How will Group G play out in the 2022 World Cup?
Part 7 of a series
With the 2022 World Cup set to begin on Nov. 20, there are teams from each of the eight groups poised to leave their mark on the tournament.
We’ve already taken a look at Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, and Group F, so next is Group G. In this group, title favorites Brazil are joined by Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
This group leaves plenty of debate to be discussed once the first match between Switzerland and Cameroon kicks off on Nov. 24.
First Place: Brazil
Many people expect Brazil to win the tournament, and they are right to do so.
After suffering a brutal 2-1 defeat to Belgium in the quarterfinals back in 2018, Brazil has rebuilt their depth and looks to be the best they have ever been. Since that loss, the team won the Copa America in 2019 and, with their U23 squad, collected their second gold medal in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
The Brazilians cruised in their qualifiers, going undefeated in 17 games (did not play an 18th match due to their encounter with Argentina being canceled). Not only is this the first time Brazil achieved this feat, this is also their best defensive performance under the 18-game format only conceding five goals.
This defense is constantly supported with the amazing cornerback duo of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, who have been superb for their clubs at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Missing 2018’s tournament due to injury, Dani Alves will be an amazing presence in the locker room for this team, even as the veteran fullback is at the advanced age of 39.
Casemiro continues to control the midfield as one of the best destroyers in the game, while Bruno Guimaraes is coming up the ranks as a young but elite central midfielder.
The offense even looks more retooled than ever. Vinicius Jr., who is continuing to improve his game as a rising star for Real Madrid, will look to use his brilliant speed and pace on the wing, while Raphinha has made a name for himself on the national team, scoring three goals in qualifying.
Also keep an eye on Neymar, who has 75 goals as he needs three more to become Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, passing the legendary Pele.
Brazil has a lot riding on them, as it is their goal to make their sixth World Cup title become a reality this year.
Second Place: Serbia
Anticipate Serbia to make some noise in this group.
Settling for a third-place finish in their group against Brazil, Switzerland and Costa Rica in 2018, the Serbs seem to be more disciplined in their playstyle.
They showed that by topping their qualifying group over Portugal. They went undefeated in eight matches, scoring 18 goals and conceding nine in the process.
The biggest challenge for Serbia will be their offense. Aleksandar Mitrovic carried the load with eight of the team’s 18 goals in qualifying, so in the situation he is unable to produce, opponents will have an easier time keeping them from creating chances if they don’t find another scoring option.
With their prior experience against Brazil and Switzerland from 2018, expect Serbia to make those matchups more interesting than they were the first time around.
Third Place: Cameroon
Cameroon may be underdogs in this group, but they refuse to be pushed around as an easy matchup.
Failing to qualify for 2018’s tournament, the team made adjustments to ensure the same mistake didn’t happen again for this qualifying cycle. Despite a tough challenge from Ivory Coast, Cameroon advanced from their group to advance to the final round, which they went on to beat Algeria on away goals to punch their ticket.
Andre Onana established himself as the first option at goal, bringing solid performances for his club at Inter Milan.
The offense is arguably Cameroon’s best strength, boasting the likes of Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Having the most goals out of all the forwards on the squad, their roles of testing opposing defenses will be important.
Cameroon should give themselves a chance to advance by getting a win and a draw against Switzerland and Serbia. As a result, they could sneak into the next round once the group stage concludes.
Fourth Place: Switzerland
The Swiss may not be as solid as they were in past tournaments.
Even after back-to-back exits in the Round of 16, Switzerland stunned World Cup champions France in a 5-4 penalty shootout during Euro 2021’s Round of 16 following an amazing comeback after going down 3-1 in normal time. They went on to lose to Spain in penalties the next round.
Switzerland surprised many by winning their qualifying group over Euro 2021 champions Italy, who failed to punch their ticket after a 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in the playoffs.
The defense was excellent throughout the qualifying cycle, only conceding twice against Italy and Bulgaria. With goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defenders Ricardo Rodriguez, Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji leading the way with their experience, expect opponents to take time figuring out their flaws.
However, Switzerland might be limited offensively. Xherdan Shaqiri and Haris Seferovic have the most goals on the team with 51 combined compared to just 21 from the rest of the forwards on the squad. The lack of scoring depth was evident in a recent 2-0 loss to Ghana, who also qualified for the World Cup.
While it is possible the Swiss sneak into the knockout rounds again, there should be concern that their aging core of players may be on the decline sooner than people think.