The four years (and four months) since the last World Cup have been challenging in football, as in life in general. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant compressed seasons and an even more hectic schedule than usual, while the emergence of the UEFA Nations League has made it very difficult for countries from outside the region to secure fixtures against European opposition. Combine the probable impact of fatigue and the fact that the November start means almost nobody has proper preparation time and it all makes assessing national teams’ form and World Cup outlooks extremely difficult.
The past two decades at the World Cup have been dominated by UEFA, with Europe providing the winners of the last four World Cups along with 13 of the 16 semifinalists in that time. The sense is that the tournament in Qatar may be more open than recent World Cups, if only because so much feels unknown or uncertain. With that caveat in mind, we assess form, ability and the draw to rank the 32 challengers.
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