It’s crazy that this World Cup will be taking place in November. This is the first World Cup ever to take place in the months of November and December. Why so late in the year? Well, the COVID pandemic delaying a lot of athletic events could have a lot to do with it. But I feel it has more to do about the weather. With the average maximum temperatures in June, July and August being above 40 Celsius, it’s no wonder this desert climate would have the World Cup put on hold until November with an average maximum just being under 30 Celsius and a December maximum average just under 25. Which makes pure sense.

Now my next group of focus is Group C. With two of the teams being in FIFA’s Top 15, many think the two qualifiers to the knockout stage are the most obvious, but anything is possible in football. Favorites can be surprised in the end and team you thought we long shots actually get in. So here’s my run-down:

-Argentina (3): Even though Argentina has a lot of top calibre players over the years, all the attention seems to be focused on Lionel Messi. It’s always been about how a major championship has always stood in his way. He missed the World Cup by that much. He missed the Copa America by that much. When will he win one? He and his Argentinean teammates finally won a Copa America last year! As well as a CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions back in June.

Joining Messi in his fifth pursuit of a World Cup is star midfielder Angel Di Maria and defender Nicolas Otamendi who also rank in Argentina’s ten most capped players ever. The Albiceleste has a lot of seasoned veterans and has included some new young blood as part of their lineup for Qatar. Argentina has a history of firing coaches after the World Cup. Since World Cup 2018, the team has been coached by Lionel Scaloni who actually played on the very first World Cup team for Argentina that Messi played for: 2006! Since the Copa America, Argentina have not had a loss. They’ve had notable wins against Brazil, Chile and Italy, and draws against Ecuador and Paraguay. They come to Qatar as the team most expected to win and Messi’s last chance for a World Cup. Their moment is theirs to prove.

-Saudi Arabia (51): This is Saudi Arabia’s sixth World Cup appearance. Their best-ever result is a Round-of-Sixteen finish in the 1994 World Cup. Most recently in 2019, they were runners-up in the Arabian Gulf Cup. Expectations are not high for Saudi Arabia, but one advantage they have over most other teams is that they’re best conditioned in playing in desert climates. That’s an advantage that could pay off unexpectedly.

The Green Falcons are an interesting lineup. The Saudi team will often be coached by a foreign coach while the players won’t be allowed to play for foreign teams. The coach is currently Frenchman Herve Renard. The team has racked up recent wins against North Macedonia and Iceland, draws against United States, Ecuador and Australia, and losses against Colombia and Japan. Qatar is another chance to prove that they have what it takes.

-Mexico (13): Mexico is commonly seen as a sleeping giant. They’re a team capable of going far, but waiting for their World Cup moment. Only once did they ever win a knockout round game at the World Cup and that was back in 1986 when they hosted! They’ve all lost out in the Round-of-Sixteen these past seven World Cups. Since Russia 2018, they’ve won the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and were runners-up to the US in 2021. They look forward to being co-hosts with the United hosting in 2026. However they come looking for glory here in Qatar.

The current Mexican team play in a mix of clubs in Mexico, Europe and the United States. Their coach is an Argentinean: Gerardo Martino. This should be interesting when El Tri play Argentina. Recently they acquired wins against Peru, Nigeria and Jamaica. They’ve also drawn against Ecuador, Costa Rica and the United States. They’ve also endured losses this year to Uruguay and Colombia. 2022 could be the year Mexico takes their team in a new direction.

-Poland (26): This century, Poland has been known as a team to blow a lot of their chances. At the 2002 World Cup, they were expected to go far, but lost out in the group stage. They made it to the quarterfinals of Euro 2016 and expectations were big for them at World Cup 2018, but again they were ousted in the group stage. Bad luck continued as they wer out in the group stage of Euro 2020.

Robert Lewandowski is the captain of the team. Already he holds the team records for most caps and most goals. Joining him will be star defender Kamil Glik and top midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak. Since their Euro 2020 disappointment, they’ve been coached by Czeslaw Michniewicz. Since Euro 2020, they’ve had notable wins against Wales and Sweden, draws against the Netherlands and Scotland, and notable losses against Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary. 2022 is a chance to go beyond expectations.

MY PREDICTION: And now that moment where I will have to do the eventual. And that’s make two predictions for the teams that will advance to the knockout stage. I believe it to be Argentina and Mexico.

And there you have it. My review and predictions for Group C. Hard to believe it will all start in 12 days. The excitement never dies, does it?