Which Group is the ‘Group of Death’ at World Cup 2022?

Published: 2022-05-10 By: The Guru

Qatar’s World Cup group set was announced on April 1st, and football fans worldwide are already throwing in their predictions. Every FIFA World Cup group draw is surrounded by anxiety and anticipation regarding the so-called “Group of Death”. The Group of Death is usually made of at least three superpowers, starting the competition on the wrong foot. Is there a clear Group of Death for this year’s edition?

The Draw

Before moving on to this year’s group draw, it’s important to understand how group draws work. This year’s edition will have 32 teams divided into four pots according to their position in the ranking. The first pot has the top seven national teams, plus the host team, in this case, Qatar. According to their ranking, the other pots are also organised in lists of eight teams. Check below how each pot was for this draw.

Pot 1: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Portugal, Spain and Qatar

Pot 2: Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Switzerl, Uruguay and USA

Pot 3: Iran, Japan, Morocco, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, Tunisia and Senegal,

Pot 4: Canada, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Placeholder 1, Placeholder 2, Placeholder 3.

Placeholders were included for draw purposes and are spots that are yet to be taken. Costa Rica is one of the teams already confirmed. The remaining two positions will be disputed by the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Peru, Scotland, Wales, and Ukraine. Check the best site for online betting in Ghana and learn about the latest results and next fixtures.

Rules and Restrictions

Every group is formed by one team from each pot. Teams from the same region can’t be drawn into the same group. European national teams are an exception: there are 14 of them in the competition, and it would be impossible to separate them. Still, only two European teams are allowed per group. Every team in Pot 1 is appointed as the head of each group, from A to H.

The Groups

One question remained with all groups clearly laid: which one is the feared “Group of Death”? It turns out there’s not only one but a few of them. Football fans worldwide can be sure to have a stream of nerve-wracking matches right from the start. Here are the four groups where the fight for classification tends to be more gruesome.

#1 - Group G

Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group G is arguably the toughest group in the competition. Brazil doesn’t require introductions, and it’s always a fearsome contender. Serbia made a great campaign and hasn’t lost a match during UEFA qualifications. In this edition, the team even managed to beat Portugal, which is a Pot 1 team. Players like Dragan Stojkovic (Ajax), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), and Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), will reinforce the team.

Switzerland has managed to pass through UEFA qualifications unscathed. Despite being a Pot 4 team, Cameroon is also a power to reckon with for coming on top of teams like Algeria and Ivory Coast in the playoffs. The Indomitable Lions finished AFCON third.

#2 - Group E

Germany, Spain, Costa Rica, Japan

Germany and Spain in the same group are enough to make things intense already. Japan and Costa Rica will have a tough start to the competition, with the odds largely favouring the European teams. Nevertheless, Costa Rica has a stubborn defence and could give a hard time to the superpowers. Japan lacks big names in the team, and it isn’t the flashiest team on the list. Still, it’s a quite technical one, with a strong qualifiers campaign, and shouldn’t be underestimated.

#3 - Group C

Argentina, Mexico, Poland, and Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi leads the Argentinian team through a winning streak of 31 games, a world record. During the qualifiers, Mexico’s coach, Tata Martino, went through rough patches with the Mexican fans. His authority was repeatedly questioned, but he still managed to lead the team to second position in the CONCACAF.

Poland won its ticket to Qatar by defeating Sweden. It’s not a strong team overall but has one of the most lethal strikers of our days: Robert Lewandowsky. Saudi Arabia is playing its second World Cup. Still, it comes from a quite successful campaign and finished qualifiers at the top in its region.

#4 - Group H

Portugal, Uruguay, South Korea, and Ghana

Portugal hasn’t managed to keep its quality after scoring the Euro 2016. Still, such quality can resurface at any moment, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jota, among others, in the team. Uruguay stays true to its tradition of forming lethal scorers, and there will be a new generation of strikers on the field.

After defeating Nigeria in the playoffs, Ghana won its place in the competition and had a decent rebound campaign. South Korea comes from a qualifier where it lost only one game and showed great firepower during that period.

Escaping Death

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The FIFA World Cup is played by the best teams, players, and coaches globally. Every country brings its best to the field and invests considerable amounts of money in their best performances. So, even the humblest opponents can surprise too-confident top dogs, as usually happens in every edition.