World Cup Preview (Group F)
- CANADA
Many Canadians would say that football is not one of the major sports in the country. A backwater country in football as baseball, ice hockey and American football gain attention in Canada. Canada has only been in one World Cup, which was back in 1986 and has barely made it to the final round of qualifiers in CONCACAF ever since. In the CONCACAF region, they have won the Gold Cup twice, remaining the only nation to win the Gold Cup outside of the United States and Mexico. They reached the semifinals of the last Gold Cup, which was last year, losing 2-1 to Mexico. Canada's recent history and their rivals in the region make their World Cup qualification quite remarkable. Their journey started in the first round, winning all four games before qualifying for the final round, beating Haiti 4-0 across two legs in the second round. Competing with the top teams in the region, Canada was the first team from CONCACAF to qualify for the World Cup. Assured qualification after beating Jamacia 4-0 at BMO Field in Toronto. They were undefeated against the United States and Mexico and scored the most goals with 23. John Herdman has been in charge of the national team for four years, having been in the Women's game with Canada and New Zealand. He inflicted belief on the players to achieve the impossible, which pushed them on throughout the qualifiers. Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich is the most famous Canadian footballer, but it's not just Davies. Strikers Jonathan David and Cyle Larin scored 19 goals together during the qualifiers, while Stephen Eustaquio and Samuel Piette offer balance to the midfield. Captain Atiba Hutchinson and goalkeeper Milan Borjan are the stalwarts of the side, both in the top ten of Canada's all-time appearance makers. They are in a group where they are the black sheep. Croatia and Belgium were in the semifinals of the last World Cup, and Morocco has pedigree in the competition. Nevertheless, the Maple Leaf will be going to Qatar with heavy optimism and hope it becomes a springboard for the sport in the future, as they will be co-hosting the next World Cup.
Can They Go Through: NO
- BELGIUM
In the last decade, Belgium has been in the conversation to win an international title. Blessed with a golden generation of players who have played in the biggest club sides, it was not out of the question. Fast forward to 2022, Belgium has not won an international title, and its key players are ageing. Belgium has been ranked number one in the FIFA rankings from September 2018 to March this year and had their best World Cup showing in 2018, finishing third. They have been in fourteen World Cups, with nothing much to display beside their fourth-placed finish in 1986. So, Belgium's golden generation is in the last hurrah together, with their recent showing being Euro 2020, where they lost to eventual champions Italy in the quarterfinals. Belgium qualified for the World Cup with little competition going unbeaten in eight games and scoring 25 games in the process. Roberto Martinez has been Belgium's coach for six years, making him Belgium's longest-serving coach since Guy Thys. He has deployed the 3-4-3 formation with a heavy emphasis on ball possession and create creation. He has also used this to cover Belgium's deficiency in defence, given their lack of depth of centre-backs and availability of full-backs. De Rode Duivels has the likes of captain Eden Hazard, striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is one of the best keepers around, and they have young players coming into the fold like Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana and Charles De Ketelaere. The main concern is in their defence as starting defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are past their prime with little cover for them. This Belgium team is on its last legs, but their quality and experience together could enable them to top the group and see off the competition. This is the last dance for these Duivels.
Can They Go Through: YES
- CROATIA
It is easy to forget that Croatia is still a young nation, formed in 1991 during the Yugoslav Wars, which ended the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Since becoming an independent nation, Croatia has performed better than the breakaway countries of Yugoslavia, finishing third in their first World Cup in 1998. They have missed one World Cup, the 2010 World Cup, and after the highs of 1998, they failed to reach the knockouts until 2018. The 2018 World Cup was the high point for Croatian football, becoming the fourteenth nation to reach the FIFA World Cup Final, beating Argentina, Denmark and England before falling to France in the Final. Their 2018 squad, which included Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka and Danijel Subasic, have all retired, forcing the regeneration of new players to the fold. In their last tournament appearance, Euro 2020, Croatia struggled to make the knockouts before losing to Spain 5-3. The Blazers (Vatreni) battled with Russia for automatic qualification, facing each other in the final matchday in Croatia. Croatia gained the automatic qualification, beating Russia 1-0 courtesy of an own goal. Croatia's success in recent years has been under Zlatko Dalic, who has been Croatia's coach since 2017. He has taken Croatia to the Nations League Finals next year and will become the first Croatian coach to go for three consecutive tournaments under his stewardship. Midfielder Luka Modric remains captain and is still at the top of his game at age 37. His supporting cast has changed, with Mateo Kovacic partnering him in midfield alongside Marcelo Brozovic. Dominik Livakovic is the number one keeper, while Andrej Kramaric is the starting striker. The ones to look out for are defender Josep Gvardiol and midfielder and midfielder Luka Susic, Croatia's young prospects. It will be hard for Croatia to replicate what they did in 2018, but they are favourites along with Belgium to advance, given their talent and mental fortitude.
Can They Go Through: YES
- MOROCCO
African qualifiers were fierce, tense and low scoring, with little margin for error. Morocco, on the other hand, qualified with such an anomaly it begs belief. This is their sixth World Cup appearance and has made it consecutively for the second time. The 1986 World Cup was Morocco's best showing, reaching the last 16. Morocco was in a tough group with Spain, Portugal and Iran in the 2018 World Cup. They finished bottom of the group with one point, losing narrowly to Iran, and battled well against Spain to muster a draw. They won only one African Cup of Nations title back in 1976. They last made the Final in 2004, losing to Tunisia, while their showing in the 2021 Nations Cup resulted in a quarterfinal finish, losing to Egypt after extra time. Morocco almost swept their way during the qualifiers, winning all six games in the second round before facing DR Congo in the final round. They drew 1-1 in the first leg before Morocco crushed them 4-1 in Casablanca, winning 5-2 on aggregate. Morocco's qualifying campaign was under Vahid Halilhodzic. However, he was dismissed months before the tournament, with Walid Regragui taking the post. The change of manager enabled the return of Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech, who had a frosty relationship with Halilhodzic. The Atlas Lions has full-backs Noussair Mazraoui and Archaf Hakimi. Romain Saiss is the captain, and Ziyech is back, providing creativity for the attack. Like in 2018, Morocco is in a tough group. Croatia and Belgium are favourites, while Canada is an unknown. Morocco is a talented team, but the change of manager and welcoming back a player that was rarely around could affect them negatively in Qatar.
Can They Go Through: NO
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