HT Kick Off: So what do you make of the draw?

The World Cup draw – a yawn of an event especially if you were in India – has thrown up some interesting matches in the group stage.. Like in Doha, where Spain and Germany were in one group, there will be one that has two former world champions. Spain and Uruguay are in Group H and meet on June 26 (June 27 in India, kickoff 5.30am), one that may even decide the top two in Group H.

Here’s looking at some of the other ones:

My first recollection of this 2010 tournament starter at Soccer City, the Johannesburg stadium shaped like an African pot, was of the dance that followed Siphiwe Tshabalala’s screamer after cutting in from the left. And how South Africa welcomed the world with a colourful ceremony. South Africa couldn’t hold on to the lead and were eliminated in the group stage but not before a humiliating 2-1 against 2006 runners-up France.

Playing at home, Mexico will hope to go as far as they did in 1986 when they made the quarter-finals. That could mean upsetting England in the round of 16 (and what an upset that would be!). Like USA and Canada, the other hosts, Mexico have a group from where, as the world’s 15th ranked team, they should qualify. But the first match of the 2026 finals will set the tone for the country that got out of the group stage in seven of their last eight finals. The only time they didn’t was in Doha.

The five-time champions will start against the only Arab, and African, country to have made the World Cup semi-finals. “We’re playing against one of the favourites (Brazil) right from the start, and they are playing one of the favourites right from the start,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.

Regragui, who didn’t back down from pointing out that Spain only moved from side to side in Doha, followed that up with: “Whatever happens, Brazil remain Brazil. They are always potential winners. Having one of the potential winners in our group, and to play them in the first game, is never easy. They have picked up one of best coaches in the world (Carlo Ancelotti) with lots of experience – he will give them serenity. We will try to be up to the task to make our fans proud.”

Brazil have not had an easy qualification campaign – few have forgotten the 1-4 defeat to Argentina earlier this year – and may well be without Neymar Jr who has had surgery recently. Vinicius Jr is having his own issues to deal with at Real but then, “Brazil is Brazil.” Brought in to end a 24-year wait, Ancelotti’s team could face a tricky test against Japan in the round of 16 and England thereafter. And if they go deeper, it could be Argentina. Should that happen, it will only be the second time the countries, who between them have eight World Cup titles, will be meeting in the knockout round. The first time it happened was in 1990.

But that assumes Argentina will beat Portugal in the round of eight should the draw pan out that way. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in one last winner-takes-all World Cup dance. What’s not to like?

Of course, there will be the Kylian Mbappe-Erling Haaland match-up to look forward to but before that, France could try to settle an old score, heal a sore 24 years old. Nothing will take away the special place the late Papa Bouba Diop and Bruno Mestu have among the Senegalese but what better way to relive one of the World Cup’s biggest upsets than with an encore. France could run into a resurgent Germany in the round of 16, Holland in the quarter-final and Spain in the semi-final. But that is for later. In his last assignment, the first task for Didier Deschamps will be to show that 2002 was nothing but a fluke.

Talking of settling scores, this one’s even older. In 1982, West Germany and Austria contrived to knock out Algeria in what has since been referred to as “The Disgrace of Gijon.” Algeria had beaten West Germany 2-1 in what was a surprise even bigger than Senegal defeating France and would have qualified to the knockouts had Austria won or drawn their last group league match, against – you guessed it – West Germany. But if West Germany won 1-0, which they did, Algeria would be eliminated and Austria and the Germans would go through. This time, Algeria will meet Austria in their last group league match. After Gijon, all last round matches are held simultaneously.

Uzbekistan, Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan will be in their first finals. Norway and Scotland are back for the first time in the 21st century. I am rooting for them to make this jumbo World Cup memorable.

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