When the World Cup 2022 finals draw was made, England fans, and a fair few officials had a broad smile on their face as the Three Lions were pitched against Iran, the United States and a European qualifier, which turned out to be Wales.
At fifth in the FIFA rankings, Gareth Southgate’s team is by far the best in this group, with the USA in 15th, Wales 18th and Iran 21st. So the World Cup 2022 betting odds will tell us the Stars and Stripes should make the Round of 16 and then go out, while England will be on the fringe of the final four.
But the World Cup sometimes throws up a surprise and England’s Nations League results have been poor, prompting questions over the future of their head coach. Having reached the semi-final of World Cup 2018 and the final of Euro 2020, the fans hope this could be their year but I suspect that, ultimately, England expects…disappointment.
England
So why is this SBOTOP writer so glum about the prospects of the top team in this group? The Three Lions coasted through the qualifiers, winning European Group I in superb style with eight wins and two draws and a goal difference of 39 to three.
Well, the disappointment of losing the Euro 2020 final on penalties to an Italy team which was older in years and more modest in ability, but mentally and physically tougher, still rankles. You can have all the potential in the world and a bunch of nice guys who are social media influencers, but if you can’t win when the stakes are at their highest then you have a fatal flaw. And I believe this England side and their manager have that problem.
Will they win the group? Probably. But England seem to be lacking confidence at the moment, sitting bottom of their Nations League group with two draws and two defeats, one a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Hungary.
Player to watch: Harry Kane
Now 28 years of age, one of the most prolific strikers in English football history is yet to hold aloft a trophy or pick up a winners medal. He has been loyal to perennial chokers Spurs in the Premier League, earning a 2019 Champions League runners-up medal and he has a Euro 2020 runners-up medal with England.
While he may struggle to lead a team to success, individually Kane is a truly brilliant goal scorer and is a decent bet to repeat his Golden Boot performance at the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Iran
At 21, Iran was the highest-ranked nation in the Asian qualifiers and they won their Group C with six wins and two defeats, away to Bahrain and Iraq. Dragan Skokic’s team scored 24 goals in two games against Cambodia, winning 14-0 and 10-0, and then gathered momentum in the third round group, leading their table with eight wins, one draw and a single defeat, pushing a strong South Korea side into second place and the UAE into third.
Player to watch: Sardar Azmoun
The prolific 27-year-old striker has scored 40 goals in 63 outings for Iran and bagged 52 in 79 games over two and a half seasons with Zenit St Petersburg, before joining Bayer Leverkusen following the outbreak of war in Eastern Europe. He’s a powerful player, strong in the air and with great bursts of speed, and was, in his early days likened to a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
United States
With seven wins, four draws and three losses in their CONCACAF qualifying group, the USA cut it mighty fine to qualify for Qatar, trailing Canada and Mexico and beating the play-off nation Costa Rica on goal difference only. Losses to Canada, Costa Rica and Panama put this young team under pressure but they came through by a whisker.
Player to watch: Christian Pulisic
At 23 years of age, the three times US Soccer Male Athlete of the Year winner is the jewel in the Stars and Stripes crown. He has 21 goals in 51 international appearances and 19 in 74 matches for Chelsea. A classy attacking midfielder he is the man most likely to spark any US success.
Wales
Drawn in a group with Belgium, Wales were never going to qualify automatically and they did well to edge out the Czech Republic to take second place. And then they had to navigate a really tough play-off against Ukraine as neutrals around the world hoped their opponents would come through. But an Andriy Yarmolenko own goal and a heroic display from keeper Wayne Hennessey saw Rob Page’s team packing their bags for Qatar.
Player to watch: Gareth Bale
He’s sure to feature in the World Cup 2022 highlights at some stage and, with 39 goals he is the Dragons’ top scorer of all time. Bale is also just three caps behind Charlton defender Chris Gunter who has 109, so he is surely Mr Wales! Bale once angered Real Madrid fans by hinting he’d rather play for Wales and now he has another chance to show it.
At 32 years of age he still has that odd flash of brilliance which so delighted Spurs fans back in the day.
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