Two of the most storied European powers square off for Group E bragging rights at the World Cup — but tricky underdogs in Costa Rica and Japan are here to wreak havoc.
2022 World Cup Group E preview
Costa Rica
- FIFA Rank: 34th
- Qualification: Defeated New Zealand in inter-confederation play-off
- Previous World Cup appearances: 5
- Best finish: Quarterfinals (2014)
- Odds to win group: +5000
- Odds to make knockout stage: +700
- Odds to win World Cup: +80000
Costa Rica’s gameplan is as clear as ever — and it can be seen from here all the way to Qatar. Defense is the name of the game and they are going to sit back and force the opposition to come at them in hopes of frustrating them into mistakes.
X-Factor: Keylor Navas Costa Rica’s greatest soccer export ever, the veteran goalkeeper is not getting nearly the kind of playing time with PSG due to injury issues and playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma. If there’s rust to his game, Costa Rica is in trouble.
Costa Rica World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Keylor Navas | PSG |
| Goalkeeper | Esteban Alvarado | Herediano |
| Goalkeeper | Patrick Sequeira | Lugo |
| Defender | Juan Pablo Vargas | Millonarios |
| Defender | Keysher Fuller | Herediano |
| Defender | Oscar Duarte | Al-Wehda |
| Defender | Bryan Oviedo | Real Sal Lake |
| Defender | Francisco Calvo | Konyaspor |
| Defender | Kendall Watson | Deportivo Saprissa |
| Defender | Carlos Martinez | San Carlos |
| Defender | Ronald Matarrita | FC Cincinnati |
| Midfielder | Celso Borges | Alajuelense |
| Midfielder | Jewison Bennette | Sunderland |
| Midfielder | Bryan Ruiz | Alajuelense |
| Midfielder | Daniel Cacon | Colorado Rapids 2 |
| Midfielder | Anthony Hernandez | Puntarenas |
| Midfielder | Douglas Lopez | Herediano |
| Midfielder | Youstin Salas | Saprissa |
| Midfielder | Yeltsin Tejada | Herediano |
| Midfielder | Gerson Torres | Herediano |
| Midfielder | Roan Wilson | Municipal Grecia |
| Midfielder | Alvaro Zamora | Deportivo Saprissa |
| Midfielder | Brandon Aguilera | Nottingham Forest |
| Forward | Anthony Contreras | Herediano |
| Forward | Johan Venegas | Alajuelense |
| Forward | Joel Campbell | Leon |
Germany
- FIFA Rank: 11th
- Qualification: Group J winners in UEFA qualifying
- Previous World Cup appearances: 19
- Best finish: Champions (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
- Odds to win group: +115
- Odds to make knockout stage: -650
- Odds to win World Cup: +1000
One of the most successful nations in World Cup history, Germany has a chance to erase the shock of crashing out of the group stage in 2018 before falling to England in the Round of 16 at the Euros. They have plenty of playmaking options, but their defense is a major question mark that will test their mettle far more than the qualifying rounds.
X-Factor: Antonio Rudiger Nineteen-year-old attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is a worthy choice here, but it has to be Rudiger. The center-back was pivotal in Chelsea’s run to the Champions League two years ago and will be just as important to Germany’s run in the World Cup considering he may just well have to carry the back line, which is full of holes heading to Qatar. Other center options are slow and the coverage out wide has been concerning.
Germany World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich |
| Goalkeeper | Kevin Trapp | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Goalkeeper | Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona |
| Defender | Thilo Kehrer | West Ham |
| Defender | Niklas Sule | Borussia Dortmund |
| Defender | Lukas Kostermann | RB Leipzig |
| Defender | Christian Gunter | Freiburg |
| Defender | Armel Bella-Kotchap | Southampton |
| Defender | David Raum | RB Leipzig |
| Defender | Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid |
| Defender | Nico Schlotterbeck | Borussia Dortmund |
| Defender | Matthias Ginter | Freiburg |
| Midfielder | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich |
| Midfielder | Mario Gotze | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Midfielder | Jonas Hofmann | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| Midfielder | Julian Brandt | Borussia Dortmund |
| Midfielder | Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich |
| Midfielder | Ilkay Gundogan | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Kai Havertz | Chelsea |
| Midfielder | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich |
| Forward | Leroy Sane | Bayern Munich |
| Forward | Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich |
| Forward | Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich |
| Forward | Karim Adeyemi | Borussia Dortmund |
| Forward | Niclas Fullkrug | Werder Bremen |
| Forward | Youssoufa Moukoko | Borussia Dortmund |
Japan
- FIFA Rank: 24th
- Qualification: Finished 2nd in Group B of AFC qualifying
- Previous World Cup appearances: 6
- Best finish: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018)
- Odds to win group: +1000
- Odds to make knockout stage: +300
- Odds to win World Cup: +25000
They’re fast, they’re patient, and they can strike at any time. Such has been the blueprint of Japan since first breaking onto the World Cup stage in 1998. And while they’ve never advanced past the Round of 16, they won’t be a pushover against the likes of Germany and Spain.
X-Factor: Daichi Kamada Japan made some questionable decisions with their attacking choices for the World Cup, leaving out more experienced strikers for younger, more unproven options. Kamada is just as unproven for the Blue Samurai, but he’s excelled this season at Eintracht Frankfurt. His seven goals in Bundesliga play ranks third-highest in the league.
Japan World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Eiji Kawashima | Strasbourg |
| Goalkeeper | Shuichi Gonda | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| Goalkeeper | Daniel Schmidt | Sint-Truiden |
| Defender | Takehiro Tomiyasu | Arsenal |
| Defender | Shogo Taniguchi | Kawasaki Frontale |
| Defender | Yuto Nagatomo | FC Tokyo |
| Defender | Miki Yamane | Kawasaki Frontale |
| Defender | Maya Yoshida | Schalke 04 |
| Defender | Hiroki Sakai | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| Defender | Hiroki Ito | Stuttgart |
| Defender | Ko Itakura | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| Midfielder | Gaku Shibasaki | Leganes |
| Midfielder | Takumi Minamino | Monaco |
| Midfielder | Takefusa Kubo | Real Sociedad |
| Midfielder | Hidemasa Morita | Sporting CP |
| Midfielder | Wataru Endo | Stuttgart |
| Midfielder | Junya Ito | Reims |
| Midfielder | Ao Tanaka | Fortuna Dusseldorf |
| Midfielder | Kaoru Mitoma | Brighton |
| Midfielder | Daichi Kamada | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Midfielder | Ritsu Doan | Freiburg |
| Midfielder | Yuki Soma | Nagoya Grampus |
| Forward | Ayase Ueda | Cercle Brugge |
| Forward | Takuma Asano | Bochum |
| Forward | Daizen Maeda | Celtic |
| Forward | Shuto Machino | Shonan Belmmare |
Spain
- FIFA Rank: 7th
- Qualification: Group B winners in UEFA qualifying
- Previous World Cup appearances: 15
- Best finish: Champions (2010)
- Odds to win group: -115
- Odds to make knockout stage: -750
- Odds to win World Cup: +850
After winning its first-ever World Cup in 2010, Spain has been a disappointment on the grand stage, failing to make it out of the group stage in 2014 before bowing out of the Round of 16 four years ago in Russia. They’re in better shape now and will be on the attack in Qatar.
X-Factor: Ferran Torres If Spain is lacking anything, it’ll be found up front. La Roja needs a pure, goal-scoring sniper to help finish off its attractive style of play — and Torres will be one of the men up front to do that. He has five goals in 18 games across all competitions this season with Barcelona. Three of them have come in five matches on the heightened stage of the Champions League.
Spain World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao |
| Goalkeeper | Robert Sanchez | Brighton |
| Goalkeeper | David Raya | Brentford |
| Defender | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea |
| Defender | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid |
| Defender | Eric Garcia | Barcelona |
| Defender | Pau Torres | Villarreal |
| Defender | Jordi Alba | Barcelona |
| Defender | Jose Luis Gaya | Valencia |
| Defender | Hugo Guillamon | Valencia |
| Defender | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Sergio Busquets | Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Rodri | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Gavi | Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Pedri | Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Carlos Soler | PSG |
| Midfielder | Koke | Atletico Madrid |
| Midfielder | Marcos Llorente | Atletico Madrid |
| Forward | Pablo Sarabia | PSG |
| Forward | Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao |
| Forward | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid |
| Forward | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid |
| Forward | Ferran Torres | Barcelona |
| Forward | Ansu Fati | Barcelona |
| Forward | Yeremy Pino | Villarreal |
| Forward | Dani Olmo | RB Leipzig |
*Odds courtesy of DraftKings
2022 World Cup Group E schedule
| Date | Match | Time | TV |
| Wednesday, Nov. 23 | Germany v. Japan | 8 AM | FS1 |
| Wednesday, Nov. 23 | Spain v. Costa Rica | 11 AM | FOX |
| Sunday, Nov. 27 | Japan v. Costa Rica | 5 AM | FS1 |
| Sunday, Nov. 27 | Spain v. Germany | 2 PM | FOX |
| Thursday, Dec. 1 | Japan v. Spain | 2 PM | FOX |
| Thursday, Dec. 1 | Costa Rica v. Germany | 2 PM | FS1 |
