World Cup: Two Must-Watch Fixtures from the Group Stages in Qatar

Jenny Barry November 10, 2022 | 09:38

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is merely days away, and fans worldwide are already salivating at the prospect of the upcoming football extravaganza.

World Cup: Two Must-Watch Fixtures from the Group Stages in Qatar

World Cup 2022. Photo: Historyofsoccer

Oddschecker, which will be providing free offers on the World Cup, has made Brazil the favourites to lift the trophy in the Arabian Gulf State, but can they deliver the gold for the first time since the days of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo some 20 years ago.

Hosts Qatar will raise the curtain against Ecuador on November 20th, with three more fixtures coming the following day. European giants England and the Netherlands will both be in action against Iran and Senegal respectively. The United States will also begin their campaign with a crunch clash against Wales the same day, with the winners expected to progress to the knockout stages from Group B alongside Gareth Southgate's Three Lions.

In our eyes, the entire tournament is must watch, but here are two fixtures that you simply can’t miss…

Ghana vs Uruguay - Group H - December 2nd

It has been 12 years since these two nations last faced off, and to put it bluntly, there is no love lost between the pair. On that fateful night in South Africa back in 2010, the hands of Luis Suarez stopped Ghana from becoming the first African semifinalists in the history of the FIFA World Cup, on their home continent nonetheless.

With the game finely poised at 1-1 deep into extra time, the Black Stars looked to have snatched a late winner. With the ball heading goalwards and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera nowhere to be seen, striker Suarez batted the ball away with his hands and received a red card for his troubles. Asamoah Gyan then missed the resulting penalty and Uruguay progressed via a penalty shootout.

The world watched on in horror as the South Americans stole a place in the final four, but 12 years on, the West Africans are back, and they’re looking for revenge.

France vs Denmark - Group D - November 26th

Four years ago, France lifted the trophy for the second time in their history after a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the Moscow final. This year they enter the tournament as reigning champions, which brings with it a curse. At four of the last five World Cups, the reigning champions have been eliminated at the group stages, and Didier Deschamps’ side will be hoping to stop history from repeating itself.

An immediate problem for Les Bleus is that they come up against an inform Denmark outfit in Group D, with the Danes coming off back-to-back wins against their more illustrious opponents in the recent UEFA Nations League Campaign. Can France stop the rot in Doha?

World Cup 2022 Full Fixtures of 64 Matches with Every TimeZone of Local/GMT/ET/AEDT/IST

Discover Qatar 2022 World Cup with the updated full fixture dates, kick-off times, full match schedule, team news everyday for all 64 mathes with Every ...