Group B features a huge opener as Portugal take on Spain, while Morocco and Iran are also included. Here’s our preview of each team and whether they’ll progress through the group stage or not.
Portugal
World Ranking: 3
Star Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Coach: Fernando Santos
Best Finish: 3rd place, 1966
Portugal can’t be ruled out after their unlikely victory in France two years ago, but this tournament is different and it’s unlikely that they’ll progress from the group if they draw all three matches again. Their key game will be the opener against Iberian rivals Spain. That should give us a better insight of how their tournament will progress.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe SK), Rui Patricio (Sporting CP),
Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cedric Soares (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Mario Rui (Napoli), Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica)
Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester City), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting CP), Joao Mario (West Ham), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow), William Carvalho (Sporting CP)
Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Andre Silva (AC Milan), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting CP), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)
Fun Fact: Portugal will look to become the fourth nation to hold both the W. Cup and European Championship titles after West Germany (1972, 1974), France (1998, 2000) and Spain (2008, 2010, 2012).
Odds: 25/1
Spain
World Ranking: 6
Star Player: Sergio Busquets
Coach: Julien Lopetegui
Best Finish: Winners 2010
Spain suffered a shockingly early exit in Brazil four years ago, but have forced their way back into the reckoning, having gone unbeaten since 2016, including a hugely impressive 6-1 victory over Argentina. They’ve got a hugely talented squad, which looks all the more impressive considering some of the names not going, with many in the prime of their careers. No opposition defender will be too keen on facing Diego Costa, while the more technical players will be relied upon to unlock their opponents.
Squad
Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)
Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Manchester City), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid),
Forwards: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia), Lucas Vasquez (Real Madrid)
Fun Fact: Spain are the only country to win the W. Cup after losing their first game.
Odds: 6/1
Morocco
World Ranking: 40
Star Player: Mehdi Benatia
Coach: Herve Renard
Best Finish: Round of 16, 1986
This year’s W. Cup will be Morocco’s first since 1998 and they went unbeaten in the third round of qualifying, knocking out African heavyweights Ivory Coast in the process. There’s not much to talk about in top class talent in their team, but they do have Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia in their ranks, alongside Real Madrid’s exciting young right-back Achraf Hakimi. They’ve only ever made it through the group stage once, and, being drawn in the same group as two heavyweights, it’s unlikely they’ll make it through this year.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia), Yassine Bounou (Girona), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger)
Defenders: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus), Romain Saiss (Wolves), Manuel Da Costa (Basaksehir), Badr Benoun (Raja Casablanca), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid), Hamza Mendyl (LOSC)
Midfielders: Mbark Boussoufa (Al Jazira), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray), Faycal Fajr (Getafe), Amine Harit (Schalke)
Forwards: Khalid Boutaib (Malatyaspor), Aziz Bouhaddouz (Saint Pauli), Ayoub El Kaabi (Renaissance Berkane), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes), Medi Carcela (Standard Liege), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)
Fun Fact: Morocco are bidding to host the 2026 W. Cup and are competing against a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Odds: 400/1
Iran
World Ranking: 32
Star Player: Sardar Azmoun
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Best Finish: Group Stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014)
Carlos Queiroz resigned prior to the qualification stage in 2015, only to announce that he’d continue in his role shortly after, and it proved to be a good return. They were the second team to qualify for the tournament, after beating Uzbekistan at home 2-0. They were unbeaten in qualifying throughout the second and third stages, but they’ve lost to both Turkey and Tunisia this year in friendlies. They’ll be fighting it out for third spot in the group with Morocco.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Rashid Mazaheri (Zob Ahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo)
Defenders: Majid Hosseini (Esteghlal), Ramin Rezaeian (Ostende), Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (Padideh), Morteza Pouraliganji (Al-Saad), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Milad Mohammadi (Akhmat Grozny), Roozbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal)
Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi (Amkar Perm), Masoud Shojaei (AEK Athens), Mehdi Torabi (Saipa), Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal), Ehsan Haji Safi (Olympiakos), Karim Ansarifard (Olympiakos), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis)
Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar), Mahdi Taremi (Al-Gharafa), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan), Reza Ghoochannejihad (Heerenveen), Saman Ghoddos (Ostersunds), Ashkan Dejagah (Nottingham Forest)
Fun Fact: Iran have reached consecutive W. Cups for the first time in their history.
Odds: 500/1
