It all still feels like a dream, doesn’t it? But it’s true – Wales will play at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, beginning at the end of November. Not many of the best online betting sites have Rob Page’s men to go very far in the competition. But even with only some of the Red Wall cheering them on, Wales will attempt to go further than ever before.
Only two nations will progress from Group B, meaning that Wales will probably have to win at least one game against England, Iran or the US – and probably pick up more points along the way. One of these opponents is obviously very well known to all Wales fans. But read on to find out everything you need to know about the teams coming up against Wales at Qatar 2022.
United States
We’ll start off with the US, as they will be the first opponents for Wales at the Al Rayyan stadium on Monday 21 November. The US only qualified as the third-best CONCACAF side after a patchy campaign that saw Canada become a real force in the region. There were four points won from two games against Mexico, however. So the Americans will be no pushover.
After the embarrassment of not qualifying for World Cup 2018 in Russia, there will be a sense of urgency among the squad to make up for lost time. A lack of a world-renowned striker could pose problems as far as scoring goals go. But there is a wealth of big league experience in the squad, with players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie able to attack effectively.
Results since qualification have been positive, if unimpressive. The most recent game was a Nations League fixture against El Salvador that ended in 1-1 draw. Both the US and Wales will feel as though a good result in this first game can boost hopes of getting through to the knock out rounds.
Iran
This is the opponent that Wales fans will probably have the least knowledge of. Iran is no minnow though, with this being a third consecutive World Cup appearance. Carlos Quieroz has just been named as the head coach and the fans are very confident that Iran will be able to progress past the group stage for the first time in their history.
The build up to the finals has been a little chaotic though. Aside from appointing a new head coach just two months before the World Cup kicks off, there has also been a friendly against Canada cancelled at the last minute amidst huge controversy. A future game against Russia is also likely to raise eyebrows in the football world.
The squad is a mixture of players turning out for some of the biggest clubs in Iran, as well as a contingent from some of the smaller European leagues. The form of Porto striker Mehdi Taremi will be crucial to any success in Qatar and this second group stage fixture will surely be vitally important for both Wales and Iran.
England
Unsurprisingly, this is the opponent that Wales fans will know most about in Qatar. With a semi final appearance at the last World Cup and a runners up spot at the most recent European Championship, England will be one of the favourites to go all the way this year.
Whatever Wales fans may feel about the thought of football supposedly coming home, the squad is arguably one of the strongest in the competition. But Gareth Southgate is not without his many critics and recent results have not gone England’s way. The Nations League campaign has been a disaster so far, with just two points taken from the first four games.
That being said, England will be the favourite to top this group and Rob Page would probably hope to be in a good enough position that the result of this final game is not as important. Wales fans will not need reminding that we have not beaten England since 1984 – although a World Cup would seem like the perfect place for that record to be broken.
