As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar gets underway on Sunday, France are hoping to become the first team to successfully defend the title since Brazil 60 years ago.
Here are a few things to watch out for at Qatar 2022:
*Top teams
Brazil: They are number 1 on FIFA ranking. The team have include players like Neymar, Vinícius Júnior and the rest who are currently in top form.
Belgium: They currently number 2 on FIFA ranking. Kevin De Bruyne will be leading the Belgian charge as there are doubts about the fitness of Romelu Lukaku.
Argentina: They are currently number 3 on FIFA ranking. Messi will still be at its core and leading the team on a 35-match unbeaten run.
France: They are number 4 on FIFA ranking. They are the defending champions. Mbappé and Karim Benzema will be leading the attack.
England: They are number 5 on FIFA ranking: They were a semifinalist at the World Cup in 2018 and a finalist at the European Championship in 2021.
*The musical performance lineup
American DJ and Music Producer, Diplo, will perform on November 22 while
Kizz Daniel’s performance is slated for November 23.
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Canadian crooner, Nora Fatehi, will perform on November 29;
American singer, Trinidad Cardona, on December 1 and
Scotland’s Calvin Harris on December 10.
*Injured players out of the Tournament
Injuries have hit some of the world’s best players ahead of the tournament. Among those definitely missing are France midfielders:
Paul Pogba (France)
N’Golo Kante (France)
Timo Werner (Germany)
Reece James (England)
Ben Chilwell (England)
Diogo Jota (Portugal)
*Injured Players in the Tournament
Lukaku (Belgium)
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Paulo Dybala (Argentina)
*Big Stars in the Tournament
Lionel Messi, Argentina.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
Kylian Mbappé, France
Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium
Neymar, Brazil.
Karim Benzema, France
Lewandowski Poland
Modric Croatia
Mendy Senegal