The United States and Iran meet in a politically charged winner-takes-all World Cup clash on Tuesday as England aim to reach the last 16 as group winners with victory over Wales.
Ever since the draw for the tournament was made in April, the Group B game between the US and Iran has stood out as one of the highlights of the first phase in Qatar.
Even with little riding on the result, the game at Thumama Stadium would have been loaded with political overtones, only the third meeting on a football field of two nations who share more than 40 years of ideological enmity.
But Tuesday’s match carries an additional dimension with both teams knowing that a win will see one of them advance to the knockout rounds while the loser is eliminated.
As if that wasn’t enough, simmering tensions flared up at the weekend after the US Soccer federation posted a modified version of the Iranian flag on their social media feeds.
The move infuriated Iranian football chiefs, who lodged a complaint with world governing body FIFA demanding sanctions.
US Soccer initially said the altered flag was intended as a gesture to show support for women protesters in Iran, before subsequently deleting the various posts.
Coach Gregg Berhalter said on Monday his players and team staff had been in the dark about the flag gesture and sought to de-escalate tensions by emphasising that politics would not be a factor on Tuesday.
“When I think about this match I know that a lot of other constituents have a lot of other feelings towards it,” Berhalter said.
“But for us it’s a soccer game against a good team and it’s not much more than that. It’s a knockout game between two good teams that want to get to the next round.”
Iran counterpart Carlos Queiroz brushed off suggestions that the flag furore would be used to motivate his players.
“If after 42 years in this game as a coach I still believe I can win games with those mental games, I think I’ve learned nothing about the game,” the Portuguese coach said.
Wales need miracle
In Tuesday’s other Group B game England will be looking for a win over Wales as they bid to qualify for the last 16 as group winners.
England made a flying start to the tournament with a 6-2 demolition of Iran but were then held to a 0-0 draw by the USA in a laboured performance.
England manager Gareth Southgate is expected to tweak his starting line-up to rest some of his star men against a Welsh team who need a miracle to qualify.
In other games on Tuesday, the Netherlands face already eliminated hosts Qatar as the Dutch strive to finish top of Group A.
Ecuador, who are level with the Dutch on four points, will finish top of the group if they come up with a better result against Senegal than the Netherlands manage against Qatar.
The winners of Group A will face the runners-up from Group B in the last 16. Failure to top the group could conceivably see the Netherlands face England in the second round.
Holland manager Louis van Gaal is unfazed by whoever his team meets in the next round.
“If you want to become world champions you have to be capable of beating anyone,” van Gaal said.
AT 3.00am Wednesday, in the first-ever British home nations clash in the World Cup, in the so-called “Battle of Britain”, one of England or Wales will seriously stake it out.
Wales are confident of turning the tables at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in this crucial clash to decide the final positionings in Group ‘B’.
“The dragon on my shirt; that’s all I need,” Wales star Gareth Bale said, looking down at the Wales crest on his red polo shirt.
On paper, it’s England as they are top of the group and need just a point to secure their passage to the knockout stages, while Wales are on the verge of elimination.
CHANGES IN LINEUP
They must beat England for the first time since 1984 in order to advance, along with hoping that Iran and the USA draw.
England boss Gareth Southgate may make changes to the lineup that started both against Iran and Wales, amid widespread clamour for Phil Foden to be introduced.
But Bale is confident they are capable of shocking England in World Cup showdown.
“There’s been a few shocks in the tournament already and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same,” the 33-year-old said. “Everyone has weaknesses. We’ve done our homework and had meetings, and I’m sure they’ve done the same with us.
FAVOURITES TO WIN
“We know how difficult it will be. England are a very good team, They’re one of the favourites to win the tournament. We are under no illusions it will be hard, we’re going to give everything like we always do.”
Even then, mathematically, unless England are beaten by a four-goal margin, Wales need Iran and the United States to draw their final match to make the round of 16 in Qatar.
It is a very tall order for a Wales side who have won only once in 10 games. But Bale says they can draw on respective underdog victories for Japan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia over Germany, Belgium and Argentina.
So, who’s your pick for this “Battle of Britain”?
Keep your fingers crossed for a surprise, perhaps.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
England went through humiliations in the Nations League, getting relegated after poor performances under the leadership of Gareth Southgate.
England and Germany shared the spoils at Wembley in a 3-3 draw but the results left both sides frustrated with their runs ahead of the World Cup.
Nevertheless, some in the UK are not shocked with the ‘Nation’s League’ performances, saying the England squad is one of the favourites to win the biggest global football tournament in Qatar.
While that is comforting, that is people still see the England squad as the best in the world ahead of the World Cup, there are concerns about the team.
The England squad had to fight against racist remarks online after it failed to win the EURO 2020, with three of its players missing the penalties at the end, giving Italy victory.
The Italians made it to the final stage of the Nations League in what can be seen as a performance filled with consistency, unlike the England squad. They should be one of the favourites to lift the World Cup coming November.
Russia and Qatar
Now, what is the difference between the England team that was fielded in Russia and the one that will defend their chances in Qatar?
England meets the USA, Wales and Iran in what can be said is an easy qualifying group that should see both the English side and the Americans go through the first stage.
Gregg Berhalter, the American coach, praised Gareth Southgate and backed the Three Lions to win the World Cup.
He says Southgate transformed the English players into a squad of superheroes.
He also says the performances of the England’s Women squad in the recent Women’s World Cup will also boost the morale of the English side in Qatar.
In Russia, England blew a chance to end their memorable World Cup adventure on a high note and become the best team to leave English shores when they were defeated 2-0 by Belgium in the third-place play-off.
This time around, they have a relatively easy (on paper) run in the first round of the W. Cup. WIll they disappoint the supporters?
England’s performance in Russia was one of their best showing in a World Cup after their 1966 controversial win against Germany by 4-2.
It was a Harry Maguire header that sent England on its way to the semi-finals after they beat Sweden 2-0.
Kieran Trippier’s superb fifth-minute free-kick put England ahead in the Luzhniki Stadium.
With this goal, they were on course for only their second World Cup final appearance. But Ivan Perisic’s second-half equaliser was well deserved as Croatia began to show their worth as the game progressed.
Another period of extra-time stood in the way of the Three Lions reaching the final against France, only for Mario Mandzukic to tuck away the winning goal after some static England defending allowed him to beat Pickford.
England and USA
In Qatar, England has to face the Americans and with the World Cup history between these two nations, it is hard to say whether the English side will come out the winner this time.
England has played the USA twice in the World Cup. The first time was way back in history when the USA team surprised the entire world by beating England 1-0 in 1950 and a terrible 1-1 draw in Rustenburg (South Africa) in 2010.
While the USA seems to be the bigger thorn in England’s side in this tournament, it still has to end up first in the group to face a lesser performing side in the next round. That is if England qualifies.
Nevertheless, in this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup, Brazil is the 9/2 favourite to win, followed by France at 6/1 and England and Argentina at 7/1. This is based on the Bet365 predictions.
Poor results lately means England has drifted from the hot favourites to a lesser one but it is still among the countries that could end up as the top four in the competition.
Gareth Southgate’s England are 7/1 third favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar this winter, according to the bookies, after their poor run continued during the recent international break.
Southgate’s team was defeated 1-0 at the San Siro on Friday before drawing 3-3 with Germany at Wembley on Monday. These results bring their winless streak to six games.
For Behalter, the number of Premier League players (the best league in the world says many) means England is a hot favourite.
‘I don’t know if the expectations have always been in line with the quality of the squad. So back in 2010, realistically, I didn’t think they had the squad that could win the World Cup, right? But now it’s different. Now I think we all agree they have a squad that can win the World Cup.
‘And Gareth, in my opinion, has done a great job of helping the players cope with that pressure and actually using the jersey as a cape rather than a straitjacket and really giving them the freedom to play on the field, giving them the idea that they can represent their country in a positive way and make the country proud,’ he adds from an MLS event in Minneapolis last month.
The US begin their campaign against Wales, with the sides meeting in October 2020 for a 0-0 draw in Cardiff.
‘They were a good team, a very hard team to score on, a physical team, a lot of Premier League players, some real high quality in the attack, quality defenders,’ Behalter says.
Southgate’s squad
While the controversial and error-prone Harry Maguire is getting the backing of coach Southgate, it is undoubted that Harry Kane remains the top English player on the list of selected players or those who will be on the plane for the World Cup.
Harry Kane remains at the top of the table, with Declan Rice (2nd), Jordan Pickford (3rd), and Raheem Sterling (4th), but there is a change below that, with Jude Bellingham climbing four places to fifth after strong performances against Italy and Germany.
In the absence of Kalvin Phillips, who was already struggling for playing time at Manchester City before his injury, Bellingham appeared set to partner Rice. In the rankings, the Borussia Dortmund teenager leapfrogs Reece James (6th), Phil Foden (7th), Mason Mount (8th), Bukayo Saka (9th), and John Stones (10th).
The biggest movers, however, are Eric Dier (11th) and Luke Shaw (12th), who have risen 10 and 16 places respectively after returning to the squad and seizing their opportunity.
They suddenly look like sure bets for Qatar, and possibly Southgate’s starting lineup as well.
Despite a chorus of supporters and pundits criticising England manager Gareth Southgate for not playing Liverpool defender Kieran Tripper, Southgate believes Tripper is ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England pecking order.
Alexander-Arnold, who was on the substitutes bench but did not play against Italy, was left out of the squad that drew 3-3 with Germany at Wembley on Monday night in the Nations League.
Reece James, England’s standout right-sided defender, played the entire match and is set to play in the World Cup in Qatar.
US women’s World Cup team survive threat from Portugal to advance to the round of 16
The US women’s World Cup team survive to fight another day. After being almost upset by Portugal in a nail-biting match at Eden Park in Auckland, the Americans have advanced to the round of 16.
Fans were on the edge of their seats as Portugal, the 21st-ranked team in the world playing in their first World Cup, threatened to upset the defending champions.
Team USA, renowned for their domination, found it difficult to control the game. When Ana Capeta of Portugal nearly engineered an upset with a shot that rocked the post in stoppage time, the tension increased.
Vlatko Andonovski’s determined Americans, however, ended the game in a tie and thus secured second place in Group E, advancing to the next round. Portugal, finishing third in the group, bowed out of the tournament.
The Netherlands topped Group E after shocking Vietnam 7-0 and advanced to the next round with the Americans. Vietnam, who earlier put up a fight against the Americans, finished last in the group.
The Americans, who entered the tournament as favourites, will now square off against Sweden, the Group G winners. Sweden trounced the US 3-0 in the Tokyo Olympics quarter-finals in 2021. Given that both sides have displayed their strength in thrilling games throughout the campaign, the task at hand is sure to be anything but simple.
Going into the next round, the Americans have points to ponder.
Past performance: The US performance contrasts sharply with their feats in the previous World Cup when they swept all three of their group games with an astounding 18 goals.
Youthful adjustment: Coach Andonovski recognises the team’s youth and urges patience, but a quick turnaround is necessary to make it through the knockout stage.
Historic challenge: The US are under tremendous pressure to maintain their historic World Cup heritage, given their perfect history of making the semifinals in every previous tournament.
Though far from their best against Portugal, the Americans still had their moments. Williams made a valiant effort in an exciting World Cup debut, giving her team the greatest opportunities in the first half. She was denied a goal by a last-second stop from keeper Ines Pereira. The US made a great second-half start, relying on seasoned player Megan Rapinoe to support their attack.
However, opportunities were few, and a last-minute booking for Naomi Girma increased tension. The riveting contest of skill and tenacity kept the audience on tenterhooks. The game ended in a tie, but the audience emerged winners, if they could bear the suspense, that is.
Most likely, Iran will play in the World Cup but we can’t stop the game of pressure and politics that is always playing in the background in the run up to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
According to AP, Ukraine’s top soccer club, Shakhtar Donetsk, on Monday urged FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup because of the country’s alleged military support to the Russian invasion.
We continue to believe that politics and wars should not be used as reasons to boycott any clubs or country in sports. The banning of Russia is already a heavy toll to innocent sportsmen and women.
The AP report says Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin has accused the country of “direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians.”
The role of Iran apparently came to light after Iranian made drones were allegedly used by Russian forces to attack Ukrainian cities and forces in the 9 months long war.
The Shakhtar boss is suggesting that his own country’s team should play in Qatar instead of Iran as a replacement.
He also says this will be a fair decision.
“This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians,” Palkin said in a statement one day before his team plays at Celtic in the Champions League.
However, removing Iran which has qualified for the World Cup could cause more troubles for Fifa.
In the political game, Iran could have more influence with the organisers for example and if Fifa were to start such a political move, who knows what Qatar could do?
Fifa has already set a precedent in bending to political meddling in sports when it barred Russia from the World Cup qualifiers.
In February, Fifa suspended Russia and its teams from all competitions, thus ejecting the country from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Russia was only weeks away from playing for one of Europe’s final places in this year’s tournament in Qatar.
But this decision was before the World Cup entered its last month of waiting for the competition to start.
Yet, the middle eastern country is facing another call to be dismissed from the World Cup because of the treatment of women in sports.
A formal request has been made to FIFA to kick Iran out of the 2022 World Cup due to a violation of international women’s football guidelines.
Women have been repeatedly denied entry to football stadiums in Iran in recent months, which, while there is no formal ban on women attending football matches, is considered a violation of FIFA regulations under Article 19.
A group of Iranian football and sports figures, including FIFA referee Mohammad Reza Faghani, judo champion Vahid Sarlak, and futsal international Shiva Amini, have all signed a letter to FIFA requesting that Iran be removed from the tournament.
FIFA is an association that regulates the football league on an international platform. FIFA World Cup is a football tournament that takes place every 4 years and this year marks the 22nd edition of the tournament, featuring 32 countries as participating teams that will be seen competing against each other to win the title and the trophy. This year FIFA World Cup 2022 is going to be held from 21st November to 18th December.
All the 32 participating teams from 6 confederations will be flying to Qatar, where the competition is going to be hosted. There are 8 venues, where the entire tournament will be planned to take place. Before the tournament begins, there is a qualification round that takes place to shortlist only those teams who have defeated the other in the qualifying stages. SO on 31st march, we had 29 teams qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022. France is the current champion of the tournament with 2 titles won. Let’s take a look at the other important notes of FIFA World Cup 2022.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Schedule
Here we have the schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The tournament is scheduled to start on Monday 21 November, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, with Qatar playing. The final match will be held on 18th December, at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
There are 8 groups that will be playing, with 4 teams in each group. The name of the groups is, Group A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. Here is the Schedule for Group Stage matches.
Date
Groups
Teams Playing
Nov 21
A
Qatar vs Ecuador
Nov 21
A
Senegal vs the Netherlands
Nov 21
B
England vs Iran
Nov 21
B
United States vs Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Nov 22
C
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia
Nov 22
C
Mexico vs Poland
Nov 22
D
France vs Australia/UAE/Peru
Nov 22
D
Denmark vs Tunisia
Nov 23
E
Spain vs New Zealand
Nov 23
E
Germany vs Japan
Nov 23
F
Belgium vs Canada
Nov 23
F
Morocco vs Croatia
Nov 24
G
Brazil vs Serbia
Nov 24
G
Switzerland’s vs Cameroon
Nov 24
H
Portugal vs Ghana
Nov 24
H
Uruguay vs South Korea
Nov 25
A
Qatar vs Senegal
Nov 25
A
Netherlands vs Ecuador
Nov 25
B
England vs the United States
Nov 25
B
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs Iran
Nov 26
C
Argentina vs Mexico
Nov 26
C
Poland vs Saudi Arabia
Nov 26
D
France vs Denmark
Nov 26
D
Tunisia vs Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Nov 27
E
Spain vs Germany
Nov 27
E
Japan vs Costa Rica/New Zealand
Nov 27
F
Belgium vs Morcco
Nov 27
F
Croatia vs Canada
Nov 28
G
Brazil vs Switzerland
Nov 28
G
Cameroon vs Serbia
Nov 28
H
Portugal vs Uruguay
Nov 28
H
South Korea vs Ghana
Nov 29
A
Netherlands vs Qatar
Nov 29
A
Ecuador vs Senegal
Nov 29
B
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs England
Nov 29
B
Iran vs United States
Nov 30
C
Poland vs Argentina
Nov 30
C
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
Nov 30
D
Tunisia vs France
Nov 30
D
Australia/UAE/Peru vs Denmark
Dec 1
E
Japan vs Spain
Dec 1
E
Costa Rica/New Zealand vs Germany
Dec 1
F
Croatia vs Belgium
Dec 1
F
Canada vs Morocco
Dec 2
G
Cameroon vs Brazil
Dec 2
G
Serbia vs Switzerland
Dec 2
H
South Korea vs Portugal
Dec 2
H
Ghana vs Uruguay
What is the Fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2022?
After all the group stage matches are concluded the top 16 teams will be facing each other from December 3rd, 2022. The quarter-finals will begin on 9th December and the semi-finals will be held on 13th December.
World Cup Top 16
Day and Date
Match Details
Time (ET)
Venue
Sat, Dec. 3
1A vs. 2B
10 a.m.
Khalifa Int’l
Sat, Dec. 3
1C vs. 2D
2 p.m.
Ahmad Bin Ali
Sun, Dec. 4
1D vs. 2C
10 a.m.
Al Thumama
Sun, Dec. 4
1B vs. 2A
2 p.m.
Al Bayt
Mon, Dec. 5
1E vs. 2F
10 a.m.
Al Janoub
Mon, Dec. 5
1G vs. 2H
2 p.m.
Stadium 974
Tues, Dec. 6
1F vs. 2E
10 a.m.
Education City
Tues, Dec. 6
1H vs. 2G
2 p.m.
Lusail
World Cup Quarterfinals
Day and Date
Match Details
Time (ET)
Venue
Fri, Dec. 9
QF1: 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H
10 a.m.
Education City
Fri, Dec. 9
QF2: 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D
2 p.m.
Lusail
Sat, Dec. 10
QF3: 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G
10 a.m.
Al Thumama
Sat, Dec. 10
QF4: 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C
2 p.m.
Al Bayt
World Cup Semifinals
Day and Date
Match Details
Time (ET)
Venue
Tues, Dec. 13
QF2 vs. QF1
2 p.m.
Lusail
Wed, Dec. 14
QF4 vs. QF3
2 p.m.
Al Bayt
World Cup 3rd Place
Day and Date
Match Details
Time (ET)
Venue
Sat, Dec. 17
Semifinals
10 a.m.
Khalifa Int’l
World Cup Final
Day and Date
Match Details
Time (ET)
Venue
Sun, Dec. 18
Semifinal winners
10 a.m.
Lusail
Who are the teams of Group A Draw?
Group A is the category of the team that consists of four teams from each of the four different pots. Qatar which is the host nation for FIFA World Cup 2022, already was selected as the qualifying team that will be playing in Group A as per the World Cup traditions. The concept of categorizing teams is from pots where are teams are ranked as per the FIFA World Cup rankings which were published on 31st March 2022.
The teams of Group A include GROUP A: Qatar (51), Ecuador (46), Senegal (20), Netherlands (10).
What are the stadiums for FIFA World Cup 2022?
As we mentioned earlier, there are going to be 8 stadiums for the World cup 2022 for the matches to take place. Let’s have a look at the name and the capacity of those stadiums. All the matches will be held in Qatar in different cities.
