The draw for the World Cup took place in Doha, the second in a row with Italy out, the first ever without rookies among the qualifiers. The only new international is Qatar, admitted by right as the host. Monday 21 November will be Qatar-Ecuador the inaugural match of the World Cup. This is what emerged from the draws in Doha.
This is the composition of the groups:
GROUP A: QATAR – ECUADOR – SENEGAL – HOLLAND
GROUP B: ENGLAND – IRAN – UNITED STATES – winner of Scotland / Ukraine-Wales
GROUP C: ARGENTINA – SAUDI ARABIA – MEXICO – POLAND
GROUP D: FRANCE – winner of Peru-Australia / United Arab Emirates – DENMARK – TUNISIA
GROUP E: SPAIN – winner of Costa Rica-New Zealand – GERMANY – JAPAN
GROUP F: BELGIUM – CANADA – MOROCCO – CROATIA
GROUP G: BRAZIL – SERBIA – SWITZERLAND – CAMEROON
GROUP H: PORTUGAL – GHANA – URUGUAY – SOUTH KOREA
No iron group but a group that seems tailor-made for the home team, then there is the Iran-USA clash that provokes suggestions that go beyond football, Serbia and Switzerland that meet again for the second World Cup together with Brazil. Italy, on the other hand, if it had been in place of Portugal, would have found that Uruguay that made it out of the 2014 world championship tournament, the last played by the Azzurri.
The opening match will be between the home team and Ecuador. In the same group are theNetherlands, which, barring incredible surprises, can already be considered in the round of 16, and the African champion Senegal determined to play an important role. He will probably have to deal with Qatar, determined not to imitate South Africa in 2010, when they were the only home team in the history of the World Cup not to pass the first phase.
In group E the challenge between the Spain by Luis Enrique and the Germany by Hansi Flick, almost an early final, but for the qualification at the expense of Japan and New Zealand there should be no problems. The same goes for theArgentina di Messi, to the point that in Buenos Aires the local media are already writing that the coach Scaloni could not have asked for a better draw. The important thing for the Albiceleste will be what will happen in the subsequent phases because, going to reread the history and the numbers, Messi has never been decisive (read goals) in the knockout stages, including the final of 2014. Mexico and Poland should play for the other place, Saudi Arabia will try not to be Cinderella.
L’Englandin group B with the US and Iran, is waiting to see if he will have to challenge the ‘cousins’ of Wales or those of Scotland, unless Ukraine forgets the tragedies it is experiencing and is managing to prevail.
The France who would like the second title in a row as only Italy and Brazil managed and Denmark of the revived Eriksen are the favorites of their group, the same should apply to the Belgium and the reigning vice champions of Croatia, unless Morocco does the spoilsport. Canada will try not to close at zero points, and can succeed if their talented boys continue to progress.
The Portugal he was included, as seeded, in group H and in addition to Uruguay he found Ghana and South Korea: as if to say that the blues’ regrets increase because, with all due respect, Ofena Gyan and Kim Min-jae would have been opponents beatable.