WORLD CUP 2022 PREVIEW

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has finally arrived. This global tournament is surrounded by intrigue and controversy on many levels. We can factor in the global pandemic, scheduling and recovery issues, a war in Eastern Europe and how an extremely wealthy nation built on oil is hosting this tournament and why in the winter? There are questions everywhere, but the most pressing on everyone’s mind is who will lift the cup on December 18th?

This tournament has witnessed a delay in qualifying due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In normal rotations, the European Championship tournament occurs 2 years prior to the next World Cup. Due to Covid, EURO 2020 was pushed to 2021. In addition, the players themselves have seen and felt a significant decrease in offseason recovery time. Most Club teams and leagues across the globe paused in March 2020 and never returned to the pitch until around mid July. They played out their campaigns before starting training in mid August, which is a month behind normal. Due to the delay in opening the 2020-21 season, the schedule was tightened to get the matches played. This resulted in a lot of 2 match weeks and injuries followed. With the domestic league schedules restructured, the International calendar was adjusted to fit in qualifying matches in less time. Normally, the summer of 2021 would have been quiet so the players could take a break, but for most, the month of June was filled with more games. This has caused unforeseen wear and tear on the athletes. As we fast forward to 2022, a traditional World Cup would occur during the summer break. Since this global event is occurring in Qatar, it is being played now to avoid the extreme desert temperatures of the summer. The scheduling and recovery issues of the previous years will return again as all domestic leagues are pausing play for a month. This will result in 5-7 matches normally played in November/ December being jammed into midweek affairs in February thru March. When you also account for midweek clashes for the Champions League, Europa League and other lesser competitions, the calendar will be tight. The main question is how will these players remain at top form and will injuries occur due to the increased play?

A more curious item about this tournament is that Qatar was even awarded it. We all know that FIFA is and has always been fueled with bribery, corruption and shady behavior, but this takes the cake. At the time they submitted their bid, Qatar didn’t even have a stadium, much less a national team. This very wealthy nation bought this tournament to flaunt their opulence. When you add in the stories of human rights violations, their nations stance on many issues and the fact that they don’t serve alcohol, this tournament does not feel like a celebration of the beautiful game.

Drama aside, let’s take a look at the tournament itself. The French captured the Cup 4 years ago in Russia. They return and are looking to redeem themselves after an early exit from EURO 2021. Speaking of EURO 2021, the champions of that tournament are not included in this event as Italy failed to qualify. They are tirelessly appealing to replace Iran in the field over claims that the Iranians have assisted Russia in their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The United States of America is returning to this competition after painfully missing the spectacle in 2018. The pressure in my humble opinion is on England. Their roster is littered with talent but they have yet to capture a title. They lost in the EURO 2021 Final and in the 2018 World Cup Semi-Final to Croatia. If Manager Gareth Southgate can’t guide the 3 Lions to a championship this year their window might be closed. Another team that is nearing the end of their window is the Red Devils from Belgium. The legacy of this golden age in Belgian soccer is at stake. They have been ranked #1 in the world on many occasions, but the glory of a major trophy eludes them. A few dark horses that can produce deep runs are the Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada. As a reminder, each nation plays 3 matches within their group. There are 8 groups of 4 teams. The top 2 teams advance to the Round of 16 after group play. In group play, a victory is 3 points and a tie is 1 point. They do not play extra time or penalty kicks in group play, but goal differential is a tiebreaker to advance.

As great as the teams are, this tournament is about the global superstars. You have legendary goal scorers like Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Lionel Messi (Argentina) probably in their final International tournament. There are others like Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Kylan Mbappe (France), Harry Kane (England), Christian Pulisic (USA), Gareth Bale (Wales), Thomas Mueller (Germany), and Neymar (Brazil) who are shouldering their nations hopes. These players will all make that one play that sends fans and social media into a frenzy. I am going to predict that Harry Kane finds the back of the net a lot and captures the Golden Boot as the tournaments leading scorer.

Group play kicks off on Sunday, November 20th and runs until Friday, December 2nd with at least 3 matches a day except the 20th. Every match in the tournament is televised in the United States of America on FOX and FS1. Based on the time difference, get the coffee ready for a lot of great morning soccer.

GROUP A:

• QATAR
• ECUADOR
• SENEGAL
• NETHERLANDS
• WHO ADVANCES: NETHERLANDS & ECUADOR

GROUP B:

• ENGLAND
• IRAN
• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• WALES
• WHO ADVANCES: ENGLAND & USA

GROUP C:

• ARGENTINA
• SAUDI ARABIA
• MEXICO
• POLAND
• WHO ADVANCES: ARGENTINA & POLAND

GROUP D:

• FRANCE
• AUSTRALIA
• DENMARK
• TUNISIA
• WHO ADVANCES: FRANCE & DENMARK

GROUP E: (GROUP OF DEATH)

• SPAIN
• COSTA RICA
• GERMANY
• JAPAN
• WHO ADVANCES: SPAIN & GERMANY

GROUP F:

• BELGIUM
• CANADA
• MOROCCO
• CROATIA
• WHO ADVANCES: BELGIUM & CROATIA

GROUP G:

• BRAZIL
• SERBIA
• SWITZERLAND
• CAMAROON
• WHO ADVANCES: BRAZIL & SWITZERLAND

GROUP H:

• PORTUGAL
• GHANA
• URUGUAY
• SOUTH KOREA
• WHO ADVANCES: PORTUGAL & URUGUAY

ROUND OF 16:: DECEMBER 3RD THRU 6TH

Starting in the Round of 16, every match must have a winner. If a match is tied after the 90 minutes of regulation, it goes to Extra Time. Extra Time consists of two 15 minutes halves that are played out regardless of score. If the match is still tied after extras, it goes to penalty kicks.

• GROUP A WINNER VS GROUP B RUNNER UP: PREDICT NETHERLANDS VS USA
• GROUP C WINNER VS GROUP D RUNNER UP: PREDICT ARGENTINA VS DENMARK
• GROUP D WINNER VS GROUP C RUNNER UP: PREDICT. FRANCE VS POLAND
• GROUP B WINNER VS.GROUP A RUNNER UP: PREDICT. ENGLAND VS ECUADOR
• GROUP E WINNER VS GROUP F RUNNER UP: PREDICT SPAIN VS CROATIA
• GROUP G WINNER VS GROUP H RUNNER UP: PREDICT. BRAZIL VS URUGUAY
• GROUP F WINNER VS GROUP E RUNNER UP: PREDICT BELGIUM VS GERMANY
• GROUP H WINNER VS GROUP G RUNNER UP: PREDICT PORTUGAL VS SWITZERLAND

QUARTERFINALS: DECEMBER 9TH & 10TH

• RD16 MATCH 5 WINNER VS RD16 MATCH 6 WINNER: PREDICT. SPAIN VS BRAZIL
• RD16 MATCH 1 WINNER VS RD16 MATCH 2 WINNER: PREDICT. USA VS ARGENTINA
• RD16 MATCH 7 WINNER VS RD16 MATCH 8 WINNER: PREDICT. BELGIUM VS PORTUGAL
• RD16 MATCH 3 WINNER VS RD16 MATCH 4 WINNER: PREDICT. FRANCE VS ENGLAND

SEMIFINALS: DECEMBER 13TH & 14TH

• QUARTERFINAL 1 WINNER VS QUARTERFINAL 2 WINNER: PREDICT BRAZIL VS ARGENTINA
• QUARTERFINAL 3 WINNER VS QUARTERFINAL 4 WINNER: PREDICT. BELGIUM VS ENGLAND

3RD PLACE MATCH: DECEMBER 17TH. 10AM EST. FOX

• PREDICT ARGENTINA VS BELGIUM

WORLD CUP FINAL: DECEMBER 18TH. 10AM EST. FOX

• BRAZIL VS ENGLAND. CHAMPION PREDICTION: ENGLAND

Enjoy this global spectacle of soccer. I have a feeling we’re in store for classic drama at every turn. The second best thing about this tournament is that the 2026 World Cup will return to North America. If you weren’t aware, the USA, Mexico and Canada were awarded this tournament and it will be epic. Start saving your cash so you can attend and watch the magic unfold.

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