POLITICS always adds a bit of spice to a World Cup and the clashes in Group B at Qatar 2022 promise to be red-hot.
All eyes will be on England’s game with Wales as the Dragons look to bite back at St George but the stakes will be even higher when Iran take on the USA.
When the nations last faced off at France 98 it was dubbed “the most politically charged game in World Cup history” and America will now be out for revenge after losing that match 2-1.
England are heavy-betting favourites to top Group B but they head into the finals in dismal form after failing to win any of their Nations League games.
That will give Wales, Iran and the USA hope in what could turn out to be a closer section than most people are expecting.
England
Gareth Southgate heads to Qatar with the heat on, despite leading England to a semi-final and final in their last two major tournaments.
Since Italy beat them on penalties at Wembley in the Euro 2020 showpiece, the Three Lions have been losing their roar and they haven’t won a game since beating Ivory Coast in a friendly back in March.
Many fans are growing fed-up with Southgate’s pragmatism but he still has a squad packed with talent. Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are two of the most exciting young players in Europe while Harry Kane landed the Golden Boot at Russia 2018.
That should make England contenders in Qatar but injuries in defence could leave them with a weak chin.
Wales
The Welsh are gracing a World Cup for the first time since 1958 but Rob Page’s squad are far from rookies on the big stage.
Some of the players who blazed a trail to the semi-final of Euro 2016 are still around, although Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have lost a bit of their stardust.
The emergence of a new generation has compensated for that, with the likes of Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams and Dan James providing energy and quality.
Bale’s lack of game time since moving to the MLS is a concern for Wales but he comes alive when he pulls on that red jersey and will be desperate to make an impact at what could be his last major finals.
USA
The Americans have been World Cup regulars since the 1990s but only just scraped a place at Qatar 2022 after missing out on the last finals in Russia.
Gregg Berhalter's men finished behind Mexico and Canada in CONCACAF qualifying, with only a goal difference seeing them pip Costa Rica to the final automatic slot.
Their struggles came as surprise after the USA won 17 of their 22 games in 2021 and Berhlater’s biggest problem has been a lack of game time for his star men at their clubs.
Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic haven’t been regular starters for Dortmund and Chelsea so it could be hard for them to hit the ground running in Qatar.
Iran
Iran have never reached the knockout stages of a World Cup but head to Qatar as Asia’s highest-ranked team.
They won eight of their 10 qualifiers to finish ahead of South Korea, mainly thanks to a solid defence that conceded just four goals.
Dragan Skocic led them through that qualifying campaign but it’s Carlos Quieroz who will take charge for the World Cup after returning for a third spell as boss.
The former Real Madrid boss couldn’t take Iran out of their group at the last two finals but will be hoping it’s third time lucky in Qatar.
He certainly has the tools to cause their group rivals a few problems with the likes of Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun impressing for Porto and Leverkusen.
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