World Cup Group of Death: The toughest group will surprise you
Fans are looking for the World Cup 2022 Group of Death – and you might be surprised to learn about the toughest group.
The Group of Death is a key part of any major football tournament, but Qatar 2022 may have defied conventions.
The definition for a Group of Death is simple, and they're usually easy to spot.
The term simply describes a group that boasts a collection of very strong teams, usually more than two, meaning one will miss out on progressing from that group.
Euro 2020 boasted one of the all-time greatest Group of Death candidates. Group F saw France, Germany and Portugal drawn together with Hungary.
Compare the strength of that list with Group C which held Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia and you get a sense of the perils of that Group of Death mentioned above.
The World Cup has already witnessed some major shocks in the opening games during the group stages, but there doesn't appear to be one particular Group of Death – or so it seems.
RadioTimes.com lists three contenders for the World Cup Group of Death in 2022.
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World Cup Group of Death 2022
Contender #1 – Group E
Germany, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica
Two World Cup champions in one group could be enough to constitute a very tough group indeed. Neither Spain or Germany are at the peak of their powers this tournament, while Japan and Costa Rica were not particularly fearsome contenders prior to the tournament starting.
However, Japan's stunning victory over Germany has thrown a litter of cats among the pigeons already, turning Group E into a chaotic mess.
Contender #2 – Group G
Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
It doesn't quite have Group of Death vibes, but Group G is a challenging one indeed. Brazil were the tournament favourites going into the World Cup, Switzerland have qualified for the knockout rounds in the last four major international tournaments, Serbia boast Aleksandar Mitrovic and Cameroon boast Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting among their ranks.
If Brazil drop points against Serbia in their opener, this could be a fascinating group to watch develop.
Contender #3 – Group B
England, USA, Wales, Iran
Officially, Group B is THE toughest group in the World Cup this time around. This is the only foursome where every team is ranked inside the top 20 according to FIFA's official World Rankings. England (No.5), USA (No.16), Wales (No.19) and Iran (No.20) are all pitted against one another in Group B, whereas other groups typically boast a far greater spread.
USA's impressive performances in the CONCACAF region, combined with Iran's displays in the AFC region, mean they're both officially deemed stronger opposition than they're perhaps given credit for.
Despite what the official rankings would lead you to believe, ironically, the group you'd have wanted England to land in as No.1 seed would probably be this exact one.
Is 2022 the death of the Group of Death?
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
