Can Morocco be the surprise package that makes a run at African history at the World Cup? It will likely need a win over favored Croatia to get there.
Morocco begins its tricky World Cup run as underdogs to get out of its group but has a well-experienced boss in Vahid Halilhodzic at the wheel ahead of matches with Croatia, Belgium, and Canada.
STREAM LIVE MOROCCO vs CROATIA
The Atlas Lions have Belgium next and would love to have a point or three in their pockets before what it hopes will be a meaningful group finale against Canada.
For Croatia, it’s knowing that Belgium is last and that a win over the underdogs from North Africa will help it come closer to sealing its spot in the knockout rounds before looking at the favored Red Devils.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Morocco vs Croatia.
Kick off: 5am ET, Wednesday Nov. 23
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Morocco has the capability to surprise, having lost just once since March (a misleading 3-0 defeat to the USMNT in Cincinnati). Wins over Chile and Ghana this year preceded a Thursday 3-0 defeat of Georgia. The Atlas Lions can prove tough to break down with Romain Saiss, Noussair Mazraoui, and Achraf Hakimi in their ranks.
Croatia is the definition of a tournament team with several national legends at the end of their massive careers, including captain Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, and Domagoj Vida. Only six players on the roster are under 25 and the time is now for Croatia. Will the pressure weigh on the team?
Current FIFA world ranking: 22
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CAF
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Key players: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Youssef En-Nesyri, Romain Saiss
Current FIFA world ranking: 12
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Key players: Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Mateo Kovacic
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The USA and Wales clash in what seems to be a crucial Group B opener at the World Cup in Qatar.
STREAM LIVE USMNT vs WALES
Gregg Berhalter’s young side are at their first World Cup since 2014 and there are big things expected of Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Co. in Qatar. After a bumpy qualifying cycle in CONCACAF, there are still plenty of doubts around this team and Berhalter but a big World Cup this time will set things up nicely for the 2026 World Cup on home soil. In the here and now, getting off to a good start at this tournament is vital.
As for Wales and Rob Page, they got through a top qualifying cycle in UEFA via the playoffs and are at their first World Cup since 1958 and just their second-ever tournament. This is the culmination of a career for Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey as Wales’ star duo are both fit and ready to go. After reaching the semifinals of the European Championships in 2016 and then the last 16 at EURO 2020, this Welsh side has success in recent major tournaments.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for USA vs Wales.
Kick off: 2pm ET, Monday (November 21)
Stadium: Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
—– Turner —–
— Dest — Zimmerman — Ream — Robinson —
— Aaronson — Adams — McKennie —
— Weah — Ferreira — Pulisic —
For the USMNT their midfield core is going to be their strength but there are still plenty of question marks around the defense. Veteran Tim Ream could start at center back to provide experience, while the midfield trio of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah are locked in as the main men in midfield. Ahead of them Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah are all battling for a starting spot in attacking midfield but there is no clear winner to start as the No. 9, so perhaps the USMNT will start with a false nine?
In terms of injuries, Sergino Dest, Matt Turner and Weston McKennie have all been training after brushing off recent injuries. However, Gregg Berhalter said that both Dest and McKennie are unlikely to play the full 90 minutes and said they aren’t fully fit for the opener against Wales. It has also been announced that Tyler Adams has been named captain of the USMNT for the tournament.
🗣 I spoke with Wales and Tottenham defender Ben Davies about facing the #USMNT at the World Cup.
He had plenty of respect for the Americans and he believes both teams know how important the Group B opener is to their hopes of progression 👇 https://t.co/lh6LLfT8Ko
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 17, 2022
Wales love to sit deep and soak up pressure and their back three and fluid system will be tough for the USMNT to break down. Going forward the quality of Ramsey and Bale speaks for itself and Wales will rely heavily on set-piece situations and swinging in crosses for Kieffer Moore to attack. Watch out for Harry Wilson and Daniel James in the attacking areas too. Wales are a robust, experienced team and they are very good at sitting back and then springing counter attacks. Their nation expects them to get out of this group and this game against the USMNT is going to be so close to call. Injury wise Wales look pretty good with Joe Allen training on his own as he recovers from a recent hamstring issue and won’t be available for this game.
Current FIFA world ranking: 16
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 9
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONCACAF (3rd place)
Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Key players: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams
Current FIFA world ranking: 19
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 1
How they qualified: Qualified from UEFA via playoffs, Path B
Coach: Rob Page
Key players: Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
Group A in the 2022 World Cup will be intriguing, as hosts Qatar are joined by African champs Senegal, plus the Netherlands and Ecuador.
[ MORE: Full schedule for 2022 World Cup ]
This really is a wide-open group but the host nation got off to a terrible start as they were outclassed by Ecuador and Qatar now have a very small chance of reaching the knockout rounds.
There’s no doubting that the Netherlands and Senegal are the favorites to advance as Virgil van Dijk will lead the Dutch as they look to make up for missing the 2018 tournament, but Senegal are missing main man Sadio Mane through injury as they aim to better their best-ever finish of reaching the quarterfinals in 2002.
As for Ecuador, they look like an incredibly solid team who are set up very well to counter and proved that against Qatar.
[ MORE: Ranking every World Cup team, 32-1 ]
Below is everything you need to know for 2022 World Cup Group A.
Recap/highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
November, 21: Senegal vs Netherlands – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
November, 25: Qatar vs Senegal – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 8am
November, 25: Netherlands vs Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 11am
November, 29: Netherlands vs Qatar – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 10am
November, 29: Ecuador vs Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
1. Ecuador — 3 points (+2 GD)
2. Netherlands — 0 points
3. Senegal — 0 points
4. Qatar — 0 (-2)
Current FIFA world ranking: 49
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 0
How they qualified: As hosts
Coach: Felix Sanchez
Key players: Abdelkarim Hassan, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos
Current FIFA world ranking: 18
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 2
How they qualified: Beat Egypt in CAF playoff
Coach: Aliou Cisse
Key players: Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly
Current FIFA world ranking: 8
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 10
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group G)
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Key players: Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong
Current FIFA world ranking: 44
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 3
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (4th place)
Coach: Gustavo Alfaro
Key players: Enner Valencia, Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinan
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
The World Cup 2022 schedule is locked in and there is so much to look forward to ahead of the tournament in Qatar in November and December, as it is officially underway!
[ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ]
From the USMNT facing England the day after Thanksgiving to Mexico and Argentina squaring off in the group stages, Spain facing Germany, and Belgium vs Canada, there are plenty of intriguing games in the opening round.
[ MORE: World Cup rosters for all 32 teams ]
Then we have the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final to look forward to. Bring. It. On.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Below is the schedule in full, details on how to watch the games and everything else you need..
[ MORE: World Cup odds ]
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
Recap/highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
November, 21: Senegal vs Netherlands – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
November, 25: Qatar vs Senegal – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 8am
November, 25: Netherlands vs Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 11am
November, 29: Netherlands vs Qatar – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 10am
November, 29: Ecuador vs Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
November, 21: England vs Iran – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
November, 21: USA vs Wales- Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
November, 25: England vs USA – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
November, 25: Wales vs Iran – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 5am
November, 29: Wales vs England – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
November, 29: Iran vs USA – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
November, 22: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 5am
November, 22: Mexico vs Poland – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
November, 26: Argentina vs Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
November, 26: Poland vs Saudi Arabia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
November, 30: Poland vs Argentina – Stadium 974, Doha – 2pm
November, 30: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
November, 22: France vs Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 2pm
November, 22: Denmark vs Tunisia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
November, 26: France vs Denmark – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
November, 26: Tunisia vs Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 5am
November, 30: Tunisia vs France – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
November, 30: Australia vs Denmark – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 10am
November, 23: Spain vs Costa Rica- Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 11am
November, 23: Germany vs Japan – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
November, 27: Spain vs Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
November, 27: Japan vs Costa Rica – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 5am
December, 1: Japan vs Spain – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
December, 1: Costa Rica vs Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
November, 23: Belgium vs Canada – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
November, 23: Morocco vs Croatia – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
November, 27: Belgium vs Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 8am
November, 27: Croatia vs Canada – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 11am
December, 1: Croatia vs Belgium – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
December, 1: Canada vs Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 10am
November, 24: Brazil vs Serbia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
November, 24: Switzerland vs Cameroon – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 5am
November, 28: Brazil vs Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
November, 28: Cameroon vs Serbia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 5am
December, 2: Cameroon vs Brazil – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
December, 2: Serbia vs Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha – 2pm
November, 24: Portugal vs Ghana – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
November, 24: Uruguay vs South Korea – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
November, 28: Portugal vs Uruguay – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
November, 28: South Korea vs Ghana – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 8am
December, 2: South Korea vs Portugal – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
December, 2: Ghana vs Uruguay – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 10am
Match 49 – December, 3: Winner Group A vs Runners up Group B – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 50 – December, 3: Winners Group C vs Runners up Group D – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Match 52 -December, 4: Winners Group D vs Runners up Group C – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha – 10am
Match 51 – December, 4: Winners Group B vs Runners up Group A – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 53 -December, 5: Winners Group E vs Runners up Group F – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah – 10am
Match 54 – December, 5: Winners Group G vs Runners up Group H – Stadium 974, Doha – 2pm
Match 55 – December, 6: Winners Group F vs Runners up Group E – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 56 – December, 6: Winners Group H vs Runners up Group G – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Match 58 – December, 9: Winners Match 53 vs Winners Match 54 – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 57 – December, 9: Winners Match 49 vs Winners Match 50 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
Match 60 – December, 10: Winners Match 55 vs Winners Match 56 – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha – 10am
Match 59 – December, 10: Winners Match 51 vs Winners Match 52 – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 61 – December, 13: Winners Match 57 vs Winners Match 58 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Match 62 – December, 14: Winners Match 59 vs Winners Match 60 – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 63 – December, 17: Losers Match 61 vs Losers Match 62 – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Match 64 – December, 18: Winners Match 61 vs Winners Match 62 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
Ecuador eased past hosts Qatar to win the opening game of the 2022 World Cup and put themselves in a very promising position in Group A.
WATCH FULL MATCH REPLAY
It is the first time in World Cup history that a host nation has lost its opening game and Qatar were outclassed throughout, as the 12-year wait to welcome the world seemed to get the best of their players as the team froze.
After having an early goal ruled out by VAR for a marginal, and somewhat bizarre, offside, Enner Valencia slotted home a penalty kick and sent home a header in the first half to give Ecuador a commanding lead.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Ecuador’s captain became their all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup in the process.
La Tri never looked under pressure, although Qatar did have a big chance at the end of the first half but Almoez Ali put a free header wide from six yards out.
[ MORE: Latest Group A standings, schedule, scores ]
The victory gets Ecuador off and running with three points on the board as they face the Netherlands next in Group A on Friday. Qatar have it all to do as they face reigning African champs Senegal (sans Sadio Mane) on the same day.
Everything about this was one-sided. Qatar looked nervous from the start and Ecuador latched onto that indecisiveness and were absolutely ruthless. Ecuador kept things very simple and got crosses into the box and sprung into life when they won the ball back and had real quality with their passing and runs.
Enner Valencia, 33, has been incredible for Fenerbahce this season, scoring 13 goals in 12 appearances to lead the goalscoring charts in Turkey’s top-flight. He provided a cutting edge in the final third and Ecuador’s entire team is set up to counter and try to find Valencia early. They will hope the knee injury he picked up in the first half and tried to run off isn’t too serious as he holds the key to them picking up points against Senegal and the Netherlands to try and get into the last 16. As for Qatar, they have a huge uphill task to get out of the group and it looks like the hosts will be heading out early.
🔥 What a finish from Enner Valencia!
He has 13 goals in 12 appearances for Fenerbahce in Turkey’s top-flight this season…
And now he has 2 goals in the first 31 minutes of the World Cup! #QAT 0-2 #ECU #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Wlr3Z1FOXo
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 20, 2022
Enner Valencia: His two goals and a classy display up top made the difference. He’s the talisman for Ecuador and the team is set up to find him on the counter.
Angelo Preciado: Fine assists for Valencia’s second goal and the right back was excellent as he pushed forward time and time again.
Kick off: 11am ET, Sunday
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
😎 AHORA SÍ, ¡GOL DE #ECU!
⚽️ @EnnerValencia14 cobra de extraordinaria la pena máxima y ya lo gana @LaTri en la @FIFAWorldCup 🏆
🎥 ¡Revive la anotación aquí! ⬇️
📺 Telemundo la casa de la Copa Mundial #Qatar2022#MundialTelemundo #ElMundialLoEsTodo #QATvsECU pic.twitter.com/DUSXavlDZD
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) November 20, 2022
Ecuador thought they scored the first goal of the #FIFAWorldCup…
but it was disallowed for offside.
🎥: @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/dNYkTI7N86
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 20, 2022
Qatar have been led by Spanish coach Felix Sanchez since 2017 and their entire squad plays in the domestic league. This is a tight-knit group and five of their World Cup squad have over 100 caps, as they are primed and ready for a first-ever World Cup appearance. Qatar’s captain Hassan Al Haydos has an incredible 169 caps to his name and the Al Saad star has 36 goals at international level. Almoez Ali and Akram Afif are also dangerous up top, while Abdulaziz Hatem is a star in midfield.
📄 Starting XI for our 🇶🇦 national team in tonight’s #FIFAWorldCup opener against Ecuador
All the best to #AlAnnabi! 💪 #AllForAlAnnabi #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/pte0mEVSCE
— Qatar Football Association (@QFA_EN) November 20, 2022
For Ecuador, the young aforementioned group are extremely talented but Enner Valencia is La Tri’s main man. He’s scored 35 goals in 74 outings and he’s having a sensational season with Turkish giants Fenerbahce as he’s scored 13 goals in 12 league games. To get out of World Cup qualifying in South America is a huge achievement and Ecuador should not be underestimated. Young forward Gonzalo Plata is also a player to watch out for. They reached the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup and have qualified for four of the last six tournaments.
🔥 ¡Alineación de #LaTri!
🆚 Qatar
🏟 Estadio Al Bayt
🗓 Fecha # 1
🕚 11h00 (ECU)
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup #HaremosHistoria🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/8cJexKoaQz
— La Tri 🇪🇨 (@LaTri) November 20, 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: 50
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 0
How they qualified: As hosts
Coach: Felix Sanchez
Key players: Abdelkarim Hassan, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos
Current FIFA world ranking: 44
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 3
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (4th place)
Coach: Gustavo Alfaro
Key players: Enner Valencia, Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinan
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
Morocco vs Croatia: How to watch live, stream link, team news – NBC Sports
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