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Footie Fun – It’s Coming Home for Christmas!

Friday 18 November 2022


It's all about football this weekend, with the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Sunday. Gareth Southgate's side landed in Doha on Tuesday and are in the final crucial stages of their training for the tournament.

Finishing fourth at the last mens' World Cup was England’s best showing since ending up with an identical ranking at Italia 90. The only time they have fared better, of course, was in 1966. That triumph on home soil remains the high point of the nation’s mens' football history, with Sir Geoff Hurst still the only man in history to have scored a World Cup final hat-trick.

How does this tournament work?

At 29 days from start to finish (20 November to 18 December), this will be the shortest World Cup since Argentina 1978.

That means organisers have to squeeze in four games most days during the group stages - at 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 GMT. Most World Cups in recent memory have had three a day.

There is also no turnaround time between the groups and the knockout stages, with the last 16 starting the day after the group stages end.


The Groups

If England win Group B, they will play the runners-up of Group A – Qatar, Holland, Ecuador, and Senegal – with the AFCON winners Senegal, their most likely opponents.

France are favourites to win Group D, over Australia, Tunisia and Australia, and would face the Group C runner-up out of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico or Poland to win the chance to face England in the quarter-finals, should Southgate's men make it out of the last-16 knock-out round.

If England reached the semi-finals, they could meet either Belgium or Portugal, strong contenders in Group F and H, and a potential final could see England meet Spain, Brazil, or Germany the World Cup final.


The Squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Everton, loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham United),

Forwards: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), James Maddison (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)

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