World Cup 'Group of Death': Ranking the most difficult group for Qatar 2022 tournament

Graham Ruthven

•
World Cup 'Group of Death': Ranking the most difficult group for Qatar 2022 tournament image

It's a subject of debate ahead of every major tournament and that will be no different for the Qatar 2022 World Cup: Which is the most difficult pool, AKA the 'Group of Death'?

The draw for the 2022 tournament threw up some intriguing matchups, and there are several teams who will feel they got the short straw by landing in a group of equally competitive teams.

There are actually a few of those in this tournament, which kicks off on November 20.

We saw in 2018 how an evenly matched Argentina-Croatia-Iceland-Nigeria group produced a surprising end result. That was ultimately the undoing of Argentina, who finished in second place and were forced to play eventual champions France in the Round of 16.

So it's fairly obvious that a good group-stage draw can serve as the springboard to the knockout rounds, while a difficult one has the potential to stop a team in its tracks. Here are the four strongest groups drawn for the 2022 World Cup in reverse order:

WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H

4. Group E: Germany, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica

Watching Germany and Spain get pulled as the first two teams in this group at the draw on April 1 raised some eyebrows, but after that things settled down.

The European giants will be expected to escape this group, but a defensively sound Costa Rica side could make some noise having progressed through the intercontinental playoffs by beating New Zealand. Meanwhile, Japan are technical, plucky and well drilled and could cause some headaches on their day, even though they don't possess the attacking firepower of fellow Asian heavyweights South Korea or the defensive strength of Iran.

This group also allows Germany a chance for twofold revenge, as Die Mannschaft will be looking to avenge both a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in the UEFA Nations League and a 1-0 defeat in the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup, their last World Cup finals meeting.

Overall, Germany and Spain have met at the World Cup four times previously, with two German wins, a draw and that Spanish victory in 2010.

3. Group C: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi will have another shot at winning the one trophy that has evaded him to date when he leads Argentina to another World Cup.

Saudi Arabia might be appearing at only their second World Cup since 2006, but The Green Falcons finished top of their AFC qualification section, losing just one of the 10 fixtures they played. 

Mexico toiled through much of World Cup qualifying, with Tata Martino facing persistent questions over his leadership of the team, but El Tri still finished second in the Octagonal round in the CONCACAF region. If Martino can get the likes of Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano firing, Mexico can be a threat.

Poland needed a playoff win over Sweden to punch their ticket to Qatar, but this is a team that possesses the most prolific goalscorer in world football. Indeed, Robert Lewandowski alone makes Poland dangerous.

2. Group H: Ghana, Portugal, South Korea, Uruguay

Portugal might have underwhelmed since winning Euro 2016, only making the Round of 16 at both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2021, but their individual talent means they can't be discounted in any major tournament in which they participate.

Ghana might have needed a playoff to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but they eliminated Nigeria in that matchup and have rebounded well since suffering a shock exit from the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

Uruguay stars Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez might be gradually fading with the passing of the years, but a new generation is emerging. Liverpool's Darwin Nunez has continued the country's track record of producing top-level strikers, while Fede Valverde and Ronald Araujo give them presence in midfield and defense, respectively.

South Korea lost just one game in Asian qualifying. Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan give them significant firepower in the final third, but this is a team that also kept four clean sheets in their final five World Cup qualifiers. They will be difficult to break down.

MORE WORLD CUP 2022:
Full draw results | TV schedule | Latest news

1. Group G: Brazil, Cameroon, Serbia, Switzerland

Any group that features the tournament favorites is going to draw attention, but Brazil certainly aren't the only high-class team in Group G.

Serbia went through UEFA qualification unbeaten, finishing top of a group that included Pot 1 team Portugal. They will fancy their chances of making a deep run in Qatar.

New Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic will likely lead the line for Dragan Stojkovic's side with Ajax's Dusan Tadic and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also elite level performers in the Serbian squad.

Switzerland also went through their qualification campaign without losing a single game, finishing top of a group that included Euro 2021 winners Italy. In Murat Yakin, the Swiss have a relatively new manager, but are tournament veterans after making the quarterfinals of Euro 2021 and having qualified for every World Cup since 2002.

Cameroon are the Pot 4 team in Group G, but boast impressive pedigree having gotten past Ivory Coast in the group stage and then Algeria in the playoffs. And the Indomitable Lions showed they can also navigate tournament play with a third-place finish in the Africa Cup of Nations in January, suffering semifinal elimination on penalty kicks.

Graham Ruthven