FIFA World Cup 2022 Group A
As hosts, Qatar, 40th in the FIFA rankings, had not played a competitive match since they lost on penalties to Egypt in the FIFA Arab Cup in December 2021. Instead they played a series of 18 friendly matches against modest international teams and club sides. The Netherlands (ranked 8th) started as favourites to top the group.
Among the instructions given by FIFA to match officials was to clamp down on time wasting which led to games being extended by around ten minutes.
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Knock Out Stages
2018 Tournament | World Cup Index