Usually a mid-year tournament, the Qatar 2022 World Cup will start on November 20th with a match between the hosts and Ecuador in Group A.
The qualified teams around the world have been putting in their work and managers have been looking to confirm the final 26 players they will call up for the squads.
Each country has finished its final camp with their players and the last games before the World Cup have been played.
There are no more opportunities for players to prove themselves in front of their international managers, decisions must be all but confirmed now, barring injuries.
As the final games came to a close, we have been able to see at what place each team is at, how confident they seem as well as what form they are in. All this has impacted the World Cup odds which have taken into account what is happening on and off the field in each camp.
England
A regular in the group of favorites, but only have the one World Cup victory back in 1966. It’s been a long wait for English fans, and the defeat in penalties to Italy in the European Championships last year showed how close they could get to another championship.
This past international break though has thrown up more concerns over a team that, on paper, should be performing much better than they are.
Relegated from their group in the Nations League, their 1-0 defeat in Italy was another hit to confidence which confirmed their relegation, another loss which followed the 4-0 defeat at home to Hungary back in June.
They bounced back to some degree in a dead rubber with Germany, going 2-0 down, they then came back and took a 3-2 lead before conceding an equalizer from a Nick Pope mistake.
Gareth Southgate has been criticized for his lack of imagination in the attacking phase. He has plenty of quality to choose from but rarely lets them play with freedom. His continual commitment to error prone Harry Maguire as well is raising eyebrows, leaving less confidence in punters on England making an impact in the final this year.
France
France survived relegation from their Nations League group by 1 point in this international break, beating Austria 2-0 at home was enough. For fans though, the 2-0 defeat to Denmark which followed is another frustration with plenty of off-field issues which add to the concerns amongst the team.
There has been talk in the media of Zinedine Zidane being wanted to replace current manager Didier Deschamp; Paul Pogba could be out injured while also having a blackmail case on going; Kylian Mbappe is refusing to feature in some team promotional activities and a lack of cohesion on the field.
Deschamp has one of the most enviable group of players to choose from but there are continual issues surrounding the team which is making their defense of their title looking less promising leading up to the tournament.
Brazil
As opposed to the two European sides just mentioned, Brazil cruised to two wins over Ghana and Tunisia scoring eight and conceding one in the last international break.
They reminded the world of the strong team atmosphere in the group, the incredible talent they have on display as well as the defensive strength they have under manager Tite. This is a team that only conceded five goals in 17 qualifying games while scoring 40, an impressive showing once again for one of the favorite teams to watch for all soccer fans.
United States
In a group with England, Wales, and Iran; there has been some confidence and excitement in the USMNT camp leading up to the World Cup.
Confidence has turned to trepidation as two poor performances added to the poor results in the latest international break, losing comfortably to Japan while drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia.
Failing to create chances, struggling to play out from the back under pressure, and not having a clear idea on who will start at certain positions have added to the nerves around the team.
Gregg Berhalter has a specific system he likes to play and while it is great when it works, there doesn’t appear to be a plan B if they are struggling. The players he is calling up in this last camp also appear to be very similar and there is no sign of how they can change a game they are struggling in.
There is not long to wait now, and managers and coaches have done all they can with their players get them ready. The squads will be announced and the next time they are all together will be on their way to Qatar.
It will be a new experience for all in World Cup being played mid-season for many who ply their trade in Europe. Excitement awaits as the biggest tournament in the world returns this November.
