World Cup 2022 Team Guides, Group A: Ecuador, Netherlands, Qatar, Senegal
Group A of the World Cup is a fascinating quartet in every way.
Host Qatar and Ecuador square off Nov. 20 to open the tournament. Senegal, the African champion, has its best team ever, while the Netherlands is looking to make yet another deep run after missing out on the 2018 tournament.
Here's a look at all four teams:
World Cup Group A Preview: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands
Coach: Gustavo Alfaro
Highest finish: Round of 16 (2006)
2018 finish: Did not qualify
FOX Bet odds: +20000
Key players: Pervis Estupiñán, Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia
What we’re excited to watch: How they perform in the opener against the hosts will tell us plenty about Ecuador’s chances of advancing to the knockout stage.
What success looks like: Surviving group play.
X-Factor: Valencia is the captain and all-time leading scorer for Ecuador. He’s 33 now but will arrive having scored 12 goals in 12 Turkish league games this season.
Three things to know about Ecuador
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Highest finish: Second (1974, 1978, 2010)
2018 finish: Did not qualify
FOX Bet odds: +1400
Key players: Matthijs de Ligt, Memphis Depay, Virgil van Dijk
What we’re excited to watch: When the Dutch actually qualify, they’re always a title threat. Van Gaal coached the Oranje to a third-place finish in 2014. Is this the year the best team never to win a World Cup finally goes all the way?
What success looks like: There are no consolation prizes for a nation that is 0-3 in World Cup finals. For the Netherlands, only a title will do.
X-Factor: Van Dijk. The colossal central defender has struggled at times for club side Liverpool this season. Van Gaal needs him to be at his all-world best.
Three things you need to know about the Netherlands
Read more on the World Cup:
- USMNT World Cup roster: Get to know all 26 players
- Alexi Lalas reacts to USMNT roster reveal
- USMNT roster not sweating lack of experience
Coach: Félix Sánchez
Highest finish: This is Qatar’s World Cup debut
2018 finish: Didn’t qualify
FOX Bet odds: +50000
Key players: Almoez Ali, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hassan Al-Haydos
What we’re excited to watch: With the entire roster based in the Qatari league and employed across just a handful of clubs, the hosts should be one of the most cohesive teams in the tournament.
What success looks like: Surviving the group stage. Every previous World Cup host, with the exception of South Africa in 2010, has advanced to the tournament’s knockout phase.
Achilles' heel: Inexperience.
X-Factor: Their counterattack. With Ali, Al-Haydos and Akram Afif, Qatar is deadly in transition moments.
Three things you need to know about Qatar
Coach: Aliou Cissé
Highest finish: Quarterfinals
2018 finish: Group stage
FOX Bet odds: +8000
Key players: Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mané, Édouard Mendy
What we’re excited to watch: With a spine of elite players and a free-flowing attack, Senegal should be one of the most entertaining teams in Qatar.
What success looks like: As much as getting to the knockout round for just the second time would be celebrated, Senegal’s dream is to make history as the first African team to reach a semifinal.
X-Factor: Mané’s injury. Senegal’s best player is in a race against time after getting injured playing for Bayern Munich on Nov. 8. At his best, the winger’s relentless defensive pressure unbalances foes, and when he has the ball in the attacking third of the field, Mané is capable of winning a match all by himself.
Three things you need to know about Senegal
MORE GROUP PREVIEWS: GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D | GROUP E | GROUP F
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
