The 2022 World Cup draw has yielded the roadmap for most of what will transpire in Qatar, and it’s also given us all a head start on seeking out what should be the premier events in the opening phase of the competition. Between matches featuring longtime powers and others rich with history and deeper story lines, there are narratives aplenty to sustain the first three weeks of competition—certainly enough to conjure up a list of the matches to anticipate the most over the next seven-plus months.
The one caveat here is that more potential matchups could still happen, depending on the outcomes of the remaining intercontinental and UEFA playoffs in June, which would crack this list. England vs. Wales, for instance, would certainly be one of them. But given what we know, here’s the best of what the group stage will have to offer in Qatar (presented in chronological order):
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