With the completion of the group stage, it seems as though any of the remaining teams have a legitimate chance of holding up the trophy when all is said and done. So many big teams, with many heavy names, remain in contention in the world’s biggest sporting event.

After an early scare against Saudi Arabia, Messi and the Argentinian squad got through what became a very competitive group stage. Argentina came into this tournament as one of the betting favorites to win, second only to the talented Brazilian squad. Yet the early loss to Saudi Arabia had critics not only questioning Argentina’s chances to win the World Cup, but even its chances to make it out of the group stage. To Argentina’s credit, they answered with a much needed win against Mexico with goals coming from Lionel Messi in the 64th minute and a goal from Enzo Fernández in the 87th minute. Argentina’s momentum carried into the following game where they proceeded to beat Poland and secure the 1-seed in the group. Argentina will play Australia in their first knockout stage match.

The United States national team has played incredibly well to start off this year’s World Cup. USA’s opener ended in an unfortunate draw, and although it was not
the preferred result, it was still a great way to start off the tournament. The game that captivated one of the largest audiences was the matchup between USA and England. The significance of this match cannot be overstated, especially with the history that these two nations have had going back centuries. Although the game ended in a draw, many considered this a win for the United States as the underdog team. England’s national team is widely revered by many, while the United States has had very little success in the past and even failed to qualify for the tournament last year. With the amateur USA team winning over Iran with an early goal coming from Christian Pulisic, the United States found themselves as the 2-seed within the group entering the knockout stage.

Portugal, France, and Brazil got through their groups relatively easily. All three teams won their first two matchups of the tournament with ease, almost cementing their names at the top of their respective groups. Yet, injuries haunt both the French and Brazilian squads – with the French squad missing their all-star players Paul Pogba, N’golo Kanté, Presnal Kimpembe, as well as Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema. Despite this, the French squad remains strong with Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé running circles on every defense they go up against. The Brazilian squad is hoping to get Neymar back on the field as soon as possible after he suffered a brutal ligament injury against Serbia. There is concern that an injury of that significance can linger as the tournament continues. As for the Portuguese squad, there is not much concern surrounding them. It seems as though this is historically one of their best put-together groups in terms of being able to focus their power with Ronaldo, and it definitely has given them the potential to make a deep run into this tournament. 

After the head-turning South Korean national team beat their Portuguese opponents 2-1 on a stoppage-time goal, they had to hope Ghana could hold off their
Uruguayan opponents for the remaining six minutes of their game as they were both in contention for the spot against Brazil in the group. Shockingly enough, they qualified through due to their four goals scored compared to Uruguay’s two. Being the only remaining Arab team in the knockout group, the Moroccan team has definitely changed the opinions on the group as a whole. After an upsetting loss to Egypt in the Africa Cup, many thought the team to be a wasteful investment and not skilled enough to stand out much in the tournament. They had previously tied Croatia, the second-best-ranked team in the world, and scored a surprising winning goal against Belgium to bring them to their Canada matchup. There, all of the players were able to show up and defeat the North American team 2-1 to finish top of their group. The most promising, and only other African team to qualify for the elimination round were the Senegalese, who had previously won the Africa Cup of Nations this year. Boasting a skilled roster, the team is set to play against England which should put up a very entertaining match. 

Images Cited

Hopkins, Oliver. “World Cup 2022 Guide to Each Group | the Analyst.” The Analyst, 3 Nov. 2022, theanalyst.com/na/2022/11/world-cup-2022-guide-to-each-group/.

‌Douglas, Steve. “Messi, Argentina Try to Avoid World Cup Upset vs. Australia.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2022, apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-saudi-arabia-australia-0dfcdd7d870eae61570e75e9a244bda3.

‌Morse, Ben. “Why Are South Korea Star Son Heung-Min and Others Wearing Masks at the World Cup?” CNN, CNN, 2 Dec. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/12/02/football/masks-son-heung-min-world-cup-2022-spt-intl/index.html.