Group H is expected to be one of the most exciting and competitive at the 2022 World Cup as Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea prepare to fight it out for the top two spots.
Cristiano Ronaldo ’s Portugal, who have failed to make it past the round of 16 since 2006, and usual dark horses Uruguay are the favourites to progress to the knockout rounds, although Ghana, who missed out in 2018, and South Korea are not to be underestimated.
Mirror Football tells you all you need to know about the participants in Group H, including how they qualified, who the main dangermen are and when all the fixtures take place.
Portugal
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World Cup appearances - 7
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FIFA world ranking - 9
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Head coach - Fernando Santos
Portugal head into the World Cup as favourites to progress from Group H but they cannot afford any slip ups like they did in 2014 when they failed to make it to the knockout rounds, while they've also failed to progress beyond the last 16 since 2006.
Winning the 2019 UEFA Nations League finals showed that A Selecao can compete with the very best, although their last 16 exit at Euro 2020 dampened the mood. The worst was then feared after finishing second in World Cup group qualifying behind Serbia, although play-off victories over Turkey and North Macedonia ensured they still claimed their place in Qatar.
At 37-years-old, this is likely to be Ronaldo’s final World Cup, but his slow start to the season means the likes of Andre Silva, Joao Felix and Rafael Leao must step up. Manchester City trio Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva will also be key to success, while Bruno Fernandes can silence his critics on football’s biggest stage.
Can Portugal be considered as contenders to win the 2022 World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Ghana
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World Cup appearances - 3
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FIFA world ranking - 61
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Head coach - Otto Addo
Ghana return to the World Cup stage in 2022 after missing out in Russia four years ago, having previously appeared at three successive finals. Their famous quarter-final finish in 2010 will be hard to replicate, but anything is possible for the Black Stars.
Having missed out on Russia 2018, Ghana then recorded two disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaigns. In 2019, they were knocked out in the last 16, before a shocking group stage exit followed earlier this year. Nonetheless, World Cup qualification was secured with a third round play-off victory over Nigeria, having topped their group in the previous round.
Getting the likes of Brighton ’s Tariq Lamptey and Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams to switch allegiances could be crucial to Ghana’s chances of making it out the group. Ayew brothers, Andre and Jordan, as well as Ajax’s Muhammed Kudus, are threats in attack, while Arsenal ’s Thomas Partey is their key man in midfield.
Uruguay
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World Cup appearances - 13
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FIFA world ranking - 14
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Head coach - Diego Alonso
Uruguay return to World Cup action with their usual dark horses tag and will be hoping to at least replicate their quarter-final finish from four years ago, having progressed to the knockout stages in the last three tournaments.
Two quarter-final exits have also followed in the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Copa America, while automatic qualification for the World Cup was secured by the skin of their teeth. Having won just four of their first 14 games, La Celeste picked up victories in their final four matches to finish behind only Brazil and Argentina in South American qualifying.
With 674 caps between them, veterans Fernando Muslera, Diego Godin, Martin Caceres, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani have once again been selected. However, Uruguay’s new generation of Ronald Araujo, Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunez, Facundo Torres and Facundo Pellistri have generated plenty of optimism ahead of the tournament.
South Korea
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World Cup appearances - 10
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FIFA world ranking - 28
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Head coach - Paulo Bento
South Korea are preparing for their 10th consecutive World Cup since 1986 as they aim to make it past the group stage for just the third time in their history, having reached the knockout rounds just once since their famous run to the semi-finals in 2002.
After falling at the first hurdle in Russia four years ago, despite beating Germany, the Taegeuk Warriors suffered a disappointing quarter-final exit in the 2019 Asian Cup. However, after topping their second qualifying round group with five wins from six games, South Korea then won seven out of 10 games in the final round to comfortably qualify for Qatar.
Despite fracturing his eye socket in four places, Son Heung-min will be in South Korea’s World Cup squad. Other notable inclusions are Napoli defender Kim Min-jae and Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan. With Son in the side, anything is possible, but another group stage exit threatens to be the likely outcome for South Korea.
Group H fixtures
Uruguay vs South Korea - Thursday, November 24 (1pm)
Portugal vs Ghana - Thursday, November 24 (4pm)
South Korea vs Ghana - Monday, November 28 (1pm)
Portugal vs Uruguay - Monday, November 28 (7pm)
South Korea vs Portugal - Friday, December 2 (3pm)
Ghana vs Uruguay - Friday, December 2 (3pm)
