The 2022 World Cup is here, and that means soccer fans' attention will be turned to Qatar for the next two months.
First up on the menu is group stage action – with eight groups of four teams each playing a round-robin to determine which two teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Fans of the host nation, Qatar, will be focused most closely on Group A action. Group A consists of Qatar, the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador. We've also gone ahead and ranked them by FanDuel Sportsbook's World Cup odds for each team to win the group.
World Cup Group A Teams and Odds
- Netherlands (-195)
- Senegal (+400)
- Ecuador (+490)
- Qatar (+1900)
The odds paint an interesting picture f or this group. Netherlands appears essentially as a lock to win the group and advance, but this will be a tight race for second place between Senegal and Ecuador. Qatar, the host nation, doesn't figure much in this conversation.
World Cup Group A Schedule
- Qatar vs Ecuador (11:00 a.m. ET)
- Senegal vs Netherlands (11:00 a.m. ET)
- Qatar vs Senegal (8:00 a.m. ET)
- Netherlands vs Ecuador (11:00 a.m. ET)
- Netherlands vs Ecuador (10:00 a.m. ET)
- Ecuador vs Senegal (10:00 a.m. ET)
World Cup Group A Prediction
The Netherlands are going to cruise through this group. The team is still reeling from their absence at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but sees an influx of young talent with names such as Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutch have too much firepower and experience to struggle in this group.
A battle for second-place is what all fans of Group A teams will be paying attention to. Senegal is the more talented team on paper, but they struggled to even earn their appearance (a penalty shootout win over Egypt). The team lives and breathes with the performances of Sadio Mane. Should he continue finding the back of the net, the team will be just fine.
Ecuador presents a wrinkle, however. They pucnhed their tickets with a fourth-place finish in CONMEBOL. The attack will need contributions from Enner Valencia, the all-time leading scored in country history. Ecuador is ranked just 44th in FIFA's overall world rankings, proving an advancement to the knockout stage will come somewhat as a surprise.
Group A Standings Prediction:
- Netherlands (3-0)
- Senegal (2-1)
- Ecuador (1-2)
- Qatar (0-3)