The ‘Group of Death’ is mostly associated with the Euros, a smaller tournament where it's more likely for the big sides to draw on another, but there are plenty of high-voltage encounters lined up for the world cup.
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The draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was completed on Friday in Doha and like all major tournaments, debates over the Group of Death have begun already. While there may be no obvious ‘Group of Death’ at the Qatar World Cup, the draw has thrown up some tasty looking pools and Group E looks like the toughest one because of the presence of former champions Germany and Spain.
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The ‘Group of Death’ is mostly associated with the Euros, a smaller tournament where it’s more likely for the big sides to draw on another, but there are plenty of high-voltage encounters lined up for the world cup. The fixture clash between Germany and Spain on November 27 is certainly going to be the most exciting one.
The 2010 world champions Spain and 2014 World champions Germany had faced each other four times in the past in the world stage and Germany has the better record having won twice and lost just once. The last time these two teams locked horns was in the semi-finals of 2010 world cup when Carles Puyol’s lone goal was enough to take La Roja through to the final where they defeated Netherlands to lift their maiden world title.
Germany dominated the qualifiers by winning nine of the 10 fixtures and booked their ticket for Qatar with a nine point lead over North Macedonia, who finished second. Meanwhile Spain also didn’t break a sweat, winning six of their eight fixtures to secure qualification for the world cup.
Meanwhile Asian powerhouse Japan could be the darkhorse in the group. The Samurai Blue eased through their qualifying pool with a seven point lead over Australia and had an impressive World Cup four years ago in Russia when they reached the last-16 stage before going down fighting against the mighty Belgium.
The fourth and final team in the group will be known only after the inter-continental play-off 2 between Costa Rica and New Zealand. Both the teams have a history of causing upsets in the World Cup. Spain will face either Costa Rica or New Zealand in their opening clash on November 23, while Germany will take on Japan on the same day.
Although Group E is touted as a Group of Death because of the presence of Germany and Spain, there are other groups which come closest to being the Group of Death, like Group C, which contains Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
World’s number one ranked nation Brazil is expected to go through to the round of 16 without much difficulty while there’s going to be a tough battle for the second spot. The two European nations Serbia and Switzerland finished above so-called superior teams in Portugal and Italy to qualify for the finals automatically.
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups featuring four teams each. The teams finishing first and second from each group will qualify for the Round of 16. All group-winners will take on a runner-up from another group in the pre-quarter-finals.
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, European play-off*
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Intercontinental play-off 1**, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Intercontinental play-off 2***, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Ghana, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Canada, Uruguay, South Korea
European play-off – Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Intercontinental play-off 1 – United Arab Emirates/Australia/Peru
Intercontinental play-off 2 – Costa Rica/New Zealand
