Group A

Group A consists of the Netherlands, Ecuador, Senegal, and Qatar. 

With veteran coach Louis Van Gaal at the helm, the Netherlands is currently favored to win the group and the World Cup. The Dutch team features many marquee players, such as center back Virgil Van Dijk, midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and forward Memphis Depay to help the Netherlands pull ahead of the competition. 

While Senegal was slated to qualify for the knockout stages, Sadio Mane’s — the country’s star forward — faced a critical injury that set the Senegalese team back. Not all is lost for Senegal however, as aggressive players such as midfielder Idrissa Gueye and forward Ismaila Sarr can hurt the opposition with their attacking play. 

Ecuador has surprised everyone as the Ecuadorian team placed second in the group. To qualify for the next round of the World Cup, Ecuador needs a draw against Senegal.

The Qatar home team has lost their opening two matches, eliminating the Kingdom of Qatar’s chances to qualify into the next round.

Group B

England, the United States, Wales, and Iran are part of Group B.

Boasting massive popularity and international fanfare, England’s star-studded roster of forwards Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, as well as midfielders Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount have stoked the country’s perceived supremacy in the league among casual viewers and well-versed aficionados of the sport.

Lacking the gilded reputation of the English team, the U.S. team, nevertheless, have a reasonable  chance at qualifying for the next round. Under the guidance and the leadership of the talented Chelsea Football Club winger Christian Pulisic, the U.S. team has the best possible chance of advancing. 

A tie between England and Wales necessitates a showdown match against Iran by both countries, where the winner of the match would qualify for the next round. Wales have been under performers in this group as they have only managed to gain a point from their first two points. A loss to Iran, who are the lowest ranked team amongst all four teams in the group, would likely shake their confidence a bit but they still stand a chance of qualifying for the next round. 

A win against England and a draw between USA and Iran would place them into the next round. Iran have had a very topsy-turvy World Cup journey so far, as they were thumped by England with a score of  6-2 but they bounced back by winning their second match against Wales. While the possibility of qualifying is still within reach, only a win against USA would grant them the opportunity to qualify for the next round.

Group C

Group C, also touted as the group of death, has Argentina, Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia. 

 Argentina is currently one of the best teams present in this year’s World Cup and they are carrying the pressure of millions of fans eager to see football legend Lionel Messi lift the prestigious football World Cup. This pressure has likely affected their performance seeing as the team crumbled against Saudi Arabia in their opening match. 

However, Argentina exhibited a fighting spirit against Mexico in their second World Cup match against the team, where they clinched a well-deserved 2-0 victory against Mexico. Argentina’s marquee player, Lionel Messi is already the team’s top goal-scorer this World Cup. With two goals to his name, there is no doubt that Messi is itching to score a third against Poland in Argentina’s last group stage match, which would push his team into the next round of the World Cup. 

Mexico has had a tough start, as they failed to clinch all 3 points against Poland and lost to Argentina in their second game. Poland has had a decent start to the World Cup and are currently topping the group with 4 points. Poland needs a draw in their last match against Argentina to qualify for the next round. Saudi Arabia are the surprise package of this group and very few expected the team to succeed at such a high level. A win against Argentina has given them a chance at qualifying however,  a win against Mexico would ensure qualification for the Middle East Nation.

Group D

Group D consists of France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. 

France are the World Cup holders exhibiting a very strong team with at least three back up players for every position. They have an amazing squad depth and have the capability of obtaining the World Cup. 

Denmark are off to a rejuvenated start after last year’s incident in which midfielder Christian Eriksen propelled the team to qualify for the World Cup. However, their poor performances against Tunisia and France have left them with just a point from their first two games. Now Denmark will be playing a must-win match against Australia in their final group game against Australia to ensure next round qualification. 

Australia are well placed to qualify for the next round despite losing to France in their opening game. Tunisia is the fourth team of Group D and are currently the lowest ranked amongst the group. They performed exceptionally well to secure a draw against Denmark but will have to win against France in order to give themselves a chance at qualifying for the next round.

Group E

Group E consists of Spain, Japan, Costa Rica, and Germany. 

Spain are a very strong side and have started the World Cup in emphatic fashion by beating Costa Rica by 7 goals. A draw against Germany still keeps them at top spot of the group but they would need at least a draw against Japan to ensure qualification. 

Germany was quickly humbled by Japan in their first “Group E” match and only managed a draw against Spain. They are placed at the bottom of the group and would need both a win against Costa Rica and would need Spain to win the game against Costa Rica, in order to qualify for the next round. 

Japan performed extremely well against Germany but faltered against Costa Rica. Now they are tasked with drawing their match against Spain and hoping that Germany doesn’t beat Costa Rica by a margin of four or more goals. Costa Rica have given themselves a chance to qualify for the next round by beating Japan, but they will face a wounded Germany in their last match of the group stage.

Group F 

Croatia, Morocco, Belgium and Canada are in Group F. 

Topping the group with four points from their opening games, Croatia — the former World Cup Finalist — is set to continue its reign over the competition. The Croatian team will face Belgium in their final game of the group stage, where Croatia needs a draw to ensure qualification to the next round. 

Once darlings of the group, Belgium’s defeat to Morocco demonstrated that challenges persist.  The team would need to beat Croatia in order to qualify for the next round of the World Cup. Morocco have played extremely and are currently placed second in the group. 

Their win against Belgium means that they just need to secure a win against Canada to ensure qualification into the next round. Canada has failed to register even a single point in the group and have been knocked out of the World Cup running. They will be playing their last match against Belgium to salvage their pride.

Group G

Brazil, Switzerland, Cameroon, Serbia make up Group G. 

Brazil have already secured a spot into the next round by winning their matches against Serbia and Switzerland. They now will look to test their bench strength against Cameroon in their last game. 

Switzerland are placed second in this group and would need a draw against Serbia to qualify for the next round. Cameroon and Serbia have one point each and would both need a win from the other match in order to qualify for the next round.

Group H

Portugal, Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay find themselves in Group H. 

Portugal has a very good side which possesses the qualities to win the World Cup. They have done pretty well in their opening matches and have already qualified for the next round. 

Ghana have been the surprise package of this group as they almost clinched a point against Portugal and defeated South Korea to find themselves placed second in the group. They now just need a win against Uruguay to ensure qualification into the next round. 

South Korea and Uruguay both find themselves with 1 point each and need to win their last match to ensure qualification.