A winter World Cup is a novelty in itself. Add to that the uniqueness of the venue — the first time West Asia will host the Cup. So will the Qatar World Cup throw up a surprise champion? And will this edition bring to fore yet another match that will go down in history as one of the biggest upsets?
The Telegraph takes a look at the dark horses who might upset the applecart of the traditional favourites.
Serbia
At No. 21 in the Fifa rankings, Serbia may not be a team that comes first to mind as a potential World Cup winner. But while qualifying for Qatar, they did top their group that included Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. What is perhaps more important is that they remained unbeaten, winning six and drawing two of their eight matches. Their 2-1 away win against Portugal, in the final game of qualifying, was one of the thrillers of the qualifiers.
Their biggest strength is their attack, led by Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic. Captain Dusan Tadic will also be a force to reckon with. Andrija Zivkovic and Filip Kostic add speed on the flanks and can keep the opponent’s defence guessing about where the next threat can come from. But their defence can be a cause for concern.
Denmark
Denmark’s Christian Eriksen (right) during a training session in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Wednesday.
The Euro 2020 semi-finalists, 10th on the Fifa rankings, topped their group in the qualifiers with nine wins, one defeat. The Danes have progressed beyond the group stage in all but one of their five World Cup appearances to date. Their debut in 1986, when they lost 1-5 to Spain in the last-16 stage, won them fans all over the world. And when they defeated the then Olympic champions Nigeria 4-1 in the 1998 edition, they announced their presence on the global stage.
In Qatar, they will have Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen. Eriksen, 30, collapsed during their Euro 2020 game against Finland last year and needed life-saving treatment on the pitch. He now has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device — a type of pacemaker — fitted.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rasmus Kristensen and Mathias Jensen are the others to look out for in their campaign.
After Tunisia in their opening Group D game, Denmark will face defending champions France and then Australia. Whether they can reach the knockouts may well depend on Eriksen, who, with 38 goals, is both the current team’s leading marksman and its most potent creative force. The 22-year-old Mikkel Damsgaard will be another force to reckon with.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands, ranked 8th, also qualified top of their group, winning seven out of their 10 qualifiers.
With the likes of Memphis Depay and Virgil van Dijk, Louis van Gaal’s men will be looking to bounce back in Qatar after their disappointing exit in the round of 16 of Euro 2020.
They would also want to get over their final jinx. Having made the final in 1974, 1978 and 2010, they hold the unwanted record of playing the most finals without ever winning the tournament. In Group A, against the hosts Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador, they do have a fair chance of making it to the knockout stage and then further.
Coach Van Gaal, under whom the Dutch finished third in 2014, was recalled to guide the team after a rocky patch which included their exclusion from the 2018 World Cup with Danny Blind and Dick Advocaat at the helm.
Senegal
The Senegal team at practice in Doha on Wednesday.
Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly — these names have been bandied about in football circles with respect in recent years. So when they come together to represent their country then there is a high possibility of some magic happening. They ousted Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the qualifiers to appear in their third World Cup.
Senegal, ranked 18th by Fifa, are drawn in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands. They seem strong enough to become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the quadrennial spectacle.
Portugal
Portugal’s Joao Félix being watched by Cristiano Ronaldo during practice on Monday
Name the team that boasted some of the finest players over the years but never won a World Cup. The answer: Portugal.
The likes of Eusébio, Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo do not have a Cup champions medal. For Ronaldo, Qatar may well be the last chance to right that wrong.
Portugal’s road to Qatar was not easy. They had to win the qualifier play-off against North Macedonia, after losing to Serbia at home.
Ranked 9th, they are expected to top their group which has South Korea, Uruguay and Ghana.
Manager Federico Santos will be banking on the 37-year-old Ronaldo to make an impact. But he has scored only five goals in his last 10 appearances for Portugal. It remains to be seen if Ronaldo’s interview to Piers Morgan, castigating his club Manchester United and manager Eric ten Hag has any impact on his play.
This is also the time for Bernado Silva, Joao Félix, Rafael Leao and Bruno Fernandes to come out of Ronaldo’s shadow and make Qatar their Cup.
