Profiles of the participating teams in Group B of the World Cup
Three Lions - England
Current world ranking: 5th
World Cup participations: 16th participation
Previous achievement: Dian Jun
Best result: Champion (1966)
How to qualify: First place in European Group I of the World Preliminary Round
Manager: Southgate
Team Profile
England is the birthplace of modern football and the country with the longest history of football in the world, but England's results in the World Cup have not been smooth, so far only won one World Cup title, every World Cup British fans are looking forward to "football home", but always disappointed.
England finished fourth in the last edition, won the runners-up at Euro 2020, and qualified for the World Cup in the first place, which looks to be gaining momentum, but this year's situation in England can be said to be absurd, the UEFA Nations League and the final 3 draws and 3 defeats were relegated at the bottom of the group, especially the group stage was beaten by Hungary, only 1 goal was scored in the first 5 games of the UEFA Nations League, the attack was a big opportunity, and the manager was also criticized.
advantage
Despite the poor situation, no one dares to question the strength of England, the lineup is all the main force of the Premier League teams, in fact, two completely different squads can be put on, the offensive end with captain Kane as the core with this year's Manchester City teenager Phil Foden, the midfield is also full of talent, Zud Bellingham, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka are all young and powerful players, and Kyle Walker, Stones, Kieran Trippier are also strong in defense.
inferior position
Despite the depth of England's squad, the biggest problem is that manager Gareth Southgate has a special preference for selection, such as often selecting more than five players at a time at right-back, resulting in crowded positions, and some of Southgate's loves will lose their main position at the club this year, such as Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish, who were almost abandoned by the club this year, but played in the England national team.
In addition, injury problems also plague England, full-back Reece James is determined to be injured and cannot play, defender Kyle Walker, Stones, back Calvin Phillips also have injury doubts, Arnold, who used to be known as the world's best right-back, is in a very poor situation this year, leaving manager Southgate a little stretched in the selection of defenders.
Players to watch
Harry Maguire: Although Maguire was abandoned at Manchester United, there should be a place for him in the national team, and I have always felt that Maguire is not such a bad player, and if he can perform well in the national team, maybe he can regain his place at the club.
Results predicted: 1st place in Group B, top 8-4
Red Dragon Legion - Wales
Current world ranking: 19th
World Cup participations: 2nd participation
Previous results: Not participating
Best result: Top 8 (1958)
Route to advancement: First place in the European play-off path A of the World Cup qualifiers
Coach: Rob Page
Team Profile
Will has a long history of football, the third country in the world to form a football association, but their World Cup experience is handsome, sandwiched between European powers that has made it difficult for Wales to qualify for the World Cup, plus this time only 2 World Cup appearances, the last appearance is back in 1958, almost 70 years ago.
After Wales unexpectedly reached the European Championship in 2016, knocking out England and Belgium in succession, losing to the champions Portugal and finishing third, this golden generation began to continue to play well in Europe. However, the road to qualification for this year's World Cup was very difficult, with the European zone finishing second in the World Preliminary Group and defeating Austria and Ukraine in the play-off path A, of which the match against Ukraine was not decided until June this year due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
advantage
The backbone of this golden generation has not changed since its rise in 2016, led by the "big saint" Bale, with experienced defender Ben Davis, goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, midfielder Aaron Ramsey, this group of main forces constitute the core of Wales, and young striker Brennan Johnson performed brilliantly at Nottingham Forest last year, leading Nottingham Forest to upgrade to the Premier League, quite a taste of succeeding Bamber.
inferior position
Bale's move from Real Madrid to Major League League Los Angeles FC this year has been mediocre and has injury concerns at the moment, as Bale is an absolute workhorse and team leader for Wales and would be greatly reduced if he does not play.
Players to watch
Brennan Johnson: If Bale is not available for the World Cup, look out for Wales' future hopes, as Brennan Johnson has scored two goals in five games in Wales this year, making him a new attacking option for Wales.
Result prediction: 2nd place in Group B, round of 16
Persian Iron Horse - Iran
Current world ranking: 20th
World Cup participations: 6th participation
Previous result: 3rd place in the group
Best result: Group stage (each time)
How to qualify: 1st place in Group A of the Asian zone of the World Cup qualifiers
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Team Profile
Iranian football was one of the early countries in the Middle East, with the establishment of the Football Association in 1920 and early victory in the Asian Cup, but after 1979 Iranian football stagnated and did not gradually recover until after 1990.
With the advantage of tall stature, Iranians can be said to be quite popular in Asia, often kicking into the Asian Cup, the Asian region is also among the best, often competing with Japan and South Korea for the first position in Asia, but once on the stage of the World Cup, the Iranian's figure is no longer an advantage, and the foot technology is not comparable to the European powers, and the current 5 World Cup competitions have not yet entered the knockout stage.
advantage
The Iranian national team welcomed back Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz, who played in the 2018 World Cup this year, and led Iran to impressive results in his two games, including a friendly victory over South American powerhouse Uruguay and a 1-1 draw with Senegal, their attacking line-ups are currently at the peak, the top scorer is Mehdi Taremi for Porto, who has scored nine goals and seven assists in all competitions this year, and the other scorer is Arrieza Jahanbachsh for Feyenoord. Helping Iran score four goals in the World Cup qualifiers was a big contributor to Iran's promotion.
inferior position
As mentioned earlier, although Iran has played well in Asia, it has been unable to break through to the World Cup stage, and the team's other star, Sardar Azmun, is currently injured, and it is difficult to break through the group stage. However, this year, Iran is particularly in the same group as the United States, and the two countries have a deep hatred in history, and the battle between the two armies should be the most gunpowder combination in this World Cup.
Players to watch
Mahdi Taremi
Result prediction: 3rd-4th place in Group B, aiming to break through the group stage
Uncle Sam - USA
Current world ranking: 16th
World Cup participations: 11th participation
Previous results: Not promoted
Best result: Third place (1930)
How to qualify: 3rd place in CONCACAF qualifiers
Coach: Greg Berhalt
Team Profile
Many people think that American football is very poor, but this concept is wrong. Although football in the United States is not among the four major sports in North America, the world ranking of American football rarely falls to 20th, and has always been able to rank among the best in Central and North America and the Caribbean, only because everyone is misled by the monopoly of American baseball and basketball, and will think that football is not strong.
The United States has participated in the World Cup more than 10 times this year, although the last United States unexpectedly did not play in the World Cup, but before 7 consecutive World Cups, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea also played in the quarterfinals, the United States team is almost stable in each World Cup. The 1994 World Cup was held in the United States, evoking the American atmosphere of football, and then officially started the professional football league: Major League League, which has attracted stars to join in recent years, including Beckham, Ibrahimovic, Higuain and many other world superstars.
advantage
In recent years, there have been many American-made youngsters shining in major leagues, with the potential of 19-year-old Dortmund attacking midfielder Giovanni Reina highly anticipated, Leeds United's two midfielders Brandon Aronson and Taylor Adams, starting under new American coach Jesse Mahi, and Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic, the top star of the American team, none of these players are under 25 years old, and the squad change is very successful.
inferior position
The U.S. team has been in dire form lately, with no way to win the last three international matches, not even a single goal, some holes in the U.S. back, and main central defender Miles Robinson Achilles has an injury to his tendon, which is not good news for the U.S. team.
Players to watch
Christian Pulisic: America's number one player, in this group leading the United States against Iran, the two countries will face off on the battlefield of the World Cup.
Prediction of result: 3rd place in Group B, trying to beat Wales to advance to the knockout round
Group B ranking prediction
1. England
2. Wales
3. United States
4. Iran