18. Japan

Group F

AFC (1/9)

World Ranking: 18

Best Result: Last 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)

Fixtures:

Netherlands (14th June, 9PM)

Tunisia (21st June, 5AM)

Sweden (26th June, 12AM)

The first nation to qualify for this tournament outside of the hosts, Japan have already had 14-months to prepare for this tournament and their March friendlies where they beat Scotland and England shown that they’ve taken full advantage of the time. They’re always an exciting team full of hardworking, unselfish players who also always seem to have some pace about them. Just watch their goal against England and you can see how devastating they are on the counter. However, they have lost their star (and scorer of that goal) Kaoru Mitoma through injury which will be a hard loss to recover from. They’ve reached the last-16 of the previous two tournaments and have been desperately unlucky in both. In 2018, they took a two-goal lead before eventually succumbing to the golden generation of Belgium after Chadli scored a 90+4th minute winner and in 2022 they lost a penalty shoot out to Croatia after dominating the game. Belgium and Croatia both went on to finish 3rd in the respective tournaments. I think they won a lot of people’s hearts four-years ago where they beat Germany and Spain to top their group.

The Manager: Hajime Moriyasu

A no-nonsense defensive midfielder making 35 appearances for Japan between 1992-1996, Moriyasu played for the side before they became a heavyweight in Asia and was out of the picture before Japan qualified for their first World Cup in 1998. He had a thirteen-year spell as a regular in Japan’s top flight. As a manager, he led Sanfrecce Hiroshima to two league titles and coached Japan’s (under 23) side at their home 2020 Olympics where they just missed out on a bronze medal. After being the assistant manager in Japan’s 2018 World Cup side, he was given the main job after Akira Nishino’s resignation. As you can see, he did juggle being the first team manager and under-23’s manager for three years which helped him introduce a whole new generation to the senior side.

Key Player: Ritsu Dōan (Eintracht Frankfurt)

With Mitoma being injured, it isn’t easy to pick who Japan’s new main man is going to be. But there is undoubtedly going to be a lot of pressure on Dōan to step up in his absence. Dōan made a name for himself at the last World Cup where he came off the bench against both Germany and Spain to score instant equalisers in games they went on to win and, last year, made the biggest move of his career joining Frankfurt. His season hasn’t been brilliant and there’s already reports that he wants to move but he was top scorer at Freiburg the season before and he brings a lot of the same strengths (pace, agility, good finishing) as the missing Mitoma.

Why they're actually going to win it: They’ve proved that they can be effective against the biggest sides and their high-energy style of play is capable of blowing anyone else away.

17. USA

Group D

CONCACAF (1/9)

World Ranking: 16

Best Result: Third-Place (1930)

Fixtures:

Paraguay (13th June, 2AM)

Australia (19th June, 8PM)

Turkey (26th June, 3AM)

The final of three hosts to make an appearance, USA have not had a plain-sailing four years since the last tournament but will have a huge advantage of a majority of the World Cup being hosted in their country. Since their last-16 exit to Netherlands in 2022, USA have let Gregg Berhalter run his contract out (after Claudi Reyna reported a 1992 domestic incident to their FA in retaliation of his son not getting enough game time), rehired and then fired him. They were desperate for this opportunity not to go to waste and hired a very big-name foreign manager to lead them in this home tournament. It’s going to be fascinating to see how much the country buys into them this tournament.

The Manager: Mauricio Pochettino

Not unanimously popular in the Statues due to his continuous flirting with Tottenham and comments he’s made in press conferences playing down the quality of his side, Poch has started to turn results after a poor start. The highlight was their 5-1 demolition of Uruguay last November but defeats against Belgium and Portugal in March suggest that their still not the full package. A CB by trade, Pochettino made 20 appearances for Argentina and spent the majority of his career at Newell’s Old Boys, Espanyol then PSG. However, it’s as a manager where he has really made his name. Starting at Espanyol, he kept them afloat after some difficult seasons and led Southampton to their highest Premier League points total. This got him on the radar of Tottenham and he turned their fortunes around. He turned them into proper league contenders, building a strong core of Lloris, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son and Kane and reaching their first Champions League final. Subsequent spells at PSG and Chelsea haven’t been as successful but he still remains the dream re-hire in North London.

Key Player: Weston McKennie (Juventus)

Pulisic is obviously the poster-boy but I honestly think he’s the most overrated footballer in the world and his form at Milan has fallen of a cliff this year so I’m going to his fellow-Serie A star McKennie as the key man. Joining Juventus (originally on loan) in 2020, McKennie was not an instant hit in Italy with some serious injuries and had an ill-fated loan to Leeds United in January 2023 in a bid to re-find form and fitness. But this year has been the best of his career which has aligned with a change of position. Previously a defensive midfielder, McKennie has been pushed out wide this season and has found his shooting boots, scoring in three-consecutive Champions League games.

Why they're actually going to win it: I’m sure Trump will do everything in his power to ensure that it happens. Can you really see him handing the trophy to anyone else?

Japan have certainly done well in the last few World Cups so could continue the run this time round! I do think the other teams in their group will put up a fight though so it won't be easy.

I thought Qatar would fix the last WC to get them through to at least the quarters so I'm not gonna fall for that conspiracy with the USA this time. Of course they have better players but they'd get ripped to shreds by one of the European powerhouses.

Austria - It will be between them and Algeria for 2nd place in Group J and the match between those teams will probably decide it.

Algeria - See above

Egypt - As mentioned before it's likely to be between them and New Zealand for 2nd place in Group G

South Korea - They could have a good chance of progressing from Group A but will likely need to pick up at least a win and a draw in their matches against Mexico & Czech Republic

Sweden - Possibly the luckiest team to be in the tournament, they could feasibly lose all of their group matches but whatever happens I don't think they'll make a big impact at this tournament

Turkey - They could be one of the surprise packages in this World Cup and I expect them to be the winners of Group D

Uruguay - Should have 2nd place in Group H on lock behind Spain and I would expect them to come away from this group with 6 points

Ecuador - Could be a closely fought battle for 2nd with Ivory Coast in Group E. Then again Germany are not the force that they once were so a surprise could be sprung here.

Mexico - They are probably the most likely team to top Group A but even if they don't I can't imagine them not making it to the knockout stages

Japan - They have a good and realistic chance of progressing from Group F and could sneak 2nd place there

USA - Donald Trump will do everything in his power to make sure USA's name goes on the World Cup trophy this year haha. But in all seriousness 2nd place in Group D could be achievable but I think Turkey will be too good for them and the rest of the group

Hazey's Rankings

24) Algeria

23) Austria

22) Ivory Coast

21) United States

20) Uruguay

19) Ecuador

18) Turkey

17) Mexico

16) Norway

I've seen many 'experts' on YouTube having Norway go very deep in the knockout rounds. As much as I want to follow in suit with those predictions and loved watching them dominate the qualifying group over Italy, they just don't have any experience in major tournaments yet plus I question how they will handle the heat. It has been said Haaland never plays well in hot weather months, which could be a key factor. Plus, they have a very difficult group that I see them finishing third, but only just because I think there could be a battle betwene the top 3.

I've never heard that opinion re Haaland and they clearly must have forgotten his very first month in England, a hot August where he bagged 10 goals in 5 games!

With the best striker in the world in your team, you've always got a chance.

16. Switzerland

Group B

UEFA (10/16)

World Ranking: 19

Best Result: Quarter-Finals (1934, 1938, 1954)

Fixtures:

Qatar (13th June, 8PM)

Bosnia & Herzegovina (18th June, 8PM)

Canada (24th June, 8PM)

Perennially a reach-the-knockouts-but-not-much-further side, Switzerland have qualified from the group at their last 6-tourmanents (World Cup and Euros) since 2014 but have only made two Quarter-Finals (at the 2020 and 2024 Euros). But after a very-favourable group draw and simple qualifying campaign, they will feel like this is their opportunity to get further. It was only a penalty shoot-out defeat to England(!) that stopped them reaching the semis two years ago and they’ve mainly retained all the stars from that team. They’ll be a challenge for anyone but do they have that little spark to doing something special? This World Cup is defined by the many icons who will be making their final appearances (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Ochoa) but this is also the first time we won’t be seeing another legend of the tournament, Xherdan Shaqiri, who retired from international football in the wake of Euro 2024 after playing in four World Cups.

The Manager: Murat Yakin

I remember before Euro 2024, there was a lot of talk about whether Yakin was the right man for the job after terrible pre-tournament form but he silenced all of his critics with Switzerland playing some of their best ever football, impressively dismantling Italy in the Last 16 before their loss to England where they were the better side. A centre-back by trade during his playing career, Yakin’s best spell came at hometown club Basel where he was captain and won three league titles. But he also had spells earlier in his career in Germany (Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern), Turkey (Fenerbahçe) as well as winning his first two Swiss titles with Grasshoppers at a young age. As a manager he added some more titles with Basel, managed a handful of other Swiss sides as well as a quick spell in Russia at Spartak Moscow.

Key Player: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)

I think most people were shocked when Xhaka signed for newly-promoted Sunderland this time last year from a Bayer Leverkusen side where he had won an unbeaten title (the club’s first) in this first season. But with Sunderland bagging a Europa League spot on Sunday, their first European adventure for 52-years, his decision is looking very vindicated. A tough tackling, all-action midfielder who also has great technical ability, he is the heartbeat of this Swiss side and when he plays well, the team does too. The one criticism in his career has been his temperament and frequent ref cards. Who can forget when he was stripped of the captaincy at Arsenal after reacting badly to being booed off the pitch? But he has matured into a great leader and even managed to become a fan-favourite at Arsenal which looked impossible at one point.

Why they're actually going to win it: They’re always solid and have plenty of experience. It feels like they’re bound to go far one day so why not this time?

Gonna miss Shaqiri momentarily turning world class every time there'san international tournament!

15. Ivory Coast

Group E

CAF (3/10)

World Ranking: 34

Best Result: Group Stage (2006, 2010, 2014)

Fixtures:

Ecuador (15th June, 12AM)

Germany (20th June, 9PM)

Curaçao (25th June, 9PM)

Despite being a giant in African football, Ivory Coast have only ever qualified for the World Cup on three occasions before and they were all consecutive between 2006-2014 where they had their golden age of talent, led by the Touré brothers, Didier Drogba and Salamon Kalou. However, the underperformed and did not make it out of any of their group stages, coming closest in 2014 when an injury time winner from Georgios Samaras saw them fall to a late defeat to Greece and finish a point behind them. At this year’s AFCON, they reached the quarter-finals and shown they have some of the most exciting attacking talent in Africa but it was the AFCON in 2023 where they hosted which was the most dramatic. Despite an opening day win, they then lost their two other group stage matches, 1-0 to Nigeria and an embarring 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea which saw them sack their manager, presumed to be out. However, some shock results in the other groups left them sneaking through as the fourth-best 3rd-placed team with 3 points and a minus 3 goal difference. In perhaps the greatest new manager boost of all-time, they turned their fortunes on their head and wins against Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and revenge against Nigeria saw them win the most remarkable title.

The Manager: Emerse Faé

Faé is already a national hero in Ivory Coast for stepping up from Under 23s Manager and first-team Assistant halfway through AFCON 2023 to guide the Elephants to the trophy. Born in Nantes, Faé played for the French youth teams before becoming a senior player for the African side. He played over 100 league games for his hometown club before moving to England with Reading in the Premier League. However, this move could not have gone any worse. He only played eight times for the club, caught Malaria while on international duty and was suspended for refusing to play for the reserve team. He then travelled to France, said he would never play for the club again and spent the rest of his career at Nice before retiring at 28.

Key Player: Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig)

Still a teenager, Diomande is already set for a big summer with the rumours suggesting Liverpool and PSG are both set to battle it out for the blisteringly fast and tricky winger. He only moved to Leipzig last summer after they paid his $20 million release clause from Leganés and he’s going to go for a much larger fee this time around. He became the youngest player to score a Bundesliga hat-trick in over 60 years when he scored half the goals in a 6-0 win over Frankfurt in December. He was also eligible for hosts USA after he moved there young and came up through the DME Academy but chose his birth nation. He’s already scored at the recent AFCON in Morocco and I think he’s going to be one of the breakout stars next month.

Why they're actually going to win it: Their 2023 AFCON win was the most remarkable tournament turn-around I’ve ever witnessed so this should be a walk in the park comparably.

Looking forward to some wonderful chaotic games if Uruguay and Biesla reach the knockouts.

14. Colombia

Group K

CONMEBOL (3/6)

World Ranking: 13

Best Result: Quarter-Finals (2014)

Fixtures:

Uzbekistan (18th June, 3AM)

DR Congo (24th June, 3AM)

Portugal (28th June, 12:30AM)

Many a person’s dark horse at this tournament, Colombia missed out in 2022 after two knock-out campaigns in a row but are back and looking hungrier than ever. Not many teams had such a bipolar qualifying campaign with huge highs (beating Brazil and Argentina) being followed by deep lows. Their 3-game losing streak in between November 2024-March 2025 was starting to bring back bad memories from four years before, especially when they threw away an early 2-0 lead to draw with Paraguay in the next game. In 2022, they had a 7-game streak without winning that cost them their place but, this time, they ended strong with a 3-0 win against Bolivia and a 6-3 win at Venezuela seeing them finish third. At the 2024 Copa América, hosted in the US, they finished runners-up after a Lautaro Martínez goal for Argentina in Extra-Time saw the final finish 1-0 and they have the attacking talent to cause similar problems this time around.

The Manager: Néstor Lorenzo

Another Argentinian coach at this tournament, Lorenzo features for his side in the 1990 World Cup but after signing for Swindon Town(!) in the aftermath of the tournament, never played for the national team again. From 2000-2019, he worked as José Pékerman’s assistant manager and followed him to Spanish and Mexican clubs as well as the national sides of Argentina (World Cup 2006 - Quarter Finals) and Colombia (World Cup 2014 and 2018 - Quarter-Finals and Last 16). After a year in his first lead-role at Peruvian side Melgar, Colombia came calling back and gave him their main job in 2022. He joined them at a low point and guiding them to a final and World Cup qualification is an impressive job. He will now have to find the right balance with this squad and answer the James Rodríguez question.

Key Player: Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich)

Oh, how Liverpool have missed him this year. After winning the title in Merseyside, Díaz completed a £65.5 million transfer to Bayern Munich and has enjoyed a brilliant first season, bagging 15 league goals and 14 league assists, storming the title and becoming part of one of the most-feared top 3s in the world alongside Harry Kane and Michael Olise. He’s been in the form of his career and at 29, is at the perfect age to define his legacy with the national side while he’s still at his peak. A golden boot win in the last Copa América proves that he can delivery in the biggest tournaments.

Why they're actually going to win it: If James can runback his 2014 form and Díaz plays to his best then it’s going to take a strong defence to stop them.

13. Norway

Group I

UEFA (9/16)

World Ranking: 31

Best Result: Last-16 (1938, 1998)

Fixtures:

Iraq (16th June, 11PM)

Senegal (23rd June, 1AM)

France (26th June, 8PM)

Norway are back for only their fourth ever World Cup and first since 1998 thanks to their golden generation of players who did it in style. They beat Italy twice, first at home 3-0 and then away 4-1 which booked their spot on the final day. They also managed to put 11 past Moldova in a game where two players both scored 4-goals, including a substitute. So, while they have little experience at this level (they’ve only ever played at one Euros too), every time will be fearing having to play them, mainly because of one-man, Erling Haaland. As you might expect, this team is all about attack. They do have some talented defenders (Ajer and Ryerson) but it pales to that of their players further up the pitch. Norway did, amazingly, reach #2 in the FIFA World Rankings in 1993 before being knocked out in the Group Stage in 1994 when all teams finished on 4-points but this still feels like they’re best ever chance. Even their club football is in great shape with Bodø/Glimt upsetting many of the biggest teams in Europe (Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan) in their maiden Champions League campaign.

The Manager: Ståle Solbakken

A Midfielder in the last Norway side at the World Cup in 1998, Solbakken was forced to retire in 2001 at the age of 33 after he suffered a heart attack in training at Copenhagen and was pronounced clinically dead for 7-minutes. Before that, he had been a star in the Norwegian top flight for Hamarkameratene and Lillestrøm before an ill-fated move to Premier League side Wimbledon only lasted 4-games after he fell out with manager Joe Kinnear. In his first 5-year spell managing Copenhagen, he won 5-league titles and a cup but he left as he was being lined up for the national team role. However, this didn’t end up happening and he had spells at Köln and Wolves where both lasted less than a year and ended with the team battling relegation, with his Wolves sacking coming after being knocked-out by non-league Luton in the FA Cup. He then had 7 more years at Copenhagen, adding 3 more titles before being sacked in 2020. His spell at Norway didn’t start well, missing out on World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024 qualification but it’s looking rosy now.

Key Player: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

49 caps, 55 goals. What more do you need to say than that? Born in Leeds while his Dad was playing for the club, Haaland was eligible to play for England but chose the country he lived in since he was three. The greatest goalscorer of this generation, he won the Gerd Müller Trophy in 2023 after scoring 52 goals in 56 that season for City where he won the treble and broke the Premier League record for most goals in a season with 36 (two more than Shearer and Cole both scored in 42-game seasons). Somehow, he only finished 2nd in the Ballon d’Or that year. It took him 111 games to score 100 Premier League goals. Despite having a ‘slow season’ this year, he’s added another golden boot after scoring 27 goals.

Why they're actually going to win it: Just read Haaland’s stats above and captain Ødegaard has just had some practice lifting trophies.

Haaland not winning the Balon D'or after that season was a complete joke.

Barring any nations withdrawing, this will be the first FIFA World Cup finals in which Norway have not lost to Italy.

Interesting to see Ivory Coast so high - I had sort of markdd then down a bit but that's largely down to the fact they've been absent from the last few World Cups, but if they've done well in other tournaments more recently then who knows! They certainly have a group that should be relatively easy to get out of.

12. Morocco

Group C

CAF (2/10)

World Ranking: 8

Best Result: Semi-Finals (2022)

Fixtures:

Brazil (13th June, 11PM)

Scotland (19th June, 11PM)

Haiti (24th June, 11PM)

The only African side to ever reach the World Cup semi-finals after their historic run in 2022, if you ask CAF, Morocco are also the current African Champions so will be expected to go far this year. Their rise in the past few years has been astonishing. Nobody gave them a chance in Qatar, especially when they had Croatia and Belgium in their group as they had both finished 2nd and 3rd at the previous World Cup. But their manager, Walid Regragui, who had only been hired 3-months before the tournament, was able to turn them into a real team in such a short period of time. They currently sit in the top 10 of the world rankings but, in 2015, they were ranked in the 90s. The country has been investing billions into their football programme in preparation for their co-hosting in four-year’s time and now expect results. They hosted the AFCON this year with Regragui saying he’d resign if they didn’t win. We all know what happened there and Regragui stuck to his world, leaving the role in the aftermath of Senegal’s celebrations. If only he’d waited a few months...

The Manager: Mohamed Ouahbi

Just like Regragui four years ago, Ouahbi will have only had 3-months in the role before the World Cup kicks so only time will tell if the trick can be completed twice. Born in Belgium to a Moroccan family, Ouahbi fell in love with football watching Morocco reach the knock-out at the 1986 World Cup but didn’t want to become a player. Instead, he went straight into coaching and at 21, started working as a youth-team coach at his local Maccabi Brussels. His worked impressed Anderlecht who hired him to manager their under-9 side which included future Premier League players Adnan Januzaj and Charly Musonda. He eventually worked his way up to Assistant Manager of the senior side but never got the top job. In 2022, he took the job managing Morocco’s under 20s and earned worldwide headlines for leading the side to the Under 20’s World Cup title in 2025. This earned him the Under 23’s job but that only lasted 3-months because he was needed for the senior side.

Key Player: Achraf Hakimi (PSG)

The 2025 African Player of the Year, Hakimi is still only 27 but has a chance to earn his 100th cap for his country at this World Cup. The best RB in the world, Hakimi has one of the most impressive CVs in world football. Starting his career in the city he was born for Real Madrid, he had a 2-year loan spell at Borussia Dortmund before signing for Inter Milan and then PSG. During this time, he has won 6-conseccutive league titles (one at Inter and 5 since joining PSG), two Champions Leagues (one at Real Madrid and one at PSG with a chance to bag his third tonight) and a Club World Cup (at Real Madrid). Really solid at 1-to-1 defending, like all modern fullbacks, Hakimi is a massive threat going forward too and bagged the opening goal at last year’s Champions League final against his old club, Inter.

Why they're actually going to win it: If the AFCON is anything to go by, they’ll probably just be awarded the trophy months after the World Cup actually ends.

11. Belgium

Group G

UEFA (8/16)

World Ranking: 9

Best Result: Third-Place (2018)

Fixtures:

Egypt (15th June, 8PM)

Iran (21st June, 8PM)

New Zealand (27th June, 4AM)

It feels like quite a while since you would have saw Belgium outside of the top 10 in one these lists but they’re on the last embers of their golden generation with only Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Romelu Lukaku still surviving from that era. And they are desperate to cling on to it too with Lukaku being called up despite playing next to no club football all season (69 minutes across 7 games). They do feel like they’re already far away from the Roberto Martínez side that stayed top of the world rankings for 3-straight years, played some beautiful stuff but could never eventually get over the line and lift a trophy. They are already on their second attempt post- Martínez with young Italian manager Domenico Tedesco let go after a disappointing showing at the 2024 Euros. But it’s not all dreary for Belgium. They have been handed the dream World Cup group and a potentially favourable Last 16 tie against a third-place side should they win it. And while they may not have reached the same highs at the old squad yet, there are still some very talented, exciting players coming through in this side, like Diego Moreira and Matias Fernandez-Pardo.

The Manager: Rudi Garcia

In 2025, Belgium hired their third-consecutive foreign manager with the French Rudi Garcia stepping into the role. Despite only being 62, Garcia is a very experienced coach with over 30-years in management. His first role was with the now-defunct Corbeil-Essonnes in 1994 who were the same club he ended his playing career with at 28 after multiple injuries. He had spent the majority of his playing time with Lille and he became their manager too in 2008 where he led the club to a league and cup double in 2011 and was vital in the development of a young Eden Hazard. He’s had numerous mostly big European roles since then with Roma, Marseille, Lyon, Al Nassr and Napoli with the biggest success probably being at Lyon where he reached the Champions League semi-finals, knocking Guardiola’s Man City out in the process

Key Player: Jérémy Doku (Manchester City)

Undoubtedly, an incredibly gifted winger, Doku has been previously criticised for his lack out output and for making the wrong decisions in the final third. And he had of a slow start again this season but he’s stats have slowly been improving and he’s ended the season on fire and timed if perfectly for this tournament. When you get him running, there’s not many better on the ball. Defenders never know what he’s going to do next and how could they; he looks like he has no idea what he’s going to do next himself most of the time. It feels like he’s been around for ages and I remember him in the Belgium side at Euro 2020 but he is still only 23 and it feels like he’s now living up to all the potential and hitting his peak.

Why they're actually going to win it: Not having the weight of the favourites tag should be useful and, if they can pick up some momentum with the nice-looking group and Last 16 tie, they have enough to really be a threat.

Imagine Belgium pulling a PSG and winning after all/most of their "stars" have departed.

10. Senegal

Group I

CAF (1/10)

World Ranking: 14

Best Result: Quarter-Finals (2002)

Fixtures:

France (16th June, 8PM)

Norway (23rd June, 1AM)

Iraq (26th June, 8PM)

The people’s AFCON champions, Senegal will be coming into this tournament with a bit between their teeth after being stripped by CAF of their African title in March after walking off the pitch in protest during the Final in January. They definitely looked determined in their recent friendlies where they paraded the trophy and beat Peru 2-0 and Gambia 3-1. While three of their main men, ex-Premier League stars Koulibaly, Mendy and Mané are all seeing their career’s out in Saudi Arabia, they are all still important parts of this side and they’re surrounded by top players reaching their peaks. And PSG’s teenage forward Ibrahim Mbaye could be the true wildcard, recently scoring the stoppage time goal in a 2-0 win verses Lens that secured them the French league title. They’ve been placed in the group of death but kicking off against France will bring back some great memories for Senegal. They famously beat the French in the opening game of 2002 when France were the then holders and went on to reach the quarters on their maiden appearance.

The Manager: Pape Thiaw

Replacing Aliou Cissé, the popular young homegrown manager to led Senegal to their first ever AFCON in 2021 after being involved with the two previous campaigns where they had fell at the final hurdle (in 2002 as a player, missing the decisive penalty and 2019 as a manager) was never going to be an easy task but Thiaw looked to have done it perfectly when he lifted the trophy in January. But, as well as being stripped of the title, he has been given a 5-game ban in CAF competition for his part in the controversial protest. But he still be able to lead the side at the World Cup and will be looking to learn from past mistakes. As a player, he also represented his country in that historic 2002 campaign and had a career across Europe, including spells in Switzerland, Spain, France and Russia, without ever really finding a home. He’s only 45 now and is inexperienced at managing level, coming straight into this job from leading ‘Senegal A’, their national side of only home-based players, winning the 2022 African Nations Championship.

Key Player: Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr)

At 34, he is finally starting to show signs of slowing down but he still won the Best Player award at the AFCON in January and his role in the final just proved how important of a leader he is for this Senegalese side. While the rest of the team left the pitch, Mané stayed on and eventually convinced the rest of his teammates to join him. This is the only reason they were able to kick-off again on the night and eventually score the goal that gave them the ‘win’. I know it’s proved to be in vain but it would have shambolically been forfeited on the night without him remaining calm. Mané missed the last World Cup through injury when he was still at his peak and will be grateful to get this final chance to make history.

Why they're actually going to win it: They’re the best team in Africa and will be desperate to get their hands on a trophy that no one can take away.