than Caicedo — a 20-year-old midfielder that is plying his trade with Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently sit sixth in the Premier League. He will be the engine that makes Ecuador go.
Ecuador World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Hernan Galindez | Aucas |
| Goalkeeper | Moises Ramirez | Independiente del Valle |
| Goalkeeper | Alexander Dominguez | LDU Quito |
| Defender | Piero Hincapie | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Defender | Robert Arboleda | Sao Paolo |
| Defender | Felix Torres | Santos Laguna |
| Defender | William Pacho | Antwerp |
| Defender | Pervis Estupinan | Brighton |
| Defender | Angelo Preciado | Genk |
| Defender | Xavier Arreaga | Seattle Sounders |
| Defender | Diego Palacios | LAFC |
| Defender | Jackson Porozo | Troyes |
| Midfielder | Jose Cifuentes | LAFC |
| Midfielder | Carlos Gruezo | Augsburg |
| Midfielder | Angel Mena | Leon |
| Midfielder | Jeremy Sarmiento | Brighton |
| Midfielder | Jhegson Mendez | LAFC |
| Midfielder | Gonzalo Plata | Real Valladolid |
| Midfielder | Alan Franco | Talleres |
| Midfielder | Moises Caicedo | Brighton |
| Midfielder | Kevin Rodriguez | Imbabura |
| Forward | Djorkaeff Reasco | Newell’s Old Boys |
| Forward | Enner Valencia | Fenerbahce |
| Forward | Michael Estrada | Cruz Azul |
| Forward | Aytron Preciado | Santos Laguna |
| Forward | Romario Ibarra | Pachuca |
Netherlands
- FIFA Rank: 8th
- Qualification: UEFA Group G winners
- Previous World Cup appearances: 10
- Best finish: 2nd place (1974, 1978, 2010)
- Odds to win group: -280
- Odds to make knockout stage: -1200
- Odds to win World Cup: +1200
Three times a bridesmaid, the Netherlands has never tasted ultimate World Cup glory. After losing to Spain in the final in 2010 and finishing third in Brazil four years later, the Oranje shockingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Back in 2022, they’re the clear-cut favorites to win the group thanks to a resolute defense anchored by Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk.
X-Factor: Frenkie de Jong The Netherlands’ largest weakness is a midfield that lacks width and some imagination, so it will be up to de Jong — who plays his club soccer with the Spanish giants Barcelona — to inspire the Dutch in Qatar.
Netherlands World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Andries Noppert | Heerenveen |
| Goalkeeper | Remko Pasveer | Ajax |
| Goalkeeper | Justin Bijlow | Feyenoord |
| Defender | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool |
| Defender | Nathan Ake | Manchester City |
| Defender | Daley Blind | Ajax |
| Defender | Stefan de Vrij | Inter Milan |
| Defender | Denzel Dumfries | Inter Milan |
| Defender | Tyrell Malacia | Manchester United |
| Defender | Jurrien Timber | Ajax |
| Defender | Jeremie Frimpong | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Defender | Matthijs de Ligt | Bayern Munich |
| Midfielder | Steven Berghuis | Ajax |
| Midfielder | Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Davy Klaassen | Ajax |
| Midfielder | Marten de Roon | Atalanta |
| Midfielder | Teun Koopmeiners | Atalanta |
| Midfielder | Xavi Simons | PSV |
| Midfielder | Kenneth Taylor | Ajax |
| Forward | Luuk de Jong | PSG |
| Forward | Noa Lang | Club Brugge |
| Forward | Steven Bergwijn | Tottenham |
| Forward | Memphis Depay | Barcelona |
| Forward | Wout Weghorst | Besiktas |
| Forward | Cody Gakpo | PSV |
| Forward | Vincent Janssen | Royal Antwerp |
Senegal
- FIFA Rank: 18th
- Qualification: Defeated Egypt in 3rd round of CAF qualifiers
- Previous World Cup appearances: 2
- Best finish: Quarterfinals (2002)
- Odds to win group: +450
- Odds to make knockout stage: -110
- Odds to win World Cup: +10000
Senegal is a team flush with talent playing in top leagues around the world. Ten players, including Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, play in England. Another six play in France. They’re another strong defensive team who will rely heavily on one, central x-factor up front.
X-Factor: Ismaila Sarr Despite being included on Senegal’s World Cup roster, it was revealed on Thursday that Bayern Munich star striker Sadio Mane will be unable to compete in the tournament due to an injury he picked up on Nov. 8. It’s a massive blow for Senegal’s attacking hopes and will call for the likes of Watford forward Ismaila Sarr to step up and make a name for himself on the world stage.
Senegal World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Edouard Mendy | Chelsea |
| Goalkeeper | Alfred Gomis | Rennes |
| Goalkeeper | Seny Dieng | Queens Park Rangers |
| Defender | Papa Abou Cisse | Olympiacos |
| Defender | Kalidou Koulibaly | Chelsea |
| Defender | Fode Ballo-Toure | AC Milan |
| Defender | Ismail Jakobs | Monaco |
| Defender | Formose Mendy | Amiens |
| Defender | Abdou Diallo | RB Leipzig |
| Defender | Youssouf Sabaly | Real Betis |
| Midfielder | Idrissa Gueye | Everton |
| Midfielder | Pathe Ciss | Rayo Vallecano |
| Midfielder | Cheikhou Kouyate | Nottingham Forest |
| Midfielder | Pape Gueye | Marseille |
| Midfielder | Krepin Diatta | Monaco |
| Midfielder | Nampalys Mendy | Leicester City |
| Midfielder | Pape Matar Sarr | Tottenham |
| Midfielder | Mamadou Loum | Reading |
| Midfielder | Moustapha Name | Pafos |
| Forward | Sadio Mane | Bayern Munich |
| Forward | Boulaye Dia | Salernitana |
| Forward | Bamba Dieng | Marseille |
| Forward | Ismaila Sarr | Watford |
| Forward | Iliman Ndiaye | Sheffield United |
| Forward | Famara Diedhiou | Alanyaspor |
| Forward | Nicolas Jackson | Villarreal |
*Odds courtesy of DraftKings
2022 World Cup Group A schedule
| Date | Match | Time | TV |
| Sunday, Nov. 20 | Qatar v. Ecuador | 11 AM ET | FOX |
| Monday, Nov. 21 | Senegal v. Netherlands | 11 AM | FOX |
| Friday, Nov. 25 | Qatar v. Senegal | 8 AM | FS1 |
| Friday, Nov. 25 | Netherlands v. Ecuador | 11 AM | FOX |
| Tuesday, Nov. 29 | Netherlands v. Qatar | 10 AM | FOX |
| Tuesday, Nov. 29 | Ecuador v. Senegal | 10 AM | FS1 |
For more on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, visit AMNY.com
