As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar fast approaches, national teams have been playing their final games ahead of the showpiece tournament, presenting us with an ideal opportunity to evaluate their form. Just to make things even more interesting, some of the favourites have been looking rather dodgy of late, suggesting they could set to struggle and fall victim to upsets.

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Just a few months ago, France and England were amongst the leading candidates to lift the iconic golden trophy, although following a string of disappointing results, it seems that oddsmakers are beginning to rethink their possibilities. Both nations are blessed with an abundance of talented players, yet for some reason, things just aren’t going their way.

The Evisceration of England

When the draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was held in April this year, England were on the back of an impressive 22-game unbeaten run, one that stretched back to November 2020. This undoubtedly gave bookmakers cause for optimism, despite the national team having failed to win the World Cup since 1966, when the tournament itself was hosted by the English.

But once the UEFA Nations League campaign began in June, form and fortunes would take a dramatic turn for the worse. England suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat away in Hungary, then followed that up with a 1-1 draw in Germany. Held 0-0 by Italy in their first home game, the Three Lions were clearly struggling, yet hope remained with three games remaining.

Nevertheless, all those hopes were immediately and emphatically dashed by Hungary, who proceeded to thrash an utterly stunned England side on their own home turf, securing a remarkable and historic 4-0 win at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. This inevitably led to massive criticism of the team and head coach Gareth Southgate.

The disappointment continued when England were beaten 1-0 by Italy, during a match which did little to inspire at the San Siro in Milan, where the Three Lions were left mewling rather than roaring. Their final test came against Germany, who stormed into a two-goal lead at Wembley, before England improved in the second half, earning a thrilling 3-3 draw in the end.

The Fall of France

Suffering similar struggles to their neighbours across the English Channel, the UEFA Nations League campaign for France has fared little better. Since winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in 2018, the French team had remained largely impressive, losing just 3 times in 43 matches. This included an unbeaten run of 20 games before the 2022 World Cup draw.

The first UEFA Nations League upset came when they were beaten by 2-1 at home by Denmark. Even though Karim Benzema had given them the lead, Andreas Cornelius emerged to steal the show for the Danes, bagging himself an excellent brace of goals, which also secured the visitors an important and memorable victory.

The frustrations were also set to continue for Les Bleus on the road, held 1-1 in Croatia and then 1-1 away against Austria, before they would have the chance to recoup and recover back at home. Nevertheless, lamentations for the French would persist, beaten 1-0 at the Stade de France by an impressive Croatia side, who had finished runners-up at the 2018 World Cup.

After a solid 2-0 win against Austria at home appeared to restore much-needed moral, the French once again found themselves on the receiving end of another Danish raid. In fact, the Danes eased to victory against France, winning by a comfortable 2-0 margin. This led to uproar in the French media, who now predict disaster for their national team in Qatar.

Plenty of Potential Upsets

Following such a string of disappointing displays, the ambitions of both England and France are now being questioned, amidst fears these two powerful football nations could flop at the 2022 World Cup. Much better is clearly expected of both teams, heading into the tournament.

On paper, they are expected to qualify from their groups with little difficulty, although given recent results, even that could ultimately prove doubtful. Fans will now be watching with increased interest, amidst the possibility of David vs. Goliath defeats, particularly given the supposedly weaker opposition they will face.

Group B will see England take on Wales, Iran, and the United States; all of whom will be buoyed by the recently poor form of their strongest rival. Likewise in Group D, the current fortunes of the French could serve as inspiration; Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia will all be looking to benefit. It could get very uncomfortable for the English and the French in Qatar…