World Cup power ranking Part TWO: Which countries have the best shot at glory in Qatar
European countries
Although, the above is a bit of sarcasm because aside Europe, only South America has produced winners of the World Cup in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
The other five countries that made up the eight different nations to have won the competition are European countries. Germany, Italy, France, England and Spain have all tasted glory in the global tourney.
In this edition of the competition, all the above named countries still carries the tag of favourites and in this article, we access the chances of UEFA flag bearers in Qatar.
Of course, unlike the South Americans, who will only be counting on Brazil and Argentina, Europe have several countries to look forward to. Aside those with reputations in this competition, there are several others with world class players and in fine form.
13 European nations have gone through a thorough qualifying campaign, of which some even had to take part in playoffs, all in games which are not any easy as it was even there, in the playoffs, that current European Champions, Italy were eliminated from taking part in the World Cup this year.
However, some factors will still make one team always come ahead of the other. Some countries have been lucky with their group draws and with that in mind, here is our tips for glory in Qatar amongst European countries.
FRANCE
France - Defending Champions, France have followed up their 2018 World Cup triumph with the UEFA Nations League title in 2021 though they failed to beat the expectations in the European Championship in 2021, where they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Switzerland.
Les Blues still retains a significant part of the players that led them to success in Russia over four years ago but most of them have not been called up to international service lately due to dropped forms and the emergence of new generation of players.
Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi made up the midfield trio that won their second World Cup title. While the former two have battled with injuries lately, Pogba’s involvement in Qatar is still uncertain due to multiple reasons while Kanté has been ruled out of taking part in the tournament after undergoing surgery.
Blaise Matuidi, now in the MLS is not expected to be a part of the side again after announcing his international retirement in 2019 before departing Europe yet in the later stages of his career.
Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami, Corentin Tolisso, Steven Nzonzi, Florian Thauvin and Djibril Sidibe have all been out of the squad due to retirement or form but Didier Deschamps has been blessed with other quality players to fill in for them.
Karim Benzema has been recalled to the National team after years of absence and the player who is the outright favourite to pick up the Ballon d'Or award later this month helped the country to the UEFA Nations League title last year.
Aurélien Tchouameni, William Saliba, Theo Hernandez, Jonathan Clauss, Jules Kounde, Christopher Nkunku, have all emerged and are expected to be a part of their fairly new look France heading into the World Cup in Qatar.
Kylian Mbappé has grown from a teenager into one of the best players in the world at the moment. Karim Benzema can be said as the best while Ousmane Dembele is also enjoying his best football since the turn of the year.
Collective results hasn't been great but as long as Didier Deschamps have this world beaters at his disposal, it is only a matter of time before France start to get things right again.
Though the country endured a disastrous UEFA Nations League campaign, where they managed just one win from six games, finishing third behind Croatia and Denmark, the two time world Champions are still expected to come good in Qatar.
France have reached the FIFA World Cup final three times, winning on home soil in 1998 and in Russia just over four years ago. In 2006, they lost to Italy in the final. Later this year, they will try their luck outside Europe, looking for a third star on their blue shirt.
France will meet Austrialia, Tunisia and Denmark in Group D, where they will be expected to progress to the next round, where the real battle awaits.
CROATIA
Beaten finalist in the last edition, the rise of the Croatia National team came out of the blue because not many anticipated them becoming one of the countries to watch out for in continental or global tournaments before 2018.
Historically, The Blazers made their first appearance in a major tournament in the 1996 European Championship and followed up with their maiden appearance at the World Cup in France 1998.
Since then, they've qualified for all but the 2002 European Championship in Germany and the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.
They surprisingly reached their first World Cup final in Russia four years ago, where they lost 4-2 to France and since then, they've remained at the top, rubbing shoulders with the heavyweights.
Currently ranked twelve in the latest FIFA ranking, moving three places up ahead of the global tournament, Croatia, led by their captain Luka Modric will head to Qatar on the back of a scintillating UEFA Nations League group campaign.
Croatia finished the campaign ahead of Denmark, France and Austria with 13 points, sealing a place in the semi final which will kickoff next year.
Coach, Zlatko Dalic will be counting on the form the team has maintained since 2018 to help them come out on top in Group F, where Belgium will be their main rival for the top spot.
Ranking wise, Belgium are way ahead of Croatia but even manager, Roberto Martinez will know Croatia could also be said as the favourite to claim top spot in the group.
Both will also have to deal with Morocco and Canada to determine who progresses into the next round and who exits from the group stages.
Aside Luka Modric, Croatia also have other stars and it is in the middle of the park that their main strength is drawn. Marcelo Brozovic, Matteo Kovacic, Lovro Majer, Ivan Perisic, Mario Pasalic and Luka Sucic are options Dalic could call on.
Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa and Nikola Vlasic are also quality in other areas of the pitch while they also boast the availability of the experienced Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida, the two who were influential in their run to the final in Russia.
The time is right for Croatia to be optimistic and they will be no pushover for any side in the World Cup this year.
SPAIN
Renown for their tiki taka football, there is always a chance for Spain in any tournament at any level, when they play in their recognized pattern.
The years has not been too kind for them since their Golden generation won the 2012 European Championship, crowning an era which had seen them won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship.
They failed woefully in the 2014 World Cup, suffering elimination from the group stages and well beaten by The Netherlands and Chile.
In the 2016 European Championship, Spain lost 2-0 to Italy in the round of 16. They returned to the World Cup in 2018 and after finishing top of their group, of which they were not even convincing, they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Russia on penalties.
However, things has started to come around for them lately following the appointment of Luis Enrique in 2019 and the emergence of young and talented players from Academy of several clubs in the country.
The likes of Pedri Gonzalez, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and others have taken responsibility with the senior national team in spite of their young ages and are making strides.
Pau Torres, Rodri Hernandez, Marco Asensio, Marcos Llorente, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler are exciting players who are expected to be heading to Qatar with Spain.
Luis Enrique has lately brought in the likes of Gavi, Nico Williams, Hugo Guillamon, Yeremi Pino as these players have been very impressive for their respective clubs, with Nico Williams also assisting Alvaro Morata for the only goal that helped beat Portugal and seal a semi final spot in the UEFA Nations League.
Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Dani Carvajal, Koke and Alvaro Morata are senior figures who still remain a part of the team to some extent as they offer experience and leadership.
La Furia Roja reached the semi final of the European Championship, where they lost to eventual Champions, Italy and followed it up by reaching the final of the 2021 Nations League and then securing a place in the last four of the competition next year.
The form is there as well as the talents, Spain will storm Qatar as a force to reckon with and will surely be one of the favourites to claim the prize.
Spain will come up against Germany, Japan and Costa Rica in group E. Making it out of here should not be much trouble and the battle for top spot will be between themselves and Germany.
ENGLAND
The Three Lions reached the semi finals in 2018 and were beaten finalist in the European Championship 2020, English fans will surely demand significant success this time round.
On current form, they'd be no match for the other heavyweights but with the quality of players at the disposal of Gareth Southgate, the believe is that it is only a matter of time before England put their disappointing run behind them.
They were not able to do that in the UEFA Nations League but they will hope that the impressive final minutes of a disappointing campaign will be sustained when the group come together again, to help them hit the ground running in Qatar.
Without a doubt, England have been fortune to have produced some of the best players in the world today. Their disappointing outing in the just concluded group phase of the Nations League can be faulted on the absence of Kalvin Phillips, who alongside Declan Rice have formed a formidable partnership in the midfield pivot.
His absence made Southgate experiment several tactics with tweaks to formations but unfortunately, the results were not positive and it has become a thing of early worry for English fans ahead of Qatar 2022.
Relegated from the League A of the UEFA Nations League following a group campaign which saw them record zero win from their six games. Question has been asked of the manager but many still retain faith in the 52year old.
Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham have been lucky enough to be mainstay in the national team with their young age despite many other talented players, who have not been given as many or any chance by Southgate.
James Maddison has been one of the best players in the Premier League this or even since the start of last season, but he is not one of Southgate’s trusted players and the Leicester City midfielder is expected to be one of the stars to miss out of Qatar.
Some of their regulars, like Manchester United duo of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have dropped form but Southgate continues to trust them albeit he has several options available from players who are on form with their respective clubs.
Southgate will also have to find a solution to the news of the Reece James’ injury. The Chelsea defender, who has won the heart of the England manager is now expected to miss the tournament while Manchester City’s Kyle Walker remains an injury doubt.
The awkward situation of Trent Alexander-Arnold and the fitness of Kalvin Phillips, all these and more will be headache for Southgate ahead of selecting his squad for Qatar.
The fact that some players don't feel threatened in their position despite others outshining them is alarming but the trust in Southgate is enough to overlook this due to how much the nation has progressed since his appointment in 2016.
Questions will be asked when Southgate eventually name his squad for Qatar but, nonetheless those who make the cut, the Three Lions will be one of the sides to watch out for as they look for their second World Cup title, 56 years after their first one.
DENMARK
One time European Championship winner, Denmark have lately positioned themselves as one of the teams to talk about in recent times and this might be their best chance ever to make a case for the World Cup title.
After missing out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, they returned to the competition four years later in Russia and made it out of the group stages before losing to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16.
Danish Dynamite reached the semi final of the European Championship in 2021 before losing 2-1 to England after extra time.
Kasper Hjulmand's side made easy work off the world cup qualifiers, becoming the first European country to seal qualification after winning all of their first nine games in the qualifying round.
They only lost the last game of the qualifiers, which was just played for the culture and Hjulmand decided give minutes to the squad player. They lost 2-0 to Scotland in Glasgow.
They also enjoyed a good run in the UEFA Nations League group campaign although they failed to make it to the semi finals after losing to Croatia, they did beat both France and Austria twice for their 12 points earned, just one off Croatia who finished top of the Group.
Christian Eriksen, who was forced to withdraw from the European Championship following a heart condition had since returned to the pitch and getting better as time passes.
He was crucial for them in the Nations League campaign and has been one of Manchester United’s best players since joining the club as a free agent in the summer.
Much of Denmark's hopes will be down to him but the country also have many other players who seem to be playing on a different level when representing their nation.
Kasper Schmeichel is a reliable figure in goal. Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Joachim Andersen, Joakim Maehle and Rasmus Kristensen are very good defenders plying their trade in top five leagues and are doing very well for their respective teams.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerj, Mathias Jensen, Jesper Lindstrom and Mikkel Damsgaard are also exciting players. Denmark will be looking to better their best result at the World Cup, which is a quarter final finish in 1998.
In a group of France, Australia and Finland, Denmark will be expected to advance to the next round and after completely dominating France in both legs of their UEFA Nations League meetings, it will be interesting to see if they can replicate those performances in Qatar, to finish top of the Group D.
BELGIUM
Not much can be said of their chances to win things but they failed in the European Championship in 2016 and 2021 and also at the World Cup, they have not shown just how good they are.
The 2022 World Cup could be the ceiling of their chances and just before that kickstart, they've lost their place at the top of the FIFA ranking after spending almost four years in No.1.
Eden Hazard is no more the player he used to be but the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois still remain at the peak of their powers.
Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, Yannick Carrasco Ferreira, Thorgan Hazard and some other important players are also in very good players the country could count on heading to Qatar.
Romelu Lukaku hasn't play for a while now due an injury which has kept him out of action since the end of August. The striker is one of Belgium’s best players and even though he is only recovering from a disastrous spell with Chelsea last season, he is never off form with the National team.
Roberto Martinez will be sweating on the striker's recovery to have hit ready, fit and firing in Qatar.
While Belgium also have a capable deputy for Thibaut Courtois in Simon Mignolet. The Club Brugge goalkeeper has been in the form of his life this season, helping his club qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League after four games of four clean sheets.
Belgian Red Devils failed to make the last four of the UEFA Nations League after losing to The Netherlands but will go all out in Qatar to challenge for what will be their first ever major title.
Roberto Martinez's side will be expected to have sealed round of 16 spot before their final group game against Croatia, a clash which is touted to determine the group winner.
GERMANY
Germany failed to go beyond the round of 16 in the European Championship in 2021 and have not record any significant success since their World Cup triumph in Brazil more than eight years ago.
New players have emerged while a part of the past generations are still retained for experience and quality, Germany have lost ground on the other heavyweights but Hansi Flick could still fancy his side to progress from a group of Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.
Germany have the quality and Flick will hope when his side will have to come up against other big sides, they will be in the right shape, physically and mentally to come out on top.
Emerging winner of their group will be tough but not impossible. Topping the group means they'll face a less team from the other group but you can never predict who will always come out on top because form at times changes the whole narrated contexts.
Manuel Neuer in goal is still as reliable as ever. Youngster, Jamal Musiala is on top form and the same can be said of Leroy Sané. The Bayern Munich attackers have form a deadly chemistry lately and Germany could use a bit of that in Qatar.
Kai Havertz has an astonishing record with the national team while Ilkay Gundogan, Antonio Rudiger and Joshua Kimmich remain consistent at top level.
Leon Goretzka is slowly returning to full beast mode following his recovery from a long spell on the sideline.
Germany will be expected to advance from their group and thereon, the real battle comes. The four times winner might not be first on your list of favourites but after reaching at least the semi final in four of the last five editions, there should be no writing off Hansi Flick and his minions.
THE NETHERLANDS
After failing to qualify for the previous edition of the competition on the back of reaching the semi finals in 2010 and 2014, The Netherlands have taken their preparation for this edition to a whole new level and their growth under Frank de Boer and now Louis van Gaal.
In the 2020 European Championship, Netherlands went through the group phase unscratched, winning all three games and finishing with a goal difference of positive six.
However, they were disappointingly eliminated in the round of 16 in the hands of Czech Republic, losing 2-0 to Tomas Holes and Patrik Schick second half goals.
They finished top of their group in the World Cup qualifiers and beat Belgium over two legs to seal a semi final spot in the UEFA Nations League finals ahead of next year.
The Dutch have never won the World Cup title despite reaching the final on three occasions, most recently in South Africa 2010.
Louis van Gaal recently equaled Dick Advocaat’s record for most wins for the national team as a manager and will be looking to surpass the legendary Manager when the Orange face Senegal in their first match of the tournament.
Qatar and Ecuador are the other countries in their Group A, where The Netherlands will be favourites to advance as the group winner.
Coming out on top will see them avoid the top team in Group B, which is most likely England but alongside the US, Iran and Wales the possible round of 16 and quarter final opponents, it promises to be an interesting run for the Netherlands, if they can take their chances in Qatar.
PORTUGAL
Portugal continues to produce some of the most exciting talents in world football. The national team is currently stacked with young talents, even better than they were in 2016, when they won their first major honour.
But one factor has continuously limit them from maximizing the potential of these players and that is their inability to show up against the other big nations.
To go all the way in a tournament like the World Cup, you'll surely come up against the best and will need to show up in these games to be crowned Champions.
The Navigators surrendered their spot to Spain in the last match of their Nations League group campaign after losing to Luis Enrique side in Braga.
Despite the wealth of talents in all the positions in the pitch, coach Fernando Santos has been unable to get Portugal imposing themselves on their opponents but only relying on individual brilliance in the final third to do the magic most of the time.
Although the 68year old has been responsible for the best moments in the country's history having led them to the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League titles in 2016 and 2019 respectively, there is no denying Portugal can get much better than they currently are.
They only managed to secure the ticket for Qatar having take part in the playoffs after a late winner from Aleksandar Mitrovic handed Serbia a 2-1 win in the final group game of the European world cup qualifiers, condemning Portugal to playoffs.
Luckily for then, they were able to beat Turkey before seeing off North Macedonia in the final, the later who had beaten Italy in Palermo to reach the final stage of the playoff.
Surely it is too late now to contemplate a change in management and the fans will hope individual brilliance again could see them go all the way in Qatar.
In Cristiano Ronaldo, they have one of the all time greats, who can be very unpredictable and capable of deciding the outcome of a match on his own.
Bernardo Silva, Renato Sanches, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Rafael Leao, Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes to mention but a few are some of Portugal's big names and players they look up to for glory in the world cup.
While the likes of Vitinha, Matheus Nunes and several others are exciting players, Santos has find it very difficult integrating them into the team because of his trust in the long-term servers, who are already aging and most times inconsistent.
Portugal has never reach the final of the World Cup. They've twice lost in the semi finals, wining the third place match in 1966 and losing it 40 years later in Germany 2006.
The path to the final will not be easy with potential opponents being Brazil, Serbia and other strong countries, which kind of happen to be Portugal’s weakness. But to be the best, you have to beat the best.
It will not be easy but just as no one expected them to emerge winner of the European Championship in 2016, where they only make it out of the group stage as one of the best third placed teams, Portugal have what it takes again to go all the way. It remains to be seen if they can do what it takes.
Not forgetting Switzerland and Serbia, the former who reached the quarter finals of the European Championship by beating France in the round of 16 before losing to Spain on penalties.
Switzerland also sealed top spot in the same qualifying group as Italy to book their place in Qatar.
They moved a place up to 15 in the latest FIFA ranking, showing how much they have improved in recent times. However, being in the same group as Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon means it will not be an easy task right from the group stages.
Serbia also qualify ahead of Portugal and in their ranks is one of the best strikers in the world at the moment in Aleksandar Mitrovic as well as Dusan Vlahovic and Ajax playmaker, Dusan Tadic.
The path is not easy for these two teams and this will probably limit their performance in Qatar but they will surely make the Group G an exciting one to watch.
European countries might not be the best but the chance is high that one of these countries will emerge Champions in Qatar.
Brazil and Argentina will pose biggest threat to prevent them from continuing their dominance but still to be seen is if the two South American can conquer all the European nations in their path to glory.
Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi
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