What Next After the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
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Undoubtedly, 2022 was home to the greatest ever World Cup tournaments ever hosted by this current generation. The Qatar World Cup has created a legacy that will be hard to emulate and signed off with many football fans' desired ending - Messi and Argentina lifting the trophy in an enthralling final against France.
The tournament allowed underdog nations to showcase their talents on the world stage, with teams like Morocco and Croatia defying many odds. It also saw the top teams such as Spain, Germany, Portugal and England underperforming despite having the luxury of world-class players at their disposal. The rise of Japan certainly captured many people's eyes, it was an unfortunate penalty shootout exit against Croatia that ended their tournament but their overall football beating both Germany and Spain shocked the world.
It is fair to say this world cup produced many competitive teams which made matches for both supporters of the nations and neutrals an exciting watch. This has also provided nations such as Japan and Morocco a platform to improve their own strengths in for the next World Cup in 2026. If both teams qualify, it won't be a shock if they manage to go deep into the tournament. Croatia, their squad is considerably ageing, with the Maestro Luka Modric no longer playing at World Cups the next tournament may prove to be difficult without their star man however Croatia do love proving people wrong as seen in the 2018 and 2022 world cups.
Big teams such as Spain and England should realistically be on the rise for the next tournament due to their youth players beginning to blossom on the highest stage. Spain has the midfield of Pedri and Gavi, and England has, Foden, Rashford, Bellingham, Saka and many more exciting prospects. Portugal also has abundant talent at their disposal and should have matured their game in time for the next world cup as they, along with the other European teams, have a European Championship in 2024. However, talking about Portugal, you must mention Cristiano Ronaldo - it is yet to remain known whether he will be at the 2024 Euros let alone the 2026 world cup with talks regarding his future scheduled with the newly appointed Portugal coach Roberto Martinez.
Brazil's national team are another youthful squad with promising talents in every department of the field. Like Portugal and Cristiano, its Brazil and Neymar Jr. He has previously said this could be his last World Cup and after a shock exit versus Croatia in 2022 it remains to be seen whether he follows through with his statement. But many neutrals adore Brazil for Neymar's Joga Bonito and it would be a shame to not see him partake in the next tournament as he will only be 34.
These are only a small handful of the teams that could come strong in their next tournaments, however, it remains yet to be seen whether they will even qualify for the next world cup as upsets could even happen during the qualifying stage (seen with Italy both in 2018 and 2022).
For now, club football has resumed and it is a chance for players who did not get a call-up for their national teams to showcase their talents at the club level. But is also a chance for returning world cup players to use their sharpness and have a great season. A great example currently is Marcus Rashford who has scored in every game since the restart and has become a player many defenders are afraid to face.
Overall it is clear to see that the rise of 'smaller' nations will be the new trend in these international tournaments and I am sure that the next world cup will have its fair share of upsets and turns that will provide an amazing spectacle for all supporters of football.
