The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D, France bid to defend their World Cup championship in Qatar. They will be facing a manageable and potentially familiar group.
The world champions were drawn against Denmark and Tunisia, as well as a yet-to-be-determined side from the intercontinental playoff, in Doha on April 1.
Australia and the United Arab Emirates will compete for the chance to play Peru in a winner-take-all match, with the winner filling out the rest of Group D’s schedule.
Les Bleus, led by Didier Deschamps, are the clear favourites to go to the knockout stages, but there might be a thrilling competition for the runner-up slot behind them.
Surprisingly, if either Australia or Peru advance, the group would have three teams that met each other at the same level in Russia 2018, with France and Denmark already assured a rematch.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match schedule
|
Date |
Match |
Time (IST) |
Time (BDT) |
Stadium |
|
22 Nov 2022 |
Denmark vs. Tunisia |
17.30 |
18.00 |
Education City Stadium |
|
21/22 Nov 2022 |
France vs. AUS/UAE/PER |
23.30 |
00.00 |
Al Janoub Stadium |
|
26 Nov 2022 |
Tunisia vs. AUS/UAE/PER |
14.30 |
15.00 |
Al Janoub Stadium |
|
26 Nov 2022 |
France vs. Denmark |
20.30 |
21.00 |
Stadium 974 |
|
30 Nov 2022 |
Tunisia vs. France |
19.30 |
20.00 |
Education City Stadium |
|
30 Nov 2022 |
AUS/UAE/PER vs. Denmark |
19.30 |
20.00 |
Al Janoub Stadium |
Each of the four teams will play the other three nations in a round-robin style. The points from those three group-stage matches are used to determine the group rankings – three points for a victory, one point for a tie, and none for a defeat.
The single-game knockouts are held for the top two clubs in each group based on total points. If two clubs are tied on points, the first tiebreaker is goal differential, followed by goals scored. A different set of tiebreakers is used if teams are tied in those areas.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D Teams Overview
France
- Current FIFA world ranking: 3rd (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 2nd (UEFA)
- World Cup titles: 2
- World Cup appearances (last): 15 (Russia 2018)
- Manager: Didier Deschamps since July, 2012
- Star players: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain / France), Paul Pogba (Manchester United / England), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / Spain)
- How qualified: UEFA Group I winners 8W-0L-2D
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-2 / Lose-0 / Draw-0 (Goals: 7 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: Win-10 / Lose-0 / Draw-6 (Goals: 36 scored / 12 conceded)
France, the 2018 World Cup champions, will be desperate to defend their title, although they will have to do much better than they did at Euro 2020, when they were defeated in the Round of 16 by Switzerland.
Les Bleus might make a massive difference if superstar Kylian Mbappe is at his best, and Didier Deschamps’ excellent team has plenty of other international experience.
France won the UEFA Nations League in 2020-2021 by defeating Spain in the final, and if they can continue to play as a team, they will be among the top candidates for glory in Qatar.
Peru / Australia / UAE
In June, the intercontinental playoffs will be held to determine which teams will advance to the finals. Australia and the United Arab Emirates will meet off on June 7, with the winner of that match playing Peru in Doha a week later to determine who progresses to Qatar.
Peru
- Current FIFA world ranking: 22nd (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 5th (CONMEBOL)
- World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
- Manager: Ricardo Gareca since March, 2015
- Star players: Gianluca Lapadula (Benevento / Italy), Andre Carrillo (Al- ilal / Saudi Arabia), Edison Flores (DC United / United States)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-3 / Lose-1 / Draw-2 (Goals: 8 scored / 3 conceded)
- 2021: Win-7 / Lose-7 / Draw-3 (Goals: 21 scored / 24 conceded)
After placing fifth in CONMEBOL qualification, Peru advanced to the intercontinental playoff stage, behind Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay. On the last match day, Gianluca Lapadula was one of the scorers in a 2-0 victory over Paraguay to ensure a place in the intercontinental final. The 32-year-old’s experience will be essential if he is to lead La Bicolor once more.
Australia
- Current FIFA world ranking: 22nd (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 5th (CONMEBOL)
- World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
- Manager: Ricardo Gareca since March, 2015
- Star players: Gianluca Lapadula (Benevento / Italy), Andre Carrillo (Al- ilal / Saudi Arabia), Edison Flores (DC United / United States)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-3 / Lose-1 / Draw-2 (Goals: 8 scored / 3 conceded)
- 2021: Win-7 / Lose-7 / Draw-3 (Goals: 21 scored / 24 conceded)
Australia enters the intercontinental playoff following a poor group stage that saw them lose to Japan and Saudi Arabia. They’ll now want to make up for the fact that they didn’t qualify automatically, but they’ll have a tough time doing it. The Socceroos have been a fixture at the tournament since the turn of the century, winning it in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, but the 11 consecutive victories they had at the start of the qualification run now seem like a distant memory.
UAE
- Current FIFA world ranking: 68th (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 7th (AFC)
- World Cup appearances (last): 1 (Italy 1990)
- Manager: Rodolfo Arruabarrena since February, 2022
- Star players: Ali Mabkhout (Al Jazira / UAE), Khalil Ibrahim (Al Wahda / UAE), Walid Abbas (Shabab Al Ahli / UAE)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-2 / Lose-2 / Draw-0 (Goals: 3 scored / 2 conceded)
- 2021: Win-9 / Lose-4 / Draw-4 (Goals: 33 scored / 16 conceded)
The UAE also has a chance to qualify for just their second World Cup, which will be held in neighbouring Qatar, after failing to do so in 1990. The entire UAE team is based in the country, with striker Ali Mabkhout serving as the team’s key offensive threat.
Denmark
- Current FIFA world ranking: 11st (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 8th (UEFA)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances (last): 6 (Russia 2018)
- Manager: Kasper Hjulmand since August, 20206
- Star players: Christian Eriksen (Brentford / England), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta / Italy), Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria / Italy)
- How qualified: UEFA Group F winners: 9W-1L-0D
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-1 / Lose-1 / Draw-0 (Goals: 5 scored / 5 conceded)
- 2021: Win-13 / Lose-4 / Draw-1 (Goals: 45 scored / 11 conceded)
Denmark look to build on an outstanding showing at Euro 2020, therefore they might be the centre of one of the most painful and emotionally resonant storylines at this World Cup.
The tournament began in a terrifying situation when the amulet Christian Eriksen fell into cardiac arrest after losing the opening match against Finland in Copenhagen.Thankfully, the playmaker recovered, and his teammates fought well in his absence, advancing to the semi-finals, where they were narrowly defeated by England in extra time.
Eriksen, who had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implanted, recently returned to playing for Brentford in the Premier League. In March, he was called up to the national team and scored in both a friendly loss to the Netherlands and a 3-0 win over Serbia. Against all odds, he might shine on the grandest stage once more as part of Kasper Hjulmand’s dynamic team.
Tunisia
- Current FIFA world ranking: 35th (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 5th (CAF)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
- Manager: Jalel Kadri since January, 2022
- Star players: Wahbi Khazri (Saint-Etienne / France), Hannibal Mejbri (Manchester United / England), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly / Egypt)
- How qualified: CAF Third Round winners agg 1-0 vs. Mali
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: Win-3 / Lose-3 / Draw-1 (Goals: 6 scored / 3 conceded)
- 2021: Win-12 / Lose-4 / Draw-1 (Goals: 29 scored / 12 conceded)
Tunisia qualified for back-to-back World Cups by defeating Mali in the last qualifying round, securing a spot in the tournament’s finals for the sixth time. For the first time, the North Africans will attempt to progress to the knockout stages.
The majority of the team is located in Europe, with Wahbi Khazri of Saint-Etienne serving as the team’s main creator, while Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri is one of the names to watch for in what might be a breakout tournament.
Coach Jalel Kadri is leading the Eagles of Carthage into a new era in time for the 2022 World Cup. Formerly an assistant, Kadri was appointed head coach by the Tunisian Football Federation in January, succeeding Mondher Bebaier, who was fired after a poor showing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B to advance
December 3 & 4, the first- and second-place finishers in Group D will proceed to the Round of 16, where they will meet the two teams who advanced from Group C.
