Group H of the World Cup 2022 is probably the hardest one to call since the playing field is pretty much balanced on paper.
Many have Portugal as the favourites, but their World Cup 2022 odds of coming out of this group and making a deep tournament run aren’t that high compared to years past because of their inconsistency these past few months.
So, Group H should be fun to watch since all of these four nations have history with each other one way or another.
Ghana will be looking for revenge against Uruguay, who eliminated them in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, while Paulo Bento – current coach of South Korea – will meet his former employers Portugal.
Read on below as SBOTOP recaps how all of these four teams clinched their spots for the upcoming football showcase in Qatar.
Portugal
All eyes are going to be on Cristiano Ronaldo, whose upcoming World Cup appearance in Qatar will likely be his final one.
The 37-year-old talisman is undoubtedly the key player for the Selecao. However, they cannot solely rely on him to produce a ton of World Cup 2022 highlights in November.
There have been doubts over Fernando Santos’ conservative tactics, but he has great young talent at his disposal to work with – which is one of the reasons why they should be able to progress through the knockout stages.
Besides Ronaldo, they are loaded up front with Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, and Bernardo Silva, while at the back they have the evergreen Pepe, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, and Ruben Dias.
The Selecao have had their share of bad defencive games, but kudos to them for improving on that end as of late – having managed to concede only three goals in their last six games across all competitions.
They’ve secured their World Cup berth, as expected, but they almost missed out on the festivities when they failed to take the top spot in Group A during the UEFA qualifiers.
Portugal beat Turkey in the European play-offs Path C, and then they defeated North Macedonia to ensure their eighth World Cup appearance.
Ghana
Ghana had to earn their spot the hard way for their first World Cup appearance since 2014.
The Black Stars were unconvincing during the AFCON few months ago, which saw them bowing out of the group stage after being on the receiving end of an upset against Comoros for their final match.
In the qualifiers, Ghana topped their group thanks to a controversial penalty against South Africa before beating Nigeria in their play-off on away goals.
Because they qualified for the World Cup, interim coach Otto Addo was given an extension by the Ghana FA which will run until the end of 2022. Moreover, some of their key players that we should keep an eye on are Jordan Ayew, Thomas Partey, and Daniel Amartey.
Ghana may not have as many household names compared to the other nations here in Group H, but they are a gritty bunch who’s determined to prove that they belong in football’s biggest stage.
Uruguay
Uruguay are in the midst of a resurgence since Diego Alonso replaced Oscar Tabarez – whose 15-year reign at the helm fizzled out last year.
They were once in danger of missing out Qatar, but they didn’t as they’ve notched four consecutive wins under Alonso to claim the third spot behind Brazil and Argentina during the CONMEBOL qualifiers.
La Celeste are aiming for their first big trophy since the 2011 Copa America where Tabarez was still in charge. They went to as far as the final eight at the 2018 World Cup, only to lose to eventual winners France.
They will be led once more by their veteran strike duo in Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, but they also have some young pieces in Facundo Pellistri, Fede Valverde, and Rafael Araujo who can contribute to their cause.
South Korea
South Korea haven’t missed the World Cup since 1982 and such streak will continue as they’ll compete in Qatar.
Despite being regulars in the World Cup, though, the Taeguk Warriors have never made it out of the group stage since 2010. Their best World Cup campaign was in 2002, which saw them reach to as far as the semi-finals.
Paulo Bento’s side qualified convincingly as they’ve won seven of their 10 third-phase qualifiers matches to finish second in their group behind Iran. Heung-Min Son and Hwang Hee-Chan are the South Koreans most potent threats and they’ll be their main difference makers in Qatar.
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