Low-level clubs kick off tournament
Host Russia begins quest against Saudi Arabia
The World Cup is set to start and finish with games at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
The lowest-ranked teams at the tournament will meet in the opener Thursday when Russia hosts Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which is also the venue for the July 15 title match.
The 70th-ranked Russians got an automatic spot as tournament host and the Saudis, at No. 67, have the lowest ranking of the 31 countries which secured places via qualifying. They’re the longest of long shots to reach the final.
The home team will likely need to win to have a realistic hope of advancing from Group A and is expected to have Russian President Vladimir Putin in the crowd for support as it bids to end a winless streak of seven games. Only one World Cup host nation has failed to get past the group stage — South Africa in 2010.
• Mexicans can never be sure who will be playing for the national team under Juan Carlos Osorio. A different lineup has been deployed by Osorio in all 46 games in charge and now players are starting to question the tactical tinkering going into the World Cup.
“It’s time to stop with the experiments,” Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa said. “We have to focus on how we play as a team.”
Osorio, who replaced fan favorite Miguel Herrera in 2015, isn’t budging. The Colombian has no plans to change his strategy because it carried Mexico to the World Cup as the topplaced team in CONCACAF qualifying for the first time in two decades.
But changing formations depending on the opponent hasn’t fared well in all competitions.
“A lot of people said that the past few years have been good, but I’m not so sure about that,” Manuel Lapuente, who coached Mexico at the 1998 World Cup, told The Associated Press. “We were a failure in the Copa America Centenario. We failed at the Gold Cup and in the Confederations Cup. We did well in the qualifiers, but, guess what? We are not going to play against that kind of rival in Russia.”
Progress for Mexico at the World Cup would be reaching the quarterfinals after failing to advance from the round of 16 at six successive editions. Only when the Mexicans hosted the World Cup did they make the last eight in 1970 and 1986.
• Defending World Cup champion Germany coasted through qualifying with a 10-0 mark and a European record 43 goals.
Then came a reality check. Germany drew friendlies against England, France and Spain, and Joachim Loew’s
team lost 1-0 to Brazil to end a 22-game unbeaten run, and then came a defeat to Austria. The Germans didn’t win a game this year until last week’s 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen.
Now trying to become the first time since Brazil in 1962 to defend their World Cup title looks tricky for the Germans.
“We’re not as good as we’re made out to be, or as some think we are,” midfielder Toni Kroos said. “There’s huge room for improvement.”
The recent slump in friendly matches could snap any complacency among the Germans going into the World Cup, which needs to top Group F to avoid a likely second-round clash against Brazil.
• Brazil is still shaking off the embarrassment of losing to Germany 7-1 in its home World Cup.
Since Tite took over as coach in 2016, the five-time world champions have become a winning machine again and were the first to qualify for Russia.
Neymar, who missed the
humiliating match against Germany because of injury, has had to recover from a broken foot that kept him out for three months before the trip to Russia.
But there isn’t such a reliance now on the world’s most expensive player. In six games without Neymar, Brazil still won four times, including a friendly against Germany in Berlin in March.
“He will be missed by any team,” Brazil defender Thiago Silva said, “but not having him sometimes helps us consolidate the style we want.”
Indeed, the Brazilians head into the World Cup looking more balanced and with a range of top players available in every position. They were so dominant in South American qualifying that they would still have secured first place without the points secured in six games under Dunga before the coach was fired.
Brazil should be even more dangerous in Russia if Neymar, who sustained the injury playing for Paris Saint-Germain in February, is fully fit.
“Skill wise, he is already the best player in the world,” Brazil great Pele said. “This is his time to shine.”
• Switzerland’s World Cup prospects are one of the hardest to predict and also the most intriguing.
Ranked No. 6, the Swiss have enough talented players in the peak years of their careers to go far in Russia. Coach Vladimir Petkovic confidently said there was no limit to his team’s potential only minutes after qualifying in November.
Then came the World Cup draw, with games against Brazil and Serbia putting the Swiss at risk of two quick losses and elimination within days.
After that, 2014 quarterfinalist Costa Rica awaits to close out Group E. At least a 6-0 win over Panama in March showed Petkovic’s team can cope with a typically Central American style.
Brazil is favored to advance as Group E winner, and the runner-up will head to St. Petersburg to play the Group F winner likely to be defending champion Germany.
• If the football federations follow FIFA’s guidance, the 2026 World Cup should be awarded to the North American bid today.
Success for Morocco relies on the electorate to follow the trend of recent hosting decisions and vote for a risky bid facing doubts about the ability to pull off the vast reconstruction project required to stage soccer’s showpiece.
The 16 stadiums proposed by the joint United StatesCanada-Mexico bid already exist and only need minor upgrades over eight years. All 14 Moroccan venues must be built or renovated as part of the $16 billion investment in new infrastructure the African nation says is required. FIFA’s inspection reports highlighted three “high-risk” elements to Morocco’s bid: stadiums, hotels and transport.