Spain
World ranking: 2nd
Manager: Enrique Navarro Odds to win tournament: 3/1 Captain: Sergio Ramos Star player: Lionel Messi - obviously. He is more like his Barcelona self with DWC Spain than he is with Argentina in real life, but he can still go very quiet. But he was excellent in the recent European Championship, linking up fantastically with Eden Hazard on the opposite wing. |
2017 Draft World Cup: Second round
2018 Draft World Cup: Winner
2019 Draft World Cup: Quarter final
2019 Nations Cup: Did not qualify (Division A)
2020 European Championship: Winner
2018 Draft World Cup: Winner
2019 Draft World Cup: Quarter final
2019 Nations Cup: Did not qualify (Division A)
2020 European Championship: Winner
Despite a very disappointing 2017 DWC, Spain were imperious in winning the 2018 event. They knocked the defending champions Germany out that year, but fortunes were flipped the year after as Germany overcame Spain on the way to the title. But Spain bounced back again by winning this year's European Championship. Will they continue their tug-of-war with Germany this year? If both teams win their groups they could meet in the quarter final again this year.
GK: Courtois, Oblak, ter Stegen
DF: Alba, Carvajal, Gaya, Piqué, Ramos, Roberto, Umtiti, Varane
MD: Bale, Busquets, Casemiro, de Jong, Hazard, Koke, Kroos, Messi, Modric
FW: Benzema, Griezmann, Suárez
Key: Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia
DF: Alba, Carvajal, Gaya, Piqué, Ramos, Roberto, Umtiti, Varane
MD: Bale, Busquets, Casemiro, de Jong, Hazard, Koke, Kroos, Messi, Modric
FW: Benzema, Griezmann, Suárez
Key: Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia
Mexico
World ranking: 15th
Manager: Verónica Cortizo Odds to win tournament: 75/1 Captain: Jonathan Maidana Star player: Guido Pizarro - whatever shape Mexico field, Pizarro will certainly be present as the midfield anchor. Good at retaining the ball and breaking down opposition attacks, the Argentine international is an ideal all-round defensive midfielder. |
2017 Draft World Cup: Second round
2018 Draft World Cup: Second round
2019 Draft World Cup: Group stage
2019 Nations Cup: Relegated (Division A)
2020 North American Championship: Final
2018 Draft World Cup: Second round
2019 Draft World Cup: Group stage
2019 Nations Cup: Relegated (Division A)
2020 North American Championship: Final
Always in that gap in the top 16 but outside the top 8, Mexico have been helped by being significantly better than all other North American teams, with a couple of exceptions. This makes DWC qualification straightforward, although they've never been able to get as far as the quarter finals, a characteristic shared with the real Mexico team. They recently lost the North American Championship final to USA.
GK: Barovero, Guzmán, Ochoa
DF: Aguilar, Aguilera, Basanta, Gallardo, Layún, Maidana, L Rodríguez
MD: Aquino, Cardona, Carioca, Hernández, Meza, Montes, Pizarro, C Rodríguez
FW: Bolanos, Gignac, López, Pabón, Vargas
Key: Club América, Club León, Club Tijuana, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Tigres UANL, Toluca
DF: Aguilar, Aguilera, Basanta, Gallardo, Layún, Maidana, L Rodríguez
MD: Aquino, Cardona, Carioca, Hernández, Meza, Montes, Pizarro, C Rodríguez
FW: Bolanos, Gignac, López, Pabón, Vargas
Key: Club América, Club León, Club Tijuana, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Tigres UANL, Toluca
Belgium
World ranking: 23rd
Manager: Emily Vermeersch Odds to win tournament: 150/1 Captain: Vincent Kompany Star player: Vincent Kompany - the news in the summer that Man City's captain was upping sticks and moving back to Belgium immediately made me think of how he will improve their DWC side. It's worked as he has helped the team qualify for their first finals since 2017. |
2017 Draft World Cup: Group stage
2018 Draft World Cup: Did not qualify
2019 Draft World Cup: Play-off
2019 Nations Cup: Quarter final
2020 European Championship: Play-off
2018 Draft World Cup: Did not qualify
2019 Draft World Cup: Play-off
2019 Nations Cup: Quarter final
2020 European Championship: Play-off
Incredibly consistent, as the graph above shows, Belgium's best success has probably been their run to the Nations Cup quarter final, winning their group and then overcoming Tunisia and Russia. However, they did fail to make the European Championship. They finished behind North Macedonia in their group, and were trounced 6-1 by Denmark in the play-offs.
GK: Bolat, Mignolet, Van Crombrugge
DF: Álvarez Balanta, Deli, Kompany, Maehle, Mata, Mitrovic, Ricca, Uronen
MD: Bonaventure, Chadli, Defour, Hrosovsky, Kums, Mirallas, Pjaca, Vanaken, Vormer
FW: Diagne, Mbokani, Tau
Key: Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, KAA Gent, Royal Antwerp
DF: Álvarez Balanta, Deli, Kompany, Maehle, Mata, Mitrovic, Ricca, Uronen
MD: Bonaventure, Chadli, Defour, Hrosovsky, Kums, Mirallas, Pjaca, Vanaken, Vormer
FW: Diagne, Mbokani, Tau
Key: Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, KAA Gent, Royal Antwerp
South Africa
2017 Draft World Cup: Second round
2018 Draft World Cup: Second round
2019 Draft World Cup: Group stage
2019 Nations Cup: Relegated (Division A)
2020 African Championship: Quarter final
2018 Draft World Cup: Second round
2019 Draft World Cup: Group stage
2019 Nations Cup: Relegated (Division A)
2020 African Championship: Quarter final
South Africa's story has been one of decline. For each of the last three DWCs they have been seeded in the top 16, but a failure to make the knockout rounds last time started a drop-off in results. They were relegated in the Nations League, struggled in qualifying, and were knocked out by Cameroon in the African Championship quarter final.
2nd in Intercontinental Play-off
South Africa got past Rwanda in the knockout round. In the final group they weren't firing on all cylinders up front, but their defence didn't concede a single goal until the final game. South Africa just needed to draw with Ivory Coast to qualify, but were beaten 2-1 to push them into the play-offs. They got through the devillish African play-offs to make the Intercontinental play-offs, where they did enough to stay above the fray and qualify fairly comfortably. |
GK: Khune, Ofori, Onyango
DF: Coetzee, Hlatshwayo, Mobara, Modiba, Mokeke, Mphahlele, Nascimento
MD: Kekana, Mabunda, Mahlambi, Margeman, Mlambo, Nodada, Sirino, Vilakazi, Zwane
FW: Affonso, Billiat, Erasmus, Ramagalela
Key: Bidvest Wits, Cape Town City, Highlands Park, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Maritzburg United, Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United
DF: Coetzee, Hlatshwayo, Mobara, Modiba, Mokeke, Mphahlele, Nascimento
MD: Kekana, Mabunda, Mahlambi, Margeman, Mlambo, Nodada, Sirino, Vilakazi, Zwane
FW: Affonso, Billiat, Erasmus, Ramagalela
Key: Bidvest Wits, Cape Town City, Highlands Park, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Maritzburg United, Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United
This group is a good contender to be the Group of Death. Spain will likely have too much for their opponents, but the other three will all hope to go through. Mexico and South Africa both reached the second round in 2017 and 2018, but a Belgium team full of recognisable names will hope to continue their upward trajectory.