World Cup Qatar 2022 Preview: Group F

Image credit: History of Soccer

By: Anthony Tazbaz

Group Schedule

• Match Week 1

  • Wednesday, November 23: Morocco vs Croatia, Al Bayt Stadium, 5:00 EST

  • Wednesday, November 23: Belgium vs Canada, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, 14:00 EST

• Match Week 2

  • Sunday, November 27: Belgium vs Morocco, Al Thumama Stadium, 8:00 EST  

  • Sunday, November 27: Croatia vs Canada, Khalifa International Stadium, 11:00 EST

• Match Week 3

  • Thursday, December 1: Croatia vs Belgium, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium 10:00 EST

  • Thursday, December 1: Canada vs Morocco, Al Thumama Stadium, 10:00 EST

Countries

Belgium

Nickname: Les Diables Rouges (“The Red Devils”)

Head Coach: Roberto Martínez

Players to Watch

• Jeremy Doku (20): Forward, Stade Rennais

• Kevin De Bruyne (31): Midfielder, Manchester City

• Thibault Courtois (30): Goalkeeper, Réal Madrid

Qualification Run

• Round 1: 6W, 2D, 0L – 20 PTS and 1st place in UEFA Group E

Canada

Nicknames: Les Rouges (“The Reds”), Maple Leafs & The Canucks

Head Coach: John Herdman

Players to Watch

• Jonathan David (22): Forward, LOSC Lille

• Alphonso Davies (22): Winger/Full-back, Bayern Munich

• Stephen Eustáquio (25): Midfielder, FC Porto

Qualification Run

• Round 1: 4W, 0D, 0L – 12 PTS and 1st place in CONCACAF Group B

• Round 2: Two-legged playoffs (all games played on neutral territory – i.e., no home-away)

  • Leg 1: Haiti 0-1 Canada

  • Leg 2: Haiti 0-3 Canada

  • **Canada advances 4-0 on aggregate**

• Round 3: 8W, 4D, 2L – 28 PTS and 1st place in CONCACAF

Croatia

Nickname: Vatreni (“The Blazers”) & Hrvatski (“The Checkered Ones”)

Head Coach: Zlatko Dalić

Players to Watch

• Ivan Perišić (33): Forward, Tottenham Hotspur

• Luka Modrić (37): Midfielder, Réal Madrid

• Mateo Kovačić (28): Midfielder, Chelsea FC

Qualification Run

• Round 1: 7W, 2D, 1L – 23 PTS and 1st place in UEFA Group H

Morocco

Nickname: Les Lions de l’Atlas (“The Lions of Atlas” in French, named after the Atlas Mountains)

Head Coach: Walid Regragui

Players to Watch

• Hakim Ziyech (29): Forward, Chelsea FC

• Sofyan Amrabat (26): ACF Fiorentina

• Achraf Hakimi (24): Defender, Paris Saint-Germain

Qualification Run

• Round 2: 6W, 0D, 0L – 18 PTS and 1st place in CAF Group I

• Round 3: Playoffs

  • Leg 1: DR Congo 1-1 Morocco

  • Leg 2: Morocco 4-1 DR Congo

• Final: Morocco 5-2 DR Congo

Group Table Predictions

1. Belgium: 2W, 1D, 0L, 7 PTS

2. Croatia: 1W, 2D, 0L, 5 PTS

3. Canada: 0W, 2D, 1L, 2 PTS

4. Morocco: 0W, 1D, 2L, 1 PTS