GROUP D: France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia
Will the defending champion curse strike again in 2022?
The last four winners from Europe have crashed out in the group stage and France will be looking to avoid that in Qatar.
Astonishingly the French seem even stronger than they did in 2018 when they lifted the cup.
Back then they didn’t have Balon D’Or winner Karim Benzema or young stars Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
The only issue is, can this team gel like they did four years ago in Russia?
There was already controversy among the Les Bleus ranks a few months ago when Paul Pogba was alleged to have placed a curse through a witch doctor on star teammate Kylian Mbappe.
Luckily for coach Didier Deschamps, Paul Pogba is injured, avoiding what would have been an unwelcome distraction in Qatar.
Australia returns to face France and Denmark again just like they did in 2018.
Wellington Phoenix fans will likely be rooting for former player Cam Devlin who made coach Graham Arnold’s 26-man list.
In fact, there are seven players from the A-League who will play in Qatar, including Garang Kuol.
Tipped as the Socceroos’ next big thing, the attacker will join Newcastle United in the Premier League next year.
Denmark however should prove too strong for both the Aussies and Tunisia.
The Danes have already made a big noise about their disapproval of Qatar as hosts due to their human rights record (even altering their match shirts in protest).
They could make even more noise on the pitch with two recent wins over upcoming rivals, France.
France: Where do you even start with this French team dripping with talent across the park. It is hard to look past Kylian Mbappe, a striker who can turn defences inside out.
But he’s no longer the same teenager who lit up the World Cup four years ago. Rumours of petulance and a rising sense of self-importance could derail his World Cup, and that of his team.
Australia: Gone are the years of Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka or Tim Cahill however this is still a decent Austrailan side. Ajdin Hrustic will bare much of the responsibility in lifting the Socceroos performances in Qatar.
Denmark: If the Danes needed any inspiration, they only need to look to Christian Eriksen. Last year the midfielder literally came back from the dead after a heart attack on the pitch during Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 match. He has since recovered and managed to prove that he remains a reliable playmaker at the top level.
Tunisia: Aïssa Laïdouni turned down the chance to represent France and Algeria to play for Tunisia.
The 25-year-old midfielder has the talent to be an unsung hero at this World Cup for Tunisia..
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