Reflecting on the 2022 World Cup draw

Despite the European football season not finishing until the end of the month, and plenty of action across its respective leagues over the next few weeks, anticipation is building for the summer, when many would expect the World Cup to start. Usually held between June and July, the tournament is perhaps the most prestigious in the whole of the beautiful game, but with the latest instalment held in Qatar, the international scene will have to wait until late November before we see any action.

Of course, there are still some intercontinental qualifiers that will have an influence over the rest of the group stage draw, which has confirmed who everyone else will be playing. Club colleagues will come to blows, upsets are bound to happen and the unpredictability of a winter World Cup, which will inevitably disrupt the domestic season greatly, can guarantee the football betting markets will be in for some surprises. With the draw being made, let’s take a look at some of the key talking points and exciting fixtures to look forward to.

England’s group will make fans believe ‘It’s coming home’

Having suffered heartbreak in the Euros final last summer, losing to Italy at Wembley on penalties, Gareth Southgate will be hoping England can reach their second major final in two years and go one better — and with the group they have there’s every chance they can snag the right side of the tournament tree. The Three Lions are guaranteed to face the United States and Iran, whilst Wales and Scotland’s fate will be decided by the intercontinental play-offs at the start of next month. Could it really come home for England?

Heavy hitters in Group C

Group C looks to be an entertaining prospect due to the potential for goals. None of the sides involved exactly have a reputation for defending and even in a tournament environment you’d expect the full-throttle approach from all of them to, if anything, be doubled down. There are some great strikers in the group so expect plenty of chances and some high scoring games

The game between Argentina and Poland is the one that will get the most attention, mainly for the battle between Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. The two talismans will go head-to-head in what will probably be the last time we see Paris Saint-Germain’s magician at his peak in a World Cup. Regardless of his domestic form, you wouldn’t count out either in the run-in for the Golden Ball.

Hosts will find it hard

When you look at host countries in World Cups, they tend to overachieve. The likes of Russia and South Korea in years gone by had overcome teams with plenty of international experience and it just goes to show what a difference being on home soil can make for the players. Unfortunately, in the case of Qatar it’s hard to share that same optimism.

While they’ll be acclimatised to the weather, they face some tough games in Group A with the Netherlands, Ecuador and Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal. There are many that don’t want Qatar to earn a single point in the World Cup due to their record of human rights violations and allegations of corruption, and with a group like this and the team they have it’s very likely they’ll fail to do anything significant throughout the tournament.