Too-early World Cup 2022 storylines

There are plenty of firsts when it comes to the 2022 World Cup. For starters, this will be the first time an Arab nation — and the second time an Asian nation — will host the prestigious event. (It's also the smallest country to host a World Cup, with an approximate 2.9 million population). Qatar immediately faced criticism regarding how it won the bid to host this year's tournament. While FIFA is no stranger to controversy, there was an investigation into any wrongdoing by the country. The makeup and compensation of the workforce hired to handle the infrastructure have also been problematic from a human rights standpoint. Still, the matches will go forward.

Another first is that the tournament will not occur in May, June, or July. Why? According to USA Today, Qatar averages roughly 108 degrees during those months. So, to make the participants and fans as comfortable as possible, the 2022 World Cup will be played from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18. The event's 28-day window is shorter than traditional World Cup schedules. 

So, with the World Cup being played during the late fall and early winter in the northern hemisphere, what does that mean for the elite international club seasons? It's pretty simple: the major club leagues such as Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1, Spain's La Liga, and Italy's Serie A will all take extended breaks during the World Cup. Notably, the English Premier's league break from Nov. 13 to Dec. 26 is the first prolonged mid-season stoppage in the history of that division. Meanwhile, in the United States, the 2022 MLS season is scheduled to finish on Nov. 5, more than two weeks before the World Cup kicks off.

For those soccer fans in the United States wanting to catch as much World Cup match coverage as possible, be prepared to alter your schedules. Qatar is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S. But Fox Sports (on FOX, FS1) plans to deliver live, televised coverage in English and Spanish (via Telemundo). In addition, every 2022 World Cup match will be streamed live on fubo, Sling TV, DirectTV, Peacock TV, and YouTube TV.

Let's not forget that this is the first World Cup since the COVID-19 pandemic began. There have been plenty of major events (Super Bowls. Olympics, etc.) held during the COVID era, and the belief is that there will be no major disruption when it comes to the World Cup. Perhaps the most notable topic on the matter is vaccination status. Those traveling to Qatar from outside the country must produce a negative PCR test to enter. Meanwhile, according to iVisa, "all visitors, workers, players and technical staff from each country must be fully vaccinated for the 2022 Qatar World Cup." It's also been reported that the Qatari government is trying to formalize plans to vaccinate attendees. We'll see how that goes.

Back to Qatar's World Cup infrastructure. It is a touchy subject. The fact remains that the world's best footballers need someplace to play. It's been reported that Qatar could spend in the neighborhood of $200 billion to host the event, which would make this the most expensive World Cup ever. A sizable chunk of the cost, obviously, comes from the venues. Matches will be played in eight venues, all situated roughly within a 20-mile radius of the major city of Doha. All are air-conditioned, and none will serve alcohol. The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium, about 10 miles from Doha's city center, will host the event's first and final matches.

We can talk for days about the controversies and off-pitch issues surrounding the 2022 World Cup. However, the tournament should always be about football. So, let's turn the focus to the on-field action. This year's event will again feature a field of 32 teams. However, starting in 2026, when North America hosts the World Cup, the field size will increase to 48. The future move makes a case for more international interest in the tournament and helps to avoid prominent nations failing to qualify.

Qatar is automatically drawn into the World Cup field as the host nation. It marks the first time the nation will compete on this stage. While Qatar will be a severe underdog (as part of Group A with the favored Dutch, Ecuador, and Senegal) in the tournament, the country did win the 2019 Asian Cup. It reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021. The squad's been led by forward Hassan Al-Haydos, who has recorded more than 160 international caps and ranks among the country's top scorers with more than 30 international goals.

We know Qatar is in the field. But what about those notable nations who won't participate in this year's World Cup field? Russia, the 2018 host, was disqualified from this year's World Cup field because that country invaded Ukraine. For the second consecutive World Cup, Italy failed to qualify. Perhaps even more shocking is that the Italians won the most recent European Championships. This marks the first time in national team history that the four-time champion Italians failed to qualify for back-to-back World Cups.

While Italy is making history for all the wrong reasons, a couple of other countries have ended some rather prolonged droughts between World Cup appearances. Wales will be part of the World Cup field for the first time since 1958 — the only other time the country qualified for the event. It marks the longest stretch between World Cup berths from any European nation. Meanwhile, Canada snapped a 36-year drought with its qualification. The Canadians' only other World Cup appearance came in 1986, but they could play the role of a sleeper in 2022 even if compensation remains a heated issue among Canadian players.

American soccer fans should truly feel invested in the 2022 World Cup since the United States Men's National Team returns to the field after failing to qualify in 2018. While the U.S. still seems to have a long way to go to contend for the actual World Cup, one hurdle is cleared. Now, it's about progress. The USMNT has never made it past the round of 16. When healthy, Christian Pulisic is an international star. The same potentially applies to Giovanni Reyna. Let's call things cautiously optimistic and leave it at that.

American soccer fans will be glued to their television sets on November 25, also known as Black Friday. That's when the U.S. will face England in Group B play. This marks the third time these two nations will meet in the World Cup and the first since they played to a 1-1 draw in 2010. Meanwhile, the 1950 meeting is considered one of the great upsets in World Cup history, with the Americans pulling out a 1-0 victory over England thanks to Joe Gaetjens' 38th-minute goal. Let's hope this next installment is near as entertaining.

We can't mention the English national team and not bring up the frustration Three Lions fans have endured when it comes to World Cup play. England has produced some of the greatest players in international soccer. Yet, the nation has just one World Cup triumph to show for it all. And that was 1966. There have been many painful international moments since then. England finished fourth in Russia in 2018, so expectations for the English side, which is the favorite to win Group B, will be sky high this year. But will things be different this time? Or is it false hope once again? 

Having England in the same group as the U.S. and United Kingdom neighbors Wales is intriguing. However, if we're going to declare the ever-popular "Group of Death" moniker, it should be placed on Group E, which features four-time champion Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014) and 2010 World Cup winner Spain. The group is rounded out by Japan, the best team in Asia, and Costa Rica, making a record third-straight appearance. (Costa Rica also reached the quarterfinals in 2014.) For those wondering, Germany and Spain meet on Nov. 27.

When it comes to repeating as the World Cup champion, one must go back to the early 1960s to discover the last time it happened. Featuring a 17-year-old Pele, Brazil topped host Sweden 5-2 to win the 1952 World Cup. Four years later, despite playing without an injured Pele, Brazil took down Czechoslovakia 3-1 to claim back-to-back titles. In 2022, France will try to accomplish that grueling feat. As of June 23, France ranked fourth in the FIFA men's rankings and is not considered the betting favorite.

So, who do oddsmakers like to win the 2022 World Cup? As of July 4, DraftKings lists Brazil, also No. 1 in the aforementioned FIFA world rankings, as its current favorite at +450. Argentina (+600), France (+650), Spain (+700), and England (+750) round out the top five. Fans can get the USMNT at a tasty +8000, while Iran and Costa Rica stand at the longest of long shots. Each sit at +80000. Brazil's last World Cup title came in 2002, but it has not finished better than fourth (2014) in the four tournaments since.

In 2018, the Golden Ball winner (as the World Cup's best overall performer) went to a player whose team didn't even win the whole thing. Luka Modrić, star of runner-up Croatia, took the honors . So what about this year? There are plenty of established stars on the international scene, but we're thinking of France's Kylian Mbappe, who at 19 years old was named the 2018 event's Best Young Player. He notably became the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to score in a final. Should France again make a deep run, Mbappe will likely be a big reason.

Mbappe was the young breakout star of the 2018 World Cup with four goals. He's since established himself as one of the world's best, and a new batch of young talent is ready to be showcased in 2022. Assuming they'll be in Qatar, 21-year-old Belgium midfielder Charles de Ketelaere, who has come into his own for Club Brugge and is being courted by Premier League clubs, is certainly worth keeping tabs on during the tournament. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Brazilian winger Antony helped his country win gold at last year's Olympics, contributed to Ajax, and is already turning heads within Brazil's senior team.

We've talked about a couple of the potential young stars for the 2022 World Cup. But what about those legends who might be playing on this grand eternal stage for the final time? Cristiano Ronaldo is 37 years old, Lionel Messi just turned 35, and Neymar is still a spry 30 but not necessarily a kid. Yes, these are the fittest players on the planet, but training gets more demanding as the years pile up. So, one has to wonder if they'll be in a prime position to play come 2026.