Following a ceremony that was thankfully short on pagentry, the group stage draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place in Moscow today.
With help from legends of the game and past winners like Gordon Banks, Diego Maradona, Fabio Cannavaro, Carles Puyol, and more, the draw produced few surprises and was more than friendly to a couple of the final 32 teams, including host nation Russia.
There are just 195 days to go before the tournament kicks off at the Luznikhi Stadium on June 14th, and a lot can change between now and then. For now, here are TheAOSN’s early thoughts on the draw.
GROUP A: Happy Hosts
The hosts had more than enough reason to be happy with this draw. URUGUAY appears to be the clear favorite in this group, even though they are also relying on an older squad. SAUDI ARABIA should pose little threat, and EGYPT will be no pushover. RUSSIA will have to depend on the home advantage coming through to secure a second-round berth.
It looks like an easy group, but the potential is ripe for an upset or two here. The Russians would do well to set an early tone in the tournament opener against Saudi Arabia.
Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary – who turns 45 in January – will become the oldest player ever at a World Cup if he makes the squad. The notably fresher legs of Mohamed Salah should be the main focus in this group.
GROUP B: Clash of the Titans
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Most post-draw discussion usually centers on which group earns the dreaded “Group of Death” moniker. The opener between SPAIN and PORTUGAL will be one of the most eagerly-anticipated matchups in recent group stage history.
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Just so we’re clear, we all know who takes center stage for this one, right?
MOROCCO cannot be overlooked with their abundance of foreign-based talent. They have been missing from this stage for 20 years, and will look for an extended stay.
Meanwhile, IRAN will not be there to simply make up numbers, and they have had a strong run recently, drawing with Russia whilst defeating Venezuela and Panama. Sardar Azmoun has impressed in the Russian league, and his familiarity with the surroundings will be valuable.
GROUP C: Allez Bleus
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Manager Didier Deschamps, vying to become just the third person to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager, will have very few excuses for underperforming. After the shocking loss in the European Championship final, FRANCE should be playing with a massive chip on their shoulders.
PERU and DENMARK may have impressive squads, but they simply do not have the depth the French do.
AUSTRALIA is as talented as they are inconsistent and is also currently in coaching limbo. Trying to guess which team goes through with France from this group is a head-scratcher.
Where there have been Groups of Death in the past, call this one a Group of Life for the French.
GROUP D: Take Nothing for Granted
On paper, ARGENTINA are the favorites here. When you have a team with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria, Paulo Dybala, and many more, how can you not be a group favorite?
Then again, the same has been said of squads past, all of which failed to deliver. This is also a team that was wildly inconsistent during qualification.
CROATIA is one of few nations that can match Argentina in terms of individual talent. Whether they can mesh together will determine their fate. NIGERIA remains an African powerhouse, while FIFA World Cup debutantes ICELAND do not have the benefit of being a surprise package anymore.
The second-placed team will likely face the French in the second round, so the margin for error is very slim. This group is arguably the closest and most-competitive of the eight.
GROUP E: Ho-Hum
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This should be another clear-cut group. BRAZIL will do what they usually do, and may not have to exert themselves too much.
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COSTA RICA was a surprise quarterfinalist in 2014. Will the aging legs of veterans like Bryan Ruiz, Christian Bolaños, and Celso Borges be enough to hold the newcomers together in the heat of battle? SERBIA will be calling on several of the U-20 World Cup-winning squad of 2015, so will they be ready?
Of the other three teams in this group, SWITZERLAND seems like a safe bet to qualify, but this is a team with an underwhelming history.
GROUP F: A Clear Leader, Then Chaos
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Again, the seeded team in this group should have little trouble. There’s a reason why GERMANY is a prohibitive early favorite, and this draw should not push them too much.
By the way, the core of the team that won it all in 2014? They’re all back. And remarkably, most of them are still in their 20s. This is a team that is not only going to be good this summer, but for several years. How………well, how German of them.
Take away the Germans, however, and this could be a very competitive group tussling for a second-round spot. MEXICO has the slight edge, but SWEDEN and SOUTH KOREA are both capable of putting together a run of form.
The prize for a second-placed finish here? A likely matchup against Brazil in the second round. Huzzah.
GROUP G: Familiarity Breeds Qualification?
BELGIUM will face ENGLAND in their final fixture, and that match could determine who tops the group. Both squads will have tremendous familiarity with one another, given how many Belgians currently play in the Premiership. That has the potential of producing an end-to-end classic……..or leaving us with a slow-paced cagey affair.
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TUNISIA were impressive in qualifying, even though they had arguably the weakest of the final African groups to navigate through. PANAMA‘s qualification has been a long time coming, but the new boys will be eager to show that they belong. Whether their usual tactics of physical play and gamesmanship enable them to succeed is another matter.
It is really difficult to see beyond the Belgians and English here.
GROUP H: A True “World” Cup Group
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This group gets the prize for Most Global, with each team representing a different confederation. In fact, this team could end up being the most entertaining in the early stages, given the spread of talent.
POLAND has Lewandowski. COLOMBIA has Rodriguez. JAPAN has Kagawa. SENEGAL has Kouyaté. The creative resources available to each squad provide some tantalizing matchups. Their quarter-finals finish at last year’s European Championship appears to give the Poles the edge in a tight group.
These are all unheralded soccer nations, but it is not difficult to see why neutrals could be in for a treat from this group.