FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Can the hosts reach the knockout stages?

Although they came close to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, this is the first time that the Qatar national team have qualified for football's biggest competition, but that doesn't mean other teams should be taking them lightly. A dominant Asian Cup victory in 2019 saw them win all seven games in their campaign and only concede one goal, beating fellow World Cup qualifiers Japan 3-1 in the final. Expectations at home are high.

"They won the Asian Cup. They also came third at the Arab Cup as well," explained Aaron Fernandez, fan leader for Qatar at 'Road to 2022".

"Now, being the host nation for this FIFA World Cup, I'm sure they have the advantage of the home fans. The pitches over here and the preparations for the tournament have been brilliant. And with this young squad they have, I think they'll go on to the later stages of the tournament."

Qatar's group games/route to Lusail

Three teams from three continents are standing in the way of Qatar and a spot in the knockout stages. The Netherlands are appearing in a World Cup for the first time since 2014 and will provide a stern test for the hosts. Superstars of the game such as Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Frenkie De Jong will all be making their first appearance at a World Cup.

Another team posing a big challenge for Qatar in this group are the Africa Cup of Nations champions, Senegal. Some consider them a dark horse for this tournament because they have players from some of Europe's top leagues. Their captain, Koulidou Koulibaly, made a big-money move to join Chelsea after eight impressive seasons at Italian side Napoli. And, of course, their star goalscorer is Bayern Munich's Sadio Mané. He is fresh on the scene in Germany after a €40million move from