Host nation Qatar will kick off the World Cup with an opening clash against South American qualifiers Ecuador.
Reigning Afcon champions Senegal will face a tough battle against the Netherlands in their Group A opener. It promises to be an exciting group.
Group A : Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Qatar will become the first country to make its debut at the World Cup by virtue of being the host nation, while Senegal’s best feat in the tournament came during the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands are making their 11th appearance at the World Cup after last featuring at the World Cup in Rio 2014 when they finished in third place.
Ecuador are making their third four appearances at the global tournament, last featuring in 2014 when they failed to make it out of the group stages.
Best match: Senegal vs Netherlands
The opening Group A clash between the Netherlands and Senegal will definitely be the best and biggest fixture in the group as both nations are favourites to progress to the knockout stages.
The Netherlands are strong favourites to finish as group winners but will have to deal with a start-studded Senegalese outfit, who are looking to reach the knockout stages for only the second time, having done so in 2002.
This will be the first time these two sides meet across all competitions.
Predicted qualifiers: Netherlands and Senegal
Qatar will surely be denied at the first hurdle as Senegal and the Netherlands will prove to be too strong. Ecuador is likely to finish in third place followed by Qatar.
Player to watch: Sadio Mane
The Senegalese forward will be relishing the chance to represent his country at the World Cup as he looks to inspire them to victory in Group A and help them progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Mane will be tasked with leading the Lions of Teranga from the front and he will be high in confidence after he finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting behind winner Karim Benzema.
The Bayern Munich forward will enter the tournament as their all-time top goalscorer with 34 goals from 93 appearances but he could also become the player with the most appearances for Senegal during the tournament. He currently sits in third place with 93 appearances, six caps behind first-placed Henri Camara on 99.
Player That Could Surprise: Hassan Al-Haydos (Qatar)
The 31-year-old Hassan Al-Haydos, who has the versatility to play on both in the middle of the park and at the right wing, was one of Qatar’s standout performers during their 2019 Asian Cup triumph and has developed and matured in his role under the guidance of Jabal Rashed Al Kuwari.
His unquestionable technical skill makes him one of Al Annabi’s shining stars at this year’s tournament without a doubt.