The 2018 FIFA World Cup wasn’t breathtaking. Although it had some incredible moments when the match put us on the edge of our seats, we could only get a handful of those matches. Even the final wasn’t as good because it ended up being very predictable when Croatia faced France in the last game.
So, it looked like the World Cup was dying, and the passion for football was reducing. But Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup has been immense. The first game was horrible as the host nation didn’t bring anything to the match, but since then, it has been an incredible run for the countries, and fans have been enjoying every moment that making World Cup picks has become problematic.
Many fans wait for the competition to enter the knockout phase because the teams turn it up a notch. Therefore, they don’t pay too much attention to the group phase because the last two World Cup competitions had only a few upsets. However, this year has been different, and if you make World Cup predictions, you can tell.
The group stage has given us some of the best moments of a World Cup competition. Some top teams also couldn’t survive the great round of this year’s tournament. From amazing comebacks to close calls, fortunately, technology is making the game even fairer, and the mistakes have been reduced to the bare minimum.
It has been working well. You can see that more players came to the tournament to showcase their abilities to get recognition from some of the top teams and leagues. Some groups showed why they are ranked highly, while others proved they could have a better position on the current standings.
It has been an incredible tournament that has kept us on the edge of our seats. It is now one of the best competitions ever hosted by FIFA. So, why was the group stage so exceptional, unlike before when we had to wait until the knockout phases to get any action? Find out what we think and how the group phase went.
Japan, Morocco, and Australia Shocking the World
Before the start of the tournament, we had many World Cup expert picks that backed the top teams to dominate their respective groups. It was hard to see any underdog making a big move and getting enough points to qualify. We expected them to cause some trouble, but not enough to shock everyone.
In Qatar, we had many shockers. From Saudi Arabia beating Argentina to Spain almost getting knocked out. The competition was filled with all the drama we needed to have a great match. Of all the shockers, Japan, Morocco, and Australia were the biggest shockers as they got into the knockout stage of the game with a good margin.
Japan and Morocco didn’t only qualify; they topped their groups. Morocco beat a group that had Croatia and Belgium without losing a game and only conceding a single goal. Meanwhile, Japan ended the group with Germany and Spain with two wins, showing how immense these teams were during the group phase.
Close Call for Tunisia and Costa Rica
Tunisia almost made it to the knockout phase, but unfortunately, the loss to Australia and France winning their first two games placed them in a tight spot. Even though they won against France, it wasn’t enough for the team. On the other hand, Costa Rica was at some point in the knockout stages when they led against Germany in their last group games.
Germany and Belgium Disappointments
In this World Cup, many punters thought Belgium would be one of the top contenders and Germany would impress at the finals. However, it was a disappointment when Germany lost to Japan and Belgium to Morocco. Both teams could have still qualified if they won two of their matches, but they could only manage one win and one draw.
Argentina and Senegal Resilience
Argentina and Senegal could’ve had the same fate as Belgium and Germany, but these two were resilient and ended up getting enough wins. We saw much better football from both teams, and it was enough to help them secure a place in the knockout rounds.
What We Think
We believe this World Cup is one of the best. Many people were skeptical, especially after the first match didn’t live up to the hype. But the entire group stage gave us incredible memories because more teams turned up for their games and brought the battle to their opponents.
