5 major teams in danger of missing out on qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
We're a little more than a year away from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world and it promises to be nothing short of a cracker. We're well into the final round of the group stage of World Cup Qualifiers across the world and several top teams are facing warning signs.
Different formats for 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in different continents
The World Cup will feature 13 teams from Europe, five from Africa, five from Asia (four + host nation Qatar), four from South America and three from North America. The remaining two berths will be filled by the winners of the intercontinental playoffs.
As things stand right now, several top sides are in danger of not qualifying for the quadrennial tournament. Without further ado, let's take a look at five major teams in danger of missing out on qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#5 Sweden
A shock defeat at the hands of Georgia this past week has hampered Sweden's chances of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Both Aleksander Isak and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were guilty of squandering gilt-edged chances as the Swedes relinquished the chance to maintain a lead over Spain.
Sweden are currently second in Group B with 15 points and are poised to head for the playoffs. However, their only remaining match in the group is against leaders Spain. La Roja are currently top of Group B with 16 points. So the clash between Sweden and Spain on Sunday will be a high stakes encounter.
Sweden have the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Aleksander Isak, Emil Forsberg and Victor Lindelof among others and it'll be a pity if they do not end up qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sweden’s 🇸🇪 World Cup hopes take a big hit after defeat in Georgia 😮 https://t.co/HTHfJEgeh1
#4 Japan
Japan were one of the most impressive sides at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They qualified for the knockout stages from a tight group that had the likes of Colombia, Poland and Senegal.
Japan also raced to a 2-0 lead in the Round of 16 against European giants Belgium. They put on an inspired performance but an onslaught from the Belgian Red Devils in the last 20 mins blew them away. Japan lost the game 3-2 with Nacer Chadli scoring the winner for Belgium in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
There are several recognizable faces in the current Japanese national side. Takumi Minamino, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida and Junya Ito are all really good players. But they currently sit third in Group B of the Asian World Cup Qualifiers. So they are presently chasing the final playoff spot.
They can still turn it around though as they have three games remaining. Japan will face Saudi Arabia, Australia and Vietnam in their final 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matchups.
🦸 Ito the hero as Japan close in on the top two in Group A with a vital, hard-fought win 💪
#WCQ | #AsianQualifiers | #WorldCup https://t.co/OmMb0YkiMk