9/2 To Win Group | 80/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 18
How They Qualified
During qualifiers, Senegal managed to top their group where they qualified after a penalty shoot-out win over Egypt.
Coach
Aliou Cisse – Senegal’s former captain who has coached the team since 2015.
Key Player
Sadio Mane – A slippery winger with a knack for finding the net, the 30-year-old is already Senegal’s all-time top scorer. He made a £35million move to Bayern Munich this past summer after a prolific six-year stint with Liverpool in which he racked up 120 goals for a squad that won the 2019-20 Premier League title and advanced to three Champions League finals, winning the 2018-19 edition.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Seny Dieng.
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Youssouf Sabaly, Fode Ballo-Toure, Pape Abdou Cisse, Ismail Jakobs, Formose Mendy.
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, Nampalys Mendy, Krepin Diatta, Pape Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr, Pathe Ciss, Moustapha Name, Loum Ndiaye.
Forwards: Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia, Bamba Dieng, Famara Diedhiou, Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye.
QATAR
14/1 To Win Group | 250/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 50
How They Qualified
As hosts.
Coach
Felix Sanchez – A former Barcelona youth coach, Sanchez moved to Qatar in 2006 – the same year when he joined Aspire Academy. He was then appointed as manager of the Qatar under-19 side in 2013. Proud with his Spaniard roots, the 44-year-old is currently the coach of the winning team of the recently-concluded Asian Cup 2019 finals.
Key Player
Almoez Ali – The Sudan-born striker, who plays for Doha’s Al-Duhail, could soon surpass Mansour Muftah’s record of 44 goals to become Qatar’s all-time leading scorer. His nine goals at the 2019 Asian Cup were more than twice as many as any other player, and he also was the top scorer at the 2021 Gold Cup with four tallies.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousef Hassan
Defenders: Pedro Miguel, Musaab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Bassam Al-Rawi, Boualem Khoukhi, Abdelkarim Hassan, Homam Ahmed, Jassem Gaber
Midfielders: Ali Asad, Assim Madabo, Mohammed Waad, Salem Al-Hajri, Moustafa Tarek, Karim Boudiaf, Abdelaziz Hatim, Ismail Mohamad
Forwards: Naif Al-Hadhrami, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Hassan Al-Haydos, Khalid Muneer, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Mohamed Muntari
ECUADOR
6/1 To Win Group | 150/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 44
How They Qualified
Finished fourth in the CONMEBOL qualification group to qualify for the finals behind table-topping Brazil, second-placed Argentina and Uruguay in third.
Coach
Gustavo Alfaro – The Argentine, who had been working at Boca Juniors, took over the Ecuador team in August 2020 from Jordi Cruyff, who hadn’t even led the team on the field once because of the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Key Player
Enner Valencia – For Ecuador to find a way out of the group, they may need a turn-back-the-clock performance from their all-time top scorer who turned 33 this month.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Moises Ramirez, Alexander Dominguez, Hernan Galindez
Defenders: Piero Hincapie, Robert Arboleda, Pervis Estupinan, Angelo Preciado, Jackson Porozo, Xavier Arreaga, Felix Torres, Diego Palacios, William Pacho
Midfielders: Carlos Gruezo, Jose Cifuentes, Alan Franco, Moises Caicedo, Angel Mena, Jeremy Sarmiento, Ayrton Preciado, Sebastian Mendez, Gonzalo Plata, Romario Ibarra
Forwards: Djorkaeff Reasco, Kevin Rodriguez, Michael Estrada, Enner Valencia
NETHERLANDS
4/10 To Win Group | 12/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 8
How They Qualified
The Oranje booked their ticket to Qatar with an impressive qualifying campaign, going 7-1-2 and edging Turkey for first place in UEFA’s Group G.
Coach
Louis van Gaal – The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager left the national team to take over Manchester United in 2014, retired following his 2016 firing, then returned last summer for a third stint in charge of the Netherlands, having previously managed his native nation from 2000 to 2001 and 2012 to 2014 — including the run to the World Cup semi-finals.
Key Player
Virgil van Dijk – Arguably the world’s top defender, with a hulking 6-foot-4 frame and the ability to ping a 70-yard ball on a dime, the Liverpool centre-back will be eager to leave his mark on the international stage after sitting out Euro 2020 with a torn ACL.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert, Remko Pasveer
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Jurrien Timber, Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong.
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Marten de Roon, Cody Gakpo, Kenneth Taylor, Xavi Simons.Forwards: Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst.