In a spectacle never seen before in the state of Qatar, the best 32 football nations and the finest players on the planet will descend on the Western Asian country for a month of mind-blowing football.
And World Cup 2022 will break new ground as the first to be played during the European winter months, taking place between November 21st and December 18th.
Qatar is the first Middle East nation to host the tournament and the eyes of the world are watching as organisers hope the mascot La’eeb will warm the eight newly-purpose built stadiums. But it is a step into the unknown for many as the country is proposing fan zones where supporters from around the world can drink alcohol in this strict Muslim society and players will be asked to perform in air conditioned arenas.
Qatar is determined to show the world how they can change this flagship competition, while the big nations and players just need to show that they can win in any circumstances.
The favourites
29 of the 32 places have been filled and we already know the composition of the groups, and 2018 Champions France have been highlighted as one of the hot favourites according to the early World Cup 2022 betting odds.
PSG star Kylian Mbappe – who looks like he could be on the way to Real Madrid in the close season – could at the age of 23, win back-to-back World Cups. Mbappe will be alongside Los Blancos’ hitman Karim Benzema who, with 43 goals and 14 assists this season, has enjoyed his best campaign and he’s a decent bet for the Golden Boot.
The South American qualifying group was resolved quickly and Brazil will be a serious contender with Neymar leading the team. This is a big moment for the PSG striker after his terrible injury at the 2014 World Cup hosted by Brazil. Alongside him, the brilliant dribbler, Vinicius Junior, will get the fans on their feet and this could be the Selecao’s year.
Vinicius’ club-mate Thibaut Courtois will be between the posts for Belgium, and he’ll try to keep the clean sheets his country needs to turn the Golden Generation into winners.
He’s had 19 shutouts for Los Blancos so far this campaign, and should the Red Devils defend successfully then they too could have a real chance, particularly if Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne can transfer his club form to the international stage.
While Belgium recently knocked off the top of the FIFA rankings by Brazil, Germany, in contrast, have been working under the radar with a nicely blended team without a big superstar.
Thomas Muller, at 32 years of age, has his last chance to be Germany’s highest World Cup scorer of all time and he has 10 goals so far and is six behind top scorer Miroslav Klose.
Here at SBOTOP, we’re also keeping a close eye on the young squads of England and Spain, both of which could have won Euro 2020 but were outfoxed by the wily Italians who, despite winning that competition will be absent for a second consecutive World Cup.
Some star names might be saying goodbye
As well as Germany’s Muller, there will be a number of big names who will be making their last appearances in the World Cup 2022 highlights.
Lionel Messi would simply love to lead Argentina to glory. His team has a solid defencive base which allows Messi and his co-creative players to express themselves as they did successfully to end Argentina’s trophy drought at the 2021 Copa America.
And the man who has stood alongside Messi as one of the two best players in a generation will lead the line for Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo also makes his swan song.
His team has a better balance now with Rafael Leao and Bernardo Silva enjoying superb domestic seasons and CR7 can get the Portugal fans dreaming of a World Cup to add to their 2016 European Cup triumph.
With 115 goals from 186 appearances so far, Ronaldo is a phenomenon. And if he can pull this off, he will become a deity in his homeland.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski will have his eyes on the Golden Boot and if Poland can go deep into the competition, then surely he will add a few to his international tally of 75.
Meanwhile, Croatia will say goodbye to two of their best players of all time. The mercurial Luka Modric has been outstanding for Real Madrid this season and, at 36 years of age, he looks and plays like he’s a decade younger.
And this is almost certainly the last chance for Inter Milan’s wide-man Ivan Perisic to make his mark on the biggest stage of all. Both Modric and Perisic shined at the 2018 World Cup and they’ll be sadly missed by their nation in the years to come. Six months from now, we’ll be ready and raring for the tournament to start and Qatar can surprise us in this world event to prepare the perfect stage for the superstars of the beautiful game.
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