World Cup Fever

Qatar is all set to host the 2022 edition of the football World Cup. But it has already triumphed over this year as the national Qatar football team has been able to rise to a position having the maximum number of places in the world ranking of FIFA, the governing body for global football.

It can be said that the Qatar national team for football is growing before they compete with world-class teams in the World Cup Football 2022. The annual ranking for the teams is updated every month to see their positions and it is updated by the international federation of football. According to that, Qatar is currently placed at 55th rank which is 38 positions higher than where it was in 2018 end.

Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi has said that his team must fight in order to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The North African nation made a fantastic impression at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but they could not replicate the feat four years later after finishing last in their qualifying group itself.

The 2022 World Cup is two years away and host nation Qatar have continued to ramp up the construction of infrastructures for the tournament. One of the Stadiums that is expected to host the tournament the Education City Stadium has been completed.

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham has said that he could be open to the possibility of representing Nigeria at the international stage. The 21-year-old was fancied to switch his allegiance to the west African nation prior to the 2018 World Cup but he refuted those claims by stating that he wants to make an international career with England.

Since then, Abraham has experienced a top season in the Championship with Aston Villa on loan before returning to the Blues and it appears that he is now open to the opportunity of representing the country of his father, he told ACL Sports: “Anything is still possible. I have not ruled it out completely but we will see!”

England’s 1966 hero Geoff Hurst believes the Three Lions have a good chance of lifting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, considering the matches would be played between November and December. The schedule for the global tournament was postponed to the winter period to avoid the heat wave in the host nation and Hurst feels the same could benefit the Three Lions.

Speaking to FIFA.com, Hurst said that England players generally find their peak form during the month of November and that could be advantageous for the nation at the tournament in Qatar, he said: “Yes, I do – November is the peak of the season for us. After starting in August, the players will be at their peak – they should not be tired – so I can only see a benefit to our country.

Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne believes the England national side are one of the favourites alongside France to win the European Championship next year. The Three Lions exceeded expectations of their supporters last summer as they reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup before being eliminated at the hands of Croatia.

Since then, they have impressed in the Nations League where they have progressed to the semi-finals after beating the likes of Spain and Croatia in their group, and De Bruyne feels the nation have a good chance of securing the Euro 2020 title with many youngsters including Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho coming through the ranks, he said: "I told the England guys a week ago that you should win the Euros. I think they are favourites, with France. I see the guys already established, and those coming up, so the future looks really good. Will they win it? I don't know, because only one team can win it but you have a chance to do well in the next 10 years."

France head coach Didier Deschamps has said that he is keen on helping Les Bleus retain their World Cup title in 2022. Les Bleus ended their two decade-long wait for the global crown last summer where they beat Croatia by a comfortable 4-2 score in the final but they have since experienced a mixed set of results.

Despite this, Deschamps is determined to continue with the team until the next World Cup, although that depends on the performance at the forthcoming European Championships. Speaking to reporters, Deschamps acknowledged that he would like to carry on for the next three years to the tournament in Qatar, but he does not have the right to do so unless the country can excel at the Euro 2020.

Former Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry believes that the Belgium national team can win the next World Cup in 2022. He said that the team has been really good at the last World Cup in Russia and that there is no reason why they cannot build on that.

The former Arsenal player believes that this is a golden generation for the Belgians and that they will want to make the most out of it. He said that there are some young players that were at their first World Cup and that they will want to use this experience for the next major tournaments.

Germany international Leroy Sane has indicated that the World Cup snub during the summer has provided him with the added motivation to perform better for club and country this term. The former Schalke graduate enjoyed a stunning season on the personal scale during the 2017/18 campaign but he was still a shock exclusion from Joachim Loew’s side for the global tournament in Russia.

Without him, Germany succumbed to a group stage exit at the World Cup for the first time in over 80 years and the country have since been in a transitional phase with another disappointing campaign in the Nations League. Speaking to BT Sport, Sane stressed that he did not feel hard done by after being omitted and the same has provided him with the motivation to become a better player.

The Copa Libertadores final match between Boca Juniors and River Plate which was originally scheduled to be played at the El Monumental Stadium in Argentina has been moved out of the country.

The Argentine classic match will now be played at the home of Real Madrid, the Santiago Bernabeu in Spain.