GHANA
12/1 To Win Group | 250/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 61
How They Qualified
Topped their World Cup qualifying group, getting the better of South Africa, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
Coach
Otto Addo – The 47-year-old took over as head coach in February with former Newcastle and Brighton manager Chris Hughton serving as technical advisor. Addo is a former Borussia Dortmund assistant coach who pulled off a major coup in qualifying for this tournament just a month after his permanent appointment.
Key Player
Thomas Partey – The 29-year-old is a mainstay in Arsenal’s midfield and provides energy and drive in the middle of the pitch for his nation. He has 40 caps and 13 goals for his country, a good return for a midfielder.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati, Danlad Ibrahim, Manaf Nurudeen
Defenders: Joseph Aidoo, Daniel Amartey, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku, Tariq Lamptey, Gideon Mensah, Denis Odoi, Mohammed Salisu, Alidu Seidu
Midfielders: Andre Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Elisha Owusu, Thomas Partey, Salis Abdul Samed
Forwards: Daniel Afriyie, Jordan Ayew, Osman Bukari, Issahaku Abdul Fatawu, Antoine Semenyo, Kamal Sowah, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Inaki Williams
SOUTH KOREA
12/1 To Win Group | 250/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 28
How They Qualified
Qualification was relatively straightforward as they won seven and lost only one of their 10 matches, finishing second behind Iran.
Coach
Paulo Bento – The Portuguese coach took over from Shin Taeyong who led Korea Republic at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also managed his country from 2010 to 2014, leading Portugal to the semi-finals at EURO 2012, but did not fare as well two years later at the World Cup in Brazil, as his side exited following the group stage.
Key Player
Son Heung-min – Obvious. Son is the team’s captain, top scorer and star player. The Tottenham forward gave his country a late scare when he sustained a fracture around his eye in Spurs’ 2-1 win over Marseille in the Champions League which required surgery. But South Korea’s star player, who thrived in their convincing qualifying campaign, is fit and ready to lead his side past the group stages for just the third time in their history.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-Gyu, Jo Hyeon-Woo, Song Bum-Keun
Defenders: Kim Min-Jae, Kim Young-Gwon, Kwon Kyung-Won, Cho Yu-Min, Kim Moon-Hwan, Yoon Jong-Gyu, Kim Tae-Hwan, Kim Jin-Su, Hong Chul
Midfielders: Jung Woo-Young, Son Jun-Ho, Paik Seung-Ho, Hwang In-Beom, Lee Jae-Sung, Kwon Chang-Hoon, Jeong Woo-Yeong, Lee Kang-In, Son Heung-Min, Hwang Hee-Chan, Na Sang-Ho, Song Min-Kyu.
Forwards: Hwang Ui-Jo, Cho Gue-Sung.
URUGUAY
2/1 To Win Group | 50/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 14
How They Qualified
La Celeste clinched the third of four automatic qualification berths in the South American zone, pipping Ecuador by two points and forcing Peru into an intercontinental playoff.
Coach
Diego Alonso – Having coached extensively across Latin America and the United States – most recently with Inter Miami – the Montevideo native took over the reins from the iconic Oscar Tabarez, who had overseen the national team for 15 years at the time of his dismissal in late 2021.
Key Player
Federico Valverde – With Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani past their prime and Darwin Nunez failing to hit his stride at Liverpool, we’ve gone with Real Madrid midfielder, Valverde. Cruelly kept out of the Russia 2018 tournament by injury, he will be raring to go in Qatar after cementing his place at the core of Los Blancos’ side.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Sergio Rochet, Sebastian Sosa
Defenders: Ronald Araujo, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Guillermo Varela, Matias Vina, Mathias Olivera, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Jose Luis Rodríguez
Midfielders: Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Nicolas de la Cruz, Federico Valverde , Facundo Pellistri, Agustin Canobbio, Facundo Torres
Forwards: Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Gomez, Edinson Cavani
PORTUGAL
61/100 To Win Group | 14/1 To Win Tournament | FIFA Ranking: 9
How They Qualified
The hard way after falling short in the group stage. Portugal finished second in Group A after they lost at home to Serbia in their final game to finish three points behind their opponents.That meant Fernando Santos’ team had negotiate their way through the play-offs, which they did after victories over Turkey and North Macedonia.
Coach
Fernando Santos – The 68-year-old is now into his eighth year as Portugal manager having taken over in 2014. Santos masterminded his nation’s Euro 2016 victory, building up plenty of goodwill as a result. Portugal also won the inaugural Nations League in 2019 under the former Greece manager’s stewardship.
Key Player
Cristiano Ronaldo – The 37-year-old’s lack of form for Manchester United has led to questions over whether Portugal’s captain is the best possible option to lead the line in Qatar – among a host of younger and more in-form attacking options. Qatar may be Ronaldo’s last hurrah in a major international tournament and the veteran forward will be aiming to end it on a high with a first-ever World Cup success for his nation.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Jose Sa, Rui Patricio
Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Mario, Matheus Nunes, Vitinha, William Carvalho, Otavio
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Goncalo Ramos, Andre Silva