Qatar 2022 | Germany one of the favourites in Group E

As four-time Fifa World Cup champions, second behind Brazil (five), Germany will always go to any global football showpiece as one of the teams to beat.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting on November 21, is no different for the Germans. The Germans last hoisted the trophy in 2014, after beating Argentina 1-0 through Mario Götze’s goal in the second half of the final’s extra-time in front of the over 74,000 people at Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Germany became the third successive World Cup holders to crash out in the group phase in 2018 in Russia after shock losses to Mexico and South Korea.

Pitted alongside Spain, Costa Rica and Japan in Group E in Qatar, the Germans, ranked 11th in the world, will start as one of the two teams favoured to go to the next round alongside top-ranked Spain (seventh in the world).

Japan, who meet Hansi Flick’s team in their opening match at the Khalifa International Stadium on November 23, are ranked 24th in the world, while Costa Rica, the team Germany will finish off their group matches against (at Al Bayt Stadium) on December 1, are hardly given a chance in the group as they’re going to their second World Cup ranked 31st.

Flick’s team is under serious reconstruction after the departure of Joachim Löw (2006- 2021). Germany failed to make any progress in the last two European Championships since winning the World Cup in 2014.

Löw’s team were knocked out by France 2-0 in the Euro semifinals in 2016 and four years later they could not get past England in the last 16 of the same competition, losing 2-0.

Under Flick, Germany were strong in the World Cup qualifiers winning nine out of 10 games where Serge Gnabry, İlkay Gündoğan, Timo Werner chipped in with five goals; Leroy Sane, Enis Bardhi, Elif Elmas and Aleksandar Trajkovski with four; while veteran striker Thomas Muller and Kai Havertz contributed three.

We can’t, however, say the Germans got ideal preparation for the World Cup as they did not encounter strong challengers in the group that included North Macedonia, who finished second, Romania, Armenia, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Neuer and Muller, who remain from the team that won in Brazil in 2014 and Manchester City’s Gündoğan, are expected to inspire the current generation to lift another World Cup trophy for Germans. The Germans have, however, taken longer (the least is 16 years (1974-1990) than eight years to win their next World Cup gong.

Previous World Cup performance: Champions 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014;
Semifinals 1966, 1982, 1986, 2002;
Third Place 1934, 1970, 2006, 2010;
Fourth Place 1958; First Round: 2018

Key players: Manuel Neuer (goalkeeper), Antonio Rudinger, Nilas Sule (defenders),
Joshua Kimmich, İlkay Gündoğan (midfielders), Leroy Sane, Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller (attackers)

Coach: Hansi Flick

Current ranking: 11

Group E: Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica

Predicted finish in 2022: Semifinals