The Black Stars have inherited a rather high quality draw for the first round of the World Cup. They will meet Portugal, which they have already faced twice in the final phase.
Portugal
Ahead of Serbia in their qualifying group, the 2016 European champions had to go through the playoffs, first against Turkey (3-1) and then Northern Macedonia (2-0) to validate their presence at the World Cup in Qatar. The Portuguese will play in Qatar their eighth World Cup finals, the fifth consecutive, with an outsider status.
Since their European title, they have alternated between the good, such as a Nations League victory in 2019, and the not so good, with a 2018 World Cup and a Euro 2020 round of 16 finish. The Seleçao obviously remains one of the sure values of European soccer, enough in any case to make them the favorite in this group. Fernando Santos, the coach, has been in office since 2014, has sometimes been challenged, and a failure in Qatar could be fatal.
The technician relies on a solid base, although aging, embodied by Cristiano Ronaldo (37 years, 191 caps, 117 goals) and who is not going through the best period of his career at Manchester United, Pépé (39 years), Rui Patricio (34 years) or Danilo Pereira (31 years). Or Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, both 28 years old. Portugal, which does not play the most glamorous soccer in Europe, despite its technical arguments, knows how to be pragmatic and effective in this World Cup.
Uruguay
This World Cup 2022 should be the last of the international career of some Uruguayan internationals. They are well over thirty years old. The goalkeeper Fernando Muslera is 36 years old, the defender Diego Godin also, Martin Caceres 35, as much as the offensive duo consisting of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who accumulate between them 267 selections and 126 goals with the Celeste.
Uruguay, led by Diego Alonso since 2021, will once again be a tough opponent, capable of offering a soccer pleasant to the eye or can be annoying, depending on the circumstances. The South American team, which is behind its powerful neighbors Argentina and Brazil in the CONMEBOL soccer hierarchy, remains a safe bet. Fourth in 2010, quarter-finalists in 2018 against France, future world champions, they won the Copa America in 2011 and reached the quarter-finals on four occasions since their last continental title and their record against African teams in the World Cup remains positive.
South Korea
If Germany, world champions in 2014, failed to defend their title in 2018, it was due to South Korea, which had the luxury of beating the Mannshaft (2-0) in the first round, and causing their early elimination.
Since 1986, date of its second appearance in the World Cup finals, the Asian team has always honored with its presence even finishing fourth in 2002 in the edition organized on home soil and in Japan.
At that time, Paulo Bento, the current coach of the Taegeuk Warriors, played his last international match against South Korea (0-1). Not holding a grudge, the former Benfica midfielder settled on the South Korean bench in August 2018, and qualified his team for the Qatar World Cup.
The qualities of this team are well known: they play an offensive, technical soccer, to which they add a touch of vivacity. Some of its key players, such as captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Lee Jae-sung (Freiburg) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), play in the best European leagues. And more than half of the squad has more than 40 caps and therefore has real international experience. While Portugal and Uruguay are favourites for the top two spots, South Korea have often managed to upset the hierarchy in the past.
