World Cup Draw Group A

• 20.04.2022 18:36

After the conclusion of the official draw of the FIFA World Cup, each of the teams are in their respective groups. In this article, we will discuss the 1st group i.e. group A.

The group comprises the host Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands. Their matches will take place from 21st November to 29th November 2022. The top two teams of the group will advance to the round of 16.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the teams in detail:

Qatar

Qatar is the host team of this edition of FIFA World Cup. It will be their 1st ever World Cup experience as the team has never qualified on any edition of the global competition before. However, the team has qualified for 10 Asian Cup tournaments and have won it once i.e. in the latest edition of the regional tournament held in 2019.

Players to Watch

1) Hassan Al-Haydos

With 163 international appearances for Qatar, Hassan Al-Haydos is one of the most experienced for the team. Debuting for the national side in 2008, he has already scored 33 goals and all set to lead the team (captain the team) during the World Cup.

2) Abdelkarim Hassan

Abdelkarim Hassan is another player with over 100 appearances for the Qatar national team. Although primarily deployed as the left back, Abdelkarim Hassan can provide a huge attacking threat to the opposition with his fast pace. He has already scored 15 goals for his national side and would hope to add more on this World Cup.

3) Almoez Ali

Having scored 39 goals for his national team, Almoez Ali is another Qatari player to watch in the World Cup. Currently, he is the 2nd highest goal scorer for the team. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in the Asian Cup by scoring 9 goals in the 2019 edition when Qatar was the winner.

The Coach

The current coach of the Qatari national team is Felix Sanchez. Having already managed the Qatar u19 and u23 as well as Barcelona youth team, the coach has already won the 2019 edition of the Asian Cup.

Ecuador

This will be the 4th FIFA World Cup for South American nation Ecuador. They qualified on 24th March 2022 after finishing at the fourth place in the South American section (CONMEBOL) of the World Cup qualifiers.

In their previous 3 World Cup appearances, they cleared the group stage only once i.e. in the 2006 edition held in Germany. Their 1st ever World Cup was in the 2002 edition held in South Korea and Japan. While their last World Cup was in the 2014 edition held in Brazil. In both those tournaments they failed to pass the group stage.

Player to Watch

1) Enner Valencia

Enner Valencia is top goal scorer for the Ecuador football team with 35 goals to his name. He is also the captain of the team and is ready to lead the line for the South American side.

The Coach

The Ecuador national team is currently coached by Gustavo Alfaro. He is a well known coach who managed different club teams in various countries of South America.

Senegal

Senegal qualified to the FIFA World Cup 2022 beating Egypt 3-1 in penalties at the 3rd round of the CAF World Cup Qualifier. The game had to be decided on penalties after the match ended on 1-1 aggregate in a 2 legged qualifier.

This will be their 3rd World Cup as they qualified at the 2002 and 2018 editions. They will also be trying to repeat their 2002 performance when they reached the quarter final of the competition. While in the 2018 edition, they were knocked out of the group stage from the fair play point after finishing level in points, goal difference, goal scored, and all other tie breaking criteria for the group play.

Players to Watch

1) Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane is one of the lethal strikers that you may look out for in the World Cup. With fast pace and clinical finish, the 30 year old Liverpool hitman can be a real game changer for the Senegal national side.

2) Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly is another player to watch in the Senegalese national football team. Known for composed defense, it will be a real test for Kalidou Koulibaly to play against some of the best nations in the world.

The Coach

The Senegal national football team is currently coached by Aliou Cissé. The coach also has World Cup experience after guiding the team to the competition at the previous edition as well. He wants his team to better their journey after getting knocked out of the Group Stage in the previous edition.

Netherlands

The 4th team in the Group A at this edition of the FIFA World Cup is the Netherlands. They qualified to the World Cup after winning the Group G of the UEFA World Cup qualifier.

This will be their 11 World Cup and their best result is finishing as the runner up thrice on 1974, 1978 and 2010 editions.

Players to Watch

1) Virgil van Dijk

Considered as one of the best defenders in the world, Virgil Van Dijik is ready to lead for the Netherlands. With no nonsense defending as well as powerful aerial ability, Virgil Van Dijk may be a real threat in the group.

2) Memphis Depay

With 12 goals in the UEFA World Cup qualifier, Memphis Depay is one of the most in-form players in the World Cup. He would surely like to add to guide his team to the later stage of the competition.

The Coach

Louis van Gaal is currently coaching the Netherlands national team. He previously coached the team in the World Cup 2014 Brazil when the team reached the Semi Final and finished at 3rd place.

Full Fixtures for World Cup Group A

Our Verdict (Favorites, Dark House and Underdogs)

According to our verdict, we believe Netherlands are the favorites to qualify to the knockout stage from this group. Similarly, Senegal and Ecuador are the two dark horses in the group. Qatar is the underdog in the competition and has an uphill task to secure a place in the next stage.