Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica have been drawn into Group E which is regarded as the Group of Death for the tournament which will start in November and end in December 2022.
Costa Rica secured the final slot for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday 14 June, after beating New Zealand in a World Cup play-off.
Hence, all 32 teams and groups for this year’s edition of the tournament have been determined following the conclusion of the World Cup qualification series across the world.
Supporters of the qualified clubs have already started analyzing their team’s chances of moving on from the groups’ stage of the tournament over four months to the kick-off of the tournament.
What is Group of Death?
In a multi-stage event, a group of death is one that is expected to be highly competitive since there are more strong competitors in the group than there are qualifying spots available for the subsequent round.
In recent years, football experts have labeled one group as the “group of death” in each FIFA World Cup edition. While every group is difficult, some teams draw the short straw and are placed with other teams who are just as competitive.
This group is known as the “group of death” because it seems more competitive than the other groups.
It is no gainsaying that the “group of death” at this year’s world cup is Group E. The group seems to be the most challenging. Germany and Spain, two former world champions from Europe, are in the group.
Germany has won the World Cup four times (in 2014, 1990, 1974, and 1954), while Spain won the title in 2010. Japan, one of the top Asian teams, is also in Group E.
The two European powerhouses will be the betting favorites to win it all, but in 2018 and 2014, Germany and Spain lost in the group stage.
Japan, which won its group in the World Cup qualifying tournament, is a team that neither Germany nor Spain would want to take lightly.
For the other three teams in the group, the tenacious Japanese team can be a major concern. The fourth group E squad to be drawn is Costa Rica. World Cup upsets by Costa Rica are not uncommon. La Sele will be the underdogs, but on their best day, they can surprise even the best teams.
It is noteworthy that Costa Rica survived another World Cup elimination group in 2014. The group, which also included Uruguay, England, and Italy, was won by Costa Rica.
Brazil, Cameroon, Serbia, and Switzerland make up Group G, another difficult group. While Serbia is a very powerful squad and didn’t drop a single game throughout the World Cup qualifiers, Brazil is one of the teams anticipated to advance far in the tournament.
In addition, Switzerland qualified for the World Cup without losing a single match, taking first place in a group that featured Italy, the Euro 2021 champions.
World Cup 2018 Group of Death
Every year leading up to the World Cup, there is a group that is unmistakably known as the “Group of Death” due to its intense competition and concentration of elite teams. But the 2018 World Cup was a little different.
There was not a single group where two or three major teams had a potential to be eliminated early in the competition due to the absence of Italy, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Chile, the Ivory Coast, and Cameroon.
Other groups contained two top-notch teams, including Group B’s Portugal and Spain, Group D’s Argentina and Croatia, and Group G’s Belgium and England.
The remaining teams in those three groups, however, weren’t really elite sides. The more powerful footballing nations were not easily intimidated by Iran, Morocco, Nigeria, Iceland, Tunisia, or Panama.
In what will go down as one of the most exciting World Cup finals ever, France defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the title for the second time in history and the first time since they served as hosts in 1998.
World Cup 2022 Draw
The draw for the FIFA 2022 World Cup took place in Doha, Qatar.
In Group A, hosts Qatar were placed with Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Senegal; in Group B, England was placed with the United States, Iran, and the winners of the playoff games between Wales and Ukraine.
Current Champions France along with Denmark, Tunisia, and the winners of the qualifiers for Australia/UAE and Peru, France will begin the defense of their title in Group D.
Brazil, one of the competition’s favorites this year, is in Group G with Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon.
World Cup 2022 Group
Group A
- Qatar
- Ecuador
- Senegal
- Netherlands
Group B
- England
- Iran
- USA
- Wales
Group C
- Argentina
- Saudi Arabia
- Mexico
- Poland
Group D
- France
- Australia
- Denmark
- Tunisia
Group E
- Spain
- Costa Rica
- Germany
- Japan
Group F
- Belgium
- Canada
- Morocco
- Croatia
Group G
- Brazil
- Serbi
- Switzerland
- Cameroon
Group H
- Portugal
- Ghana
- Uruguay
- South Korea
When will the FIFA World Cup Begin?
Only a few months remain until the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and every continent is represented.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will start on Monday, November 21, and, is scheduled to end with the final on Sunday, December 18.
Brazil enters as the No. 1 team in the world and has an easy group to get through, while France, the defending champs, are predicted to finish first in their group and have a chance to gain momentum going into the tournament’s knockout stages.
