Soccer World Cup: Group A & B Profiles

With the soccer world cup on the horizon, we profile all of the teams in Groups A and B. 

GROUP A

Uruguay

To Win Group 9/10 | To Win Tournament 33/1 | FIFA Ranking 17th

How they qualified

Finished second in the South American standings, 10 points behind Brazil.

Pedigree

Uruguay won the first soccer world cup in 1930 and then again in 1950, but they only reached the last 16 at Brazil 2014.

Coach

Oscar Tabarez – The 71-year-old, known as El Maestro, has been in charge of Uruguay since 2006 and guided them to the Copa America title in 2011.

Key player

Luis Suarez – The Barcelona forward is the country’s record goalscorer and scored twice in their last qualifier against Bolivia to secure their qualification.

Group Prediction: 1st

Russia

To Win Group 15/10 | To Win Tournament 40/1 | FIFA Ranking 66th

How they qualified

As hosts

Pedigree

No Russian team has made it out of the group stage at the soccer world cup since the Soviet era.

Coach

Stanislav Cherchesov – The 54-year-old was appointed after good work with Legia Warsaw and found Russia in a sorry state after the Euros, in which they only managed one draw with England. He has experience in the soccer world cup as a player as he represented Russia in 1994 and 2002 as the side’s goalkeeper.

Key player

Igor Akinfeev – A talented goalkeeper who captains the team and has proven his top-drawer credentials on numerous occasions.

Group prediction: 3rd

Egypt

To Win Group 11/2 | To Win Tournament 150/1 | FIFA Ranking 46th

How they qualified

Group E winners in African qualifying with a game to spare.

Pedigree

Two appearances at the soccer world cup finals, crashing out in the first round to Hungary in 1934, exiting at the group stages in 1990.

Coach

Hector Cuper – The Argentine took over in 2015 after a dismal run under former United States coach Bob Bradley and led the Pharaohs to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and soccer world cup for the first time since 1990, which saw him named African Coach of the Year for 2017.

Key player

Mohamed Salah – The Egyptian star comes off an explosive first season at Liverpool, winning both PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year. He was key in helping the Pharaohs reach the African Nations Cup final and qualify for this year’s soccer world cup, scoring five goals in the qualifiers.

Group prediction: 2nd

Saudi Arabia

To Win Group 40/1 | To Qualify From Group 7/1 | FIFA Ranking 70th

How they qualified

Group B runners-up in Asian qualifying, pipping Australia on goal difference after finishing one point behind Japan.

Pedigree

Four straight appearances at the soccer world cup between 1994 and 2006. Their best showing was a run to the last 16 in 1994, where they lost 3-1 to Sweden.

Coach

Juan Antonio Pizzi – The Argentine led Chile to South America’s continental championship last year – the first in their history – but resigned in October after failing to qualify for the 2018 showpiece.

Key player

Mohammad Al-Sahlawi – The 31-year-old striker was instrumental in helping the Saudis reach the tournament with 16 goals in qualifying. 

Group prediction: 4th

GROUP B

Iran

To Win Group 33/1 | To Qualify From Group 11/2 | FIFA Ranking 36th

How they qualified
Group A winners in Asian qualifying, going unbeaten in their 10 games to finish seven points clear of runners-up South Korea.

Pedigree
Four finals appearances in 1978, 1998, 2006 and 2014 – yet to progress beyond the groups.

Coach
Carlos Queiroz – The veteran Portuguese manager has an illustrious CV which includes managerial jobs at Bafana, Portugal and Real Madrid, and two lengthy spells as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United. But this soccer world cup, he will be hoping to lead Iran to new heights.

Key player
Sardar Azmoun – The 23-year-old forward emerged as a scoring threat at the 2015 Asian Cup and has already tallied 23 international goals.

Group prediction: 4th

Portugal

To Win Group 2/1 | To Win Tournament 25/1 | FIFA Ranking 4th

How they qualified
Group B winners in European qualifying, pipping Switzerland to first on goal difference after beating the Swiss 2-0 in the final round of matches.

Pedigree
Six soccer world cup appearances, first reaching the finals in 1966, where they progressed to the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners England. A run to the semis in 2006 was ended by France. The Selecao have proven they have the mettle needed to win major international tournaments after they ground through the 2016 European Championship and stunned hosts France in the final.

Coach
Fernando Santos – Portugal are led by the experienced Fernando Santos, who won the European Championship title with the team.

Key player
Cristiano Ronaldo – Who else but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner – the 33-year-old has won everything there is to win in football at club level. The only thing that is missing in his trophy cabinet is the World Cup.

Group prediction: 2nd

Morocco

To Win Group 16/1 | To Qualify From Group 4/1 | FIFA Ranking 42nd

How they qualified
Group C winners in African qualifying after beating Ivory Coast in a winner-takes-all clash on the final matchday.

Pedigree
Four finals appearances, having last qualified in 1998. Best achievement is a run to the last 16 at the 1986 finals.

Coach
Herve Renard – The French coach has had success with other African teams, winning the African Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012 and the Ivory Coast three years later.

Key player
Medhi Benatia – The Juventus defender netted a vital goal against the Ivory Coast in November, and has featured more than 50 times for Morocco.

Group prediction: 3rd

Spain

To Win Group 5/10 | To Win Tournament 6/1 | FIFA Ranking 8th

How they qualified
Group G winners in European qualifying, taking four points from Italy to finish five clear of the four-time soccer world cup winners.

Pedigree
14 soccer world cup appearances since first featuring in 1934. Crowned world champions in 2010 after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in extra-time. Previous best was fourth place in 1950.

Coach
Julen Lopetegui – The 51-year-old former goalkeeper steered Spain through an undefeated qualifying campaign of nine wins and just one draw, including a 3-0 victory over Italy.

Key player
Andres Iniesta – The former Barcelona playmaker remains a crucial player for his national team at 34, having enjoyed a glittering career that has seen him win multiple Champions League and La Liga titles and scoring that all-important match-winning goal in extra-time in the final of the 2010 showpiece.

Group prediction: 1st

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