World Cup 2022 Group A Team Guides: Qatar

Group A of the World Cup is a fascinating quartet in every way. Host Qatar and Ecuador square off Nov. 20 to open the tournament. Senegal, the African champion, has its best team ever, while the Netherlands is looking to make yet another deep run after missing out on 2018.

Here is everything to know about Qatar:

Coach: Félix Sánchez

Highest finish: This is Qatar’s World Cup debut

2018 finish: Didn’t qualify

FOX Bet odds: +50000

Key players: Almoez Ali, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hassan Al-Haydos

What we’re excited to watch: With the entire roster based in the Qatari league and employed across just a handful of clubs, the hosts should be one of the most cohesive teams in the tournament.

What success looks like: Surviving the group stage. Every previous World Cup host, with the exception of South Africa in 2010, has advanced to the tournament’s knockout phase.

Achilles’ heel: Inexperience.

X-Factor: Their counterattack. With Ali, Al-Haydos and Akram Afif, Qatar is deadly in transition moments.

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Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.