Group B Predictions 2022
There are subplots and intrigue aplenty in Group B of the upcoming Cup. England, semi-finalists in 2018, will be aiming to go one better in Qatar, while a young United States team is looking to make up for the disappointment of missing out four years ago. This will be Gareth Bale’s last World Cup with Wales, while regular qualifiers Iran should not be written off.
Here is our run-down of Group B, including the star players, games we cannot wait to see and how we envisage this section playing out.
England
Record
England are one-time World Cup winners, having lifted the trophy way back in 1966. That triumph came on home soil and remains the only time that the Three Lions have ever reached the final of this competition. Their next-best showings were in 1990 and 2018, with England reaching the semis on both occasions.
Gareth Southgate’s side took the lead against Croatia in their last-four clash in Russia but ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat. It was arguably a missed opportunity for England, who did not have the hardest route to the semi-finals.
Players to watch
Harry Kane was the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup and is the favourite to win the Golden Boot this time around too. The Tottenham Hotspur striker will almost certainly become his country’s all-time leading goalscorer in the near-future, and England will need Kane to be at his best if they are to advance to the latter stages in Qatar.
Raheem Sterling is a reliable performer for his country – indeed, he was England’s star man at the European Championship last summer. In midfield, Jude Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the most talented teenaged prospects in the world game right now.
Highlights from qualifying
England went unbeaten in their World Cup qualification group, winning eight and drawing two of their 10 matches to book their place in Qatar with a minimum of fuss. Their 4-0 thumping of Hungary last September looks more impressive now than it did at the time, with the Hungarians going on to inflict a defeat by the same scoreline on England in the 2022/23 Nations League.
Southgate’s team beat Poland 2-1 at Wembley in a decisive game between the two favourites for top spot. It was not England’s best performance but they got the job done in front of their own fans.
Iran
Record
Iran first appeared at a World Cup in 1978, but they finished bottom of a group containing Peru, the Netherlands and Scotland. They did not appear again until 1998, exiting once more in the group phase – as they also did in 2006, 2014 and 2018.
Iran are regular qualifiers these days, having established themselves as one of the strongest national teams in Asia. The next goal for the Cheetahs is to secure a place in the knockout stage for the first time ever.
Players to watch
Mehdi Taremi has been a revelation since he joined Porto in 2020. He scored 26 goals in all competitions last season and has made a fast start to the current campaign too. The striker provides Iran with penalty-box presence and he will probably be their biggest goal threat in Qatar, especially as fellow forward Sardar Azmoun is now an injury doubt for the tournament.
Iran depend heavily on their discipline and organisation without the ball, particularly in defence. The two centre-backs, Hossein Kanaanizadegan and Shojae Khalilzadeh, play together for Qatari side Al-Ahli and therefore have an excellent understanding.
Highlights from qualifying
Iran finished ahead of Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong and Cambodia in their first qualification group, earning them a spot as one of Asia’s final 12. They were hugely impressive in the final round too, topping a six-team group after winning eight and drawing one of their 10 matches.
Iran did not manage to beat South Korea, who finished second, either home or away. They did, however, get the job done against the sides they were expected to beat. A 3-0 win in Iraq will have been a particularly sweet moment for the supporters.
United States
Record
The United States featured at the inaugural edition of the World Cup in 1930, when they beat Belgium and Paraguay to reach the semi-finals. They lost 7-1 to Italy in their only game four years later, before a team of amateurs stunned England at the 1950 World Cup with a 1-0 win.
The United States were absent for the next 40 years, returning in 1990. They hosted the tournament and reached the knockout stage in 1994, and enjoyed their best ever showing when they made it through to the quarter-finals in 2002. All in all the United States have participated in 11 World Cups, including Qatar.
Players to watch
American soccer fans are hopeful that Christian Pulisic will feature more prominently under Graham Potter at Chelsea than he did during Thomas Tuchel’s tenure. The winger has been inconsistent for the Blues but his speed and trickery make him his country’s most treasured player.
Gio Reyna, still only 19, is another one to watch in the final third, while Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie is one of the first names on Gregg Berhalter’s team sheet.
Highlights from qualifying
The United States finished in the third and final automatic qualification spot in the CONCACAF region, ahead of Costa Rica on goal difference. The highlight of their campaign was a 2-0 victory over Mexico in Cincinnati, while a 0-0 draw with Mexico City on matchday 12 was another impressive result on the road.
Berhalter’s side also caught the eye with a 4-1 thrashing of Honduras in San Pedro Sula, even if three of their goals that night came in the closing stages of the game.
Wales
Record
After failing to qualify for the 1950 and 1954 editions of the World Cup, Wales made their debut in 1958. They did more than just make up the numbers too: the Dragons finished second in their group, ahead of Hungary and Mexico, then gave eventual champions Brazil a tough game in the quarter-finals, going down 1-0 in Gothenburg.
Wales have not been back to the World Cup since, hence considerable excitement about their upcoming appearance in Qatar.
Players to watch
There are no doubts over who Wales’ main man is. After a frustrating end to his Real Madrid career, Gareth Bale joined Los Angeles in MLS earlier this year in a bid to get more regular football before the tournament. He has not played as much as he would have liked just yet, but that means the forward will at least be fresh in November and December.
Aaron Ramsey will be an important player in Qatar provided he stays fit, while Tottenham defender Ben Davies is another player with top-level experience at club level that will come in handy.
Highlights from qualifying
Ever since they lost 3-1 to Belgium on matchday one, Wales never looked like topping their qualification group ahead of the Red Devils. They did at least edge out the Czech Republic in the race for second, thanks in large part to a 1-0 win over the Czechs in Cardiff and a 2-2 draw with the same opponents in Prague.
Second place brought Wales a spot in the play-offs, where they beat Austria 2-1 in the semis and Ukraine 1-0 in the final to qualify for the World Cup.
Key matches
England vs the United States should be an entertaining clash on matchday two, as the Americans attempt to cause an upset against a team they held to a draw at the 2010 World Cup. Wales vs England follows in the final round of fixtures in Group B, while Iran vs the United States is an encounter with heavy political overtones.
Group prediction
1. England
2. United States
3. Wales
4. Iran
