TEAMS
GAMES
PLAYERS

Every World Cup Game, Ranked

By Akiva Wienerkur   November 15, 2022 

Every World Cup Game, Ranked

I hesitate to call this World Cup normal, but this is the last traditional 32 team World Cup before they expand to 48 teams. With apologies to Italy, this tournament has virtually every world soccer power, the three greatest players of this generation, Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar, and a wide open draw, with at least a dozen teams harboring legitimate title aspirations. 

Here are all 48 group stage games, ranked from best to worst:

  1. Spain vs. Germany
    The 2010 champions and the 2014 champions are both coming off a bitterly disappointing 2018 World Cup. 
  2. France vs. Denmark
    These teams played a brutal 0-0 draw in the final group match of 2018 that allowed both teams to advance, but was referred to as “a travesty” by the media. This time they will play in the second match, which should open things up. 
  3. Croatia vs. Belgium
    The second and third place teams from the 2018 World Cup are drawn into the same group. 
  4. Brazil vs. Switzerland
    Their 1-1 draw in group play in 2018 was the only time this century a team has both scored AND gotten a point off Brazil in a group stage game. 
  5. Brazil vs. Serbia
    Brazil beat Serbia 2-0 in group play in 2018. 
  6. Argentina vs. Mexico
    Argentina knocked out Mexico in the round of 16 in 2006 and 2010. 
  7. England vs. United States
    When these teams played in 2010, an all-time goalkeeper howler by England’s Rob Green gave the U.S. a 1-1 draw. 
  8.  Portugal vs. Ghana
    Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 in 2014 group play, a result that ultimately knocked both teams out of the tournament. 
  9. Serbia vs. Switzerland
    With Brazil seemingly unbeatable in group play, this should be for the second spot in the group, as it was in 2018, when a 90th minute Shaqiri goal gave Switzerland the 2-1 win. 
  10. Portugal vs, Uruguay
    This was a group of 16 matchup in 2018, with Edinson Cavani scoring 2 goals as Uruguay beat Portugal 2-1. 
  11. Belgium vs. Canada
    The first chance for the world to see Canada, who topped CONCACAF qualifying and is in the World Cup for the first time since 1986. 
  12. Germany vs. Japan
    Japan has not allowed a goal in its last five matches. 
  13. Argentina vs. Poland
    Considering Mexico, which has made the round of 16 seven straight times, will be playing Saudi Arabia concurrently, this match could be do-or-die for both teams. 
  14. Ghana vs. Uruguay
    The last time these teams played, they played in one of the most iconic World Cup games of this century, a 2010 quarter final match marred by Luis Suarez’s handball penalty.
  1. United States vs. Wales
    The loser of this match will need a result against England to have any hope of advancing.
  2. Netherlands vs. Senegal
    Likely the two best teams in Group A, the group winner could have a relatively easy round of 16 draw against Wales/U.S./Iran. 
  3. Brazil vs. Cameroon
    Brazil has scored 20 goals and allowed 2 in six previous games against African teams at the World Cup.
  4. Spain vs. Costa Rica
    No team has had worse draw luck than Costa Rica, which has found itself with Italy, England, and Uruguay in 2014 (it won the group), and then with Brazil, Serbia, and Switzerland in 2018. We should know by the end of this game if we’re getting the 2014 or 2018 Ticos.
  5. Croatia vs. Canada
    Croatia won six games at the last World Cup. Canada is still looking for its first ever World Cup win. 
  6. South Korea vs. Portugal
    South Korea beat Luis Figo’s Portugal squad at home in 2002 en route to its stunning run to the semifinal. 
  7. Mexico vs. Poland
    Mexico has taken down a European team (Germany, Francem, Croatia) at each of the past three World Cups. 
  8. Spain vs, Japan
    Japan has never been past the round of 16. Spain’s only time getting beyond the round of 16 in their last four World Cups was in 2010, when they won the whole thing. 
  9. England vs. Wales
    Wales has 21 players playing in the English Football League. 
  10. Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia
    Potential to see an all-time Messi performance. 
  11. Germany vs. Costa Rica
    A pair of teams that went from euphoria in 2014 to bottom of their groups in 2018. 
  12. South Korea vs. Ghana
    No group has a more eclectic group of teams than Group H with Portugal, South Korea, Ghana,  and Uruguay.
  13. United States vs. Iran
    Iran’s first ever World Cup victory came against the U.S. in 1998.
Christian Pulisic (10) tries to pump up the fans before a corner kick against El Salvador in the second half of their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Christian Pulisic (10) tries to pump up the fans before a corner kick against El Salvador in the second half of their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Syndication The Columbus Dispatch
  1. Cameroon vs. Serbia
    Cameroon’s only win over a European team at the World Cup came against Romania in 1990. 
  2. Tunisia vs. France
    Tunisia snapped a 13 game winless streak at the World Cup by winning its final game in 2018, a 2-1 victory over Panama. 
  3. Belgium vs. Morocco
    Belgium has run the table in the last two group stages, scoring 13 goals and conceding 3. 
  4. France vs. Australia
    All three goals were scored via penalty or own goal, when these teams played their opening match of the 2018 World Cup against each other, a 2-1 France win. 
  5. Uruguay vs. South Korea
    These teams last played at the 1990 World Cup, when Daniel Fonseca’s 90th minute header gave Uruguay the 1-0 win. 
  6. Canada vs. Morocco
    Morocco’s only game against a CONCACAF side recently was a 3-0 loss to the U.S. in a June friendly in Cincinnati. 
Oct 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canada midfielder Alphonso Davies (12) controls a ball during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League soccer match against the USA at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canada midfielder Alphonso Davies (12) controls a ball during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League soccer match against the USA at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
  1. Australia vs. Denmark
    These teams drew 1-1 in 2018 group play. 
  2. England vs. Iran
    Iran is 0-6-2 against European teams at the World Cup. 
  3. Switzerland vs. Cameroon
    Cameroon brings a seven game World Cup losing streak into their opening game. 
  4. Netherlands vs. Ecuador
    Ecuador has had some success against European sides in its last three World Cups, beating Poland and Croatia and drawing France. 
  5. Morocco vs. Croatia
    The last time Morocco made it out of the group stage was 1986. They lost to West Germany and Croatia was still part of Yugoslavia. 
  6. Japan vs. Costa Rica
    Japan enters this tournament having won just one of its last eight World Cup games while Costa Rica has a six game winless streak.
  7. Denmark vs. Tunisia
    France, Denmark, and Tunisia are both together in a group for the second straight time, with Tunisia taking the place of Peru. 
  8. Qatar vs. Ecuador
    The first of the 64 games to be played in the next month is arguably the least interesting game on paper, but it will be worth seeing how the home country’s debut goes. 
  9. Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico
    Morocco beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 last December. 
  10. Ecuador vs. Senegal
    Senegal played well at the 2018 World Cup but lost out on the round of 16 on a tiebreaker that came down to fair play points. 
  11. Wales vs. Iran
    Arguably Wales’ best chance at its first World Cup win since 1958. 
  12. Tunisia vs. Australia
    This is Tunisia’s sixth attempt to get out of the group stage. Australia has gotten out of the group once in five tries. 
  13. Qatar vs. Senegal
    All 26 of Qatar’s players play domestically. None of Senegal’s 26 players play domestically. 
  14. Netherlands vs. Qatar
    Qatar could be rooting for the Netherlands to win its first two games, so it has its foot off the gas for this match. 
  15. Poland vs. Saudi Arabia
    Neither team has ever advanced out of the group stage in the modern, four team per group, format. 

Top FIFA World Cup 2022 Sportsbooks by Sidelines

1 DraftKings Sportsbook Review
Bet $5 And Win $200 In Free Bets If Your First Moneyline Bet Wins
Get Bonus
2 FanDuel Sportsbook Review
Welcome Offer: Up To $1000 In Free Bets
Get Bonus
3 PointsBet Sportsbook Review
4 X $200 Free Bets
Get Bonus

Share this story

Read more