With the final four years away on December 18, 2022, Goal gazes into its crystal ball and attempts to put together the best potential starting 11s
Getty/Goal composite20Chile
Chile’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup should have hastened the long-needed national team revamp but, worryingly, the South Americans current squad remains littered with veterans.
Chile will be serious trouble if they are still relying on thirty-somethings Gary Medel, Mauricio Isla, Jean Beausejour, Matias Fernandez and Arturo Vidal in 2022, while it would be a surprise if Alexis Sanchez is still in the reckoning for a starting spot given the 29-year-old has been displaying serious signs of decline since joining Manchester United in January.
Still, youngsters Marcos Bolados, Francisco Sierralta, Victor Davila, Jimmy Martinez and Angelo Araos have all already been capped at senior level, while Marcelo Allende is generating hype at Under-20 level.
Chile’s hopes of finding a forward as effective as Alexis look slim right now, with Nicolas Castillo (three goals in 18 appearances) the man most likely to spearhead the attack in Qatar.
Possible line-up (4-2-3-1): Cortes; Diaz, Roco, Maripan, Vegas; Galdames, Pulgar; Sagal, Valdes, Davila; Castillo.
Possible captain: Roco
Possible star player: Davila
Possible young star: Allende
Previous World Cup finish: DNQ
AdvertisementGetty/Goal composite19Sweden
Having coped fantastically well with the international retirement of their one bona fide superstar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, there’s no reason for Sweden to approach the coming years with anything but optimism.
The Scandinavians both qualified for the 2018 World Cup and reached its quarter-finals without the striker but that is not to say their current squad could not do with a few fresh faces.
Happily, while Borussia Dortmund striker Alexander Isak has not quite had the impact that many expected at Signal Iduna Park, the teenager has already opened his account for Sweden, and hopes are high that he could form a formidable front two the 20-year-old Viktor Gyokeres.
Elsewhere, Bologna’s Matthias Svanberg, 19, should inject some youthful enthusiasm into a midfield that will likely still contain the talented Emil Forsberg, while Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof obviously has the ability to succeed Andreas Granqvist as Sweden’s defensive leader.
Possible line-up (4-4-2): Dahlberg; Krafth, Helander, Lindelof, Augustinsson; S Larsson, Svanberg, K Olsson, Forsberg; Gyokeres, Isak.
Possible captain: Lindelof
Possible star man: Svanberg
Possible young star: Isak
Previous World Cup finish: Quarter-finals
Getty/Goal composite18Mexico
Could Qatar 2022 be the World Cup at which Mexico finally break the ‘curse of the fifth game’?
A first-ever appearance in the quarter-finals looked a distinct possibility for El Tri in Russia, after their scintillating win over defending champions Germany, which featured a stellar solo goal from Hirving Lozano.
Mexico bowed in the last 16 once again, beaten by Brazil, but at least PSV winger Lozano will be back and probably even better in Qatar.
What’s more he should be aided in attack by ‘The Mexican Messi’, Diego Lainez, who is just 18, while in a big boost for El Tri, Carlos Salcedo should still be in the mix after backing down on his apparent threat to quit the national team.
Possible line-up (4-3-3): Ochoa; Alvarez, Salcedo, Araujo, Gallardo; Gonzalez, Herrera, Gutierrez; Lainez, Jimenez, Lozano.
Possible captain: Herrera
Possible star player: Lozano
Possible young star: Lainez
Previous World Cup finish: Last 16
Getty/Goal composite17USA
The United States’ failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup was as shocking as it was improbable, given the quality of their opponents in CONCACAF, and the remarkable sequence of scorelines that resulted in their final-day disappointment.
Still, the Americans have a new coach, Gregg Berhalter, and renewed optimism, not least because they are blessed with an array of preciously gifted players.
Having amassed 23 caps by the age of 20, Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic is obviously the poster boy for the new generation, but big things are also expected of teenage trio Timothy Weah, Josh Sargent and Jonathan Amon, who could form a formidable forward line in Qatar.
In addition, Manchester City-bound Zach Steffen is destined to take over in goal from veteran shot-stopper Brad Guzan, who was the only player aged over 30 to feature in the squad for the recent friendly against Italy.
Possible line-up (4-3-3): Steffen; Yedlin, Miazga, Brooks, Robinson; Adams, McKennie, Pulisic; Weah, Amon, Sargent.
Possible captain: Brooks
Possible star man: Pulisic
Possible young star: Reyna
Previous World Cup finish: Did not qualify