The 2022 FIFA World Cup is almost upon us with kick-off this Sunday between hosts Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. With Sadio Mane out for Senegal, Group A suddenly looks more open behind the Netherlands which creates an opportunity for a surprise name to make it to the knockout phase. In 2018, hosts Russia got out of their group while Sweden topped theirs and sent titleholders Germany home. Chile beat and advanced ahead of defending champions Spain in 2014 while shock quarterfinalists Costa Rica topped a group which saw Italy and England eliminated and the USMNT also edged Portugal out in their group. There are always unexpected success stories at World Cup, and we look at the unheralded names in each group.
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Group A: Ecuador
Fancied by some even before Senegal lost Mane to injury, La Tri risked exclusion from Qatar at one point due to the dispute over Byron Castillo's nationality. That drama aside, Gustavo Alfaro has a talented squad to work with which includes Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie, Brighton and Hove Albion trio Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo, and Jeremy Sarmiento, ESTAC Troyes' Jackson Porozo, FC Augsburg's Carlos Gruezo as well as Real Valladolid's Gonzalo Plata. With most of the squad well under the age of 30, this is a group that could grow here ahead of future tournaments although there is still experience in the form of Fenerbahce's Enner Valencia in attack.
Group B: Iran
Team Melli head into their third World Cup under Carlos Queiroz and their record under the 69-year-old is mixed. A measly one-point haul in 2014 to finish bottom of their group behind Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina was followed by a surprisingly competitive 2018 which saw the Iranians come third and just one point behind both Portugal and Spain. Set against a backdrop of enormous political upheaval back in Iran, this squad has the tools to potentially get out of Group B which also features England, Wales and the United States men's national team. FC Porto's Mehdi Taremi, Bayer Leverkusen's Sardar Azmoun and Omonia's Karim Ansarifard are quality attacking options while Brentford's Saman Ghoddos and Feyenoord's Alireza Jahanbakhsh add to that strength in midfield and captain Ehsan Hajsafi playing alongside fellow defender Milad Mohammadi for AEK Athens. The situation back home will be a distraction, but it could also make Team Melli a source of inspiration and positivity for Iranians around the world at a difficult time.
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Group C: Saudi Arabia
Between 1994-2006, there was a time when the Green Falcons were World Cup regulars. Having missed out in 2010 and 2014, they were back in 2018 and managed to beat Egypt to finish third behind Uruguay and hosts Russia. Now under international underdog specialist Herve Renard's leadership since 2019 and possessing a squad entirely comprised of domestic-based players, the Saudis are arguably one of the unknown quantities with the potential to spring a surprise or two -- especially considering Poland and Mexico's vulnerabilities.
Group D: Tunisia
Few people expect the Eagles of Carthage or the Socceroos of Australia to advance at the expense of defending champions France or Denmark, but Jalel Kadri's side are perhaps the better positioned of the pair to make life difficult for Les Bleus and the Dynamite Danes. Tunisia's squad possesses several France-based talents with Montpellier HSC's Wahbi Khazri, FC Koln's Elyes Skhiri and Birmingham City's Hannibal Mejbri some of the more recognizable names. However, Salernitana's Dylan Bronn, FC Lorient's Montassar Talbi and Al-Ettifaq's Naim Sliti also bring quality and experience to the spine of this side. Should France or Denmark start slowly, the Tunisians could make life very difficult indeed with that clash with Les Bleus an international rivalry given the links between the two countries.
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Group E: Japan
Since their maiden World Cup appearance in France back in 1998, Samurai Blue have made it to each of the last six editions with this set to be their seventh outing. The 2002 co-hosts have emerged from their group three of six times in alternating fashion which would suggest that they will not this time out. However, out of Group E favorites Germany and Spain, La Roja certainly appear vulnerable which could create an opportunity for the Japanese to pick up enough points against Costa Rica and the Spanish to not worry too much about the Germans. AS Monaco's Takumi Minamino, Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo, Celtic's Daizen Maeda and Schalke 04's Maya Yoshida are just a few of the key names on Hajime Moriyasu's roster to keep an eye on.
Group F: Canada
John Herdman has worked wonders with the Canucks' women and now he is attempting to create some magic with the men as he leads the Maple Leaf side back to the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Canada will be one of three co-hosts come 2026 and now is the chance for the likes of Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Lille OSC's Jonathan David to lay the foundations for what could be a very competitive national team moving forward. There is greater quality than ever before across the board with Porto's Stephen Eustaquio and Club Brugge pair Tajon Buchanan and Cyle Larin as well as ESTAC Troyes' Ike Ugbo. Up against a declining Belgium and a capricious Morocco, the Canadians could sneak through with Croatia or the Red Devils.
Group G: Serbia
If World Cups were dictated by individual quality, the chances are that the Eagles would already have a title or two to their name. The legendary Dragan Stojkovic is now in charge and has overseen a transformed Serbian side turn into an actual team as opposed to just a collection of very gifted albeit wholly incompatible players. With quality like Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic, AFC Ajax's Dusan Tadic and SS Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic Savic, Brazil, Switzerland and Cameroon could be in for a tough time in Group G.
Group H: Ghana
With South Korea's hopes resting on Son Heung Min's fitness as he battles back from a facial injury, the Black Stars could be the nation which surprises Portugal or Uruguay. This group really feels like it will be tight with not much separating the top two from the other pair and the Portuguese are in danger of becoming a side act to the circus that Cristiano Ronaldo's ill-timed and self-absorbed interview has become. With star talents like Athletic Club's Inaki Williams, the Ayew brothers and Strasbourg's Alexander Djiku, there is a seasoned core of good players. In the likes of Stade Rennais' Kamaldeen Sulemana, RC Lens' Salis Abdul Samed, Southampton's Mohammed Salisu and Brighton and Hove Albion's Tariq Lamptey, there is also a promising generation of young blood to build future tournaments around.
