Soccer fans have to wait for four years every time they want to enjoy a World Cup. Although it is a long wait, it does usually turn out to be worthwhile. The whole tournament is a fantastic affair, where the world is united in its love of the game. Every World Cup match is filled with nothing but thrill and anticipation.
Of course, soccer fans had to wait a little bit longer for this edition of the World Cup. Due to the fact the tournament is being held in Qatar, the 2024 World Cup will start in November. This winter tournament is new for soccer fans, but the excitement should be great nonetheless.
A lot of great soccer competitions are full of excitement. It is not just the World Cup. However, a lot of these competitions don’t get exciting until the final stages. This is most definitely not the case with the World Cup. During the competition, every game, goal, and player carries a massive amount of importance. Even following the draw of the group stages, soccer fans had their mouths watering ahead of the fixtures. Some of the most anticipated scheduled matches include:
England vs the USA
No matter what it is, there is always a rivalry between the USA and England. Now, the USMNT gets to compete on the biggest stage of them all as they were both drawn into the same group together. The last time team USA and England met was in the 2010 World Cup where the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the USMNT have a promising side ready for the World Cup and will definitely want to take points off of England. The Money Line and spread for this game will come out after the USMNT play Wales but Team USA is expected to be the underdog for this game.
If you live in a state in the US where sports betting is legal you can check out the odds and bet on this game on a sportsbook like Unibet Sportsbook.
England vs Wales
Whenever two countries from the United Kingdom play each other, it is going to be interesting. Adding on the fact that both Wales and England have been drawn into the same group just adds to the occasion. There is no doubt that the atmosphere is going to be electric for this game. Both teams are going to want to get the points for their group standing. However, there is going to be an additional sense of pride on the line for these teams.
Source: theguardian.com
Spain vs Germany
Two of the favourites of the World Cup got drawn together in the same group. Both Spain and Germany are winners of 2 of the last 3 World Cups. So there is no doubt that both nations have experience of doing well in the tournament. Spain and Germany always have strong sides going into the World Cup, and the 2024 edition is no exception. Both nations can beat anyone on their day, so there is no telling who will come out on top on this one.
Portugal vs Uruguay
Portugal is yet to get their hands on a World Cup trophy. However, with a talented and deep squad going into the 2024 World Cup, there is definitely no writing them off. With forward talents such as Ronaldo, Jota, Felix, Leao, and more, it is going to be difficult for defences to stop Portugal. However, they will by no means walk over the group they were drawn in. The toughest test they will face will be against former champions Uruguay. Although Uruguay has been disappointing in recent tournaments, they currently have a young and exciting squad for this World Cup. The South American side will have high hopes going into this competition thanks to their great squad. With two talented sides, there is no doubt that Portugal vs Uruguay is going to be a great affair.
Source: bostonglobe.com
Mexico vs Argentina
Mexico and Argentina are two teams who are quite familiar with each other when it comes to World Cup groups. Every time these two teams meet it tends to be a fiery affair. Mexico came into this tournament in good form with a solid squad behind them. However, they are going to have it up against them when they play Argentina. The country captained by Lionel Messi won the Copa America in 2024. In the final, they beat World Cup favourites Brazil. There is no doubt that Argentina will be looking to claim the trophy in December, but Mexico will be there to try and spoil that party.
France vs Denmark
There is always a lot of pressure on the holders to do well when they go into the next World Cup. That is going to be the case when France heads to Qatar in November. Of course, the squad that won the World Cup in 2018 was a young side. So that means they still have a lot of that core squad from 4 years ago. However, that does not mean that they are destined to win the trophy again. France is going to face tough opponents from the jump as they were drawn in a group with Denmark. The Danes had a phenomenal qualifying campaign and went into the World Cup in amazing form. If anyone thinks that France is guaranteed to come out of that group on top, they are mistaken.
Source: marca.com
Senegal vs the Netherlands
Two of the tournament’s more overlooked teams were drawn together in group A. Every World Cup seems to have a dark horse, and it is likely that a team is going to come from this group. Although, it would be generous to call the Netherlands a dark horse. Holland is going to go into this World Cup with aspirations of winning the tournament. So you can expect a lot from them. Senegal, however, is definitely a contender for the dark horse title. The AFCON winners for 2024 could cause all of the big teams’ problems in this World Cup. When they face the Netherlands, this is going to be a good test to see where they are performing at.
