China's 'black judge'
Although the Chinese team failed to qualify for the World Cup, there is no shortage of Chinese elements on the football field. In May this year, FIFA announced the list of Qatar World Cup referees, Ma Ning as the main referee, Shi Xiang, Cao Yi as assistant referees selected. It is understood that three Chinese referees are expected to form a referee team to call this World Cup match, which will be the first time in the men's World Cup from China.
At present, Ma Ning and three others have arrived in Doha. According to reports, all World Cup referees will accept a unified physical fitness test arranged by FIFA, physical and technical training, and will also enforce some simulated games to prepare for the World Cup.
Chinese elements and not only on the field, off the field, Mengniu, Hisense and other Chinese enterprises will once again collectively appear in the World Cup, China Railway Construction International Group Co., Ltd. built the final venue Lusel Stadium will witness the birth of the king.
Will the "Defending Champion Spell" still work?
The power of the title spell seems to go on and on. In the five World Cups held in the 21st century, four defending champions have gone out of the group. For the last three consecutive tournaments, Italy, Spain and Germany have all gone home after three group games. So eyes turned to the French team.
After all, Mbappe's predecessors have made mistakes before. In the 2002 World Cup, the defending champion France team had the "first man in football" Zidane and three of the best scorers from Serie A, Premier League and French League, and was regarded as a hot title. However, France lost its opening game to new Senegal, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, and ended in an embarrassing result with one draw, two losses and no goals.
Recently, the situation of the French team is frequent, not only in general condition, two midfielders Kante and Pogba are missing the World Cup due to injury, and before that, because of the issue of image rights, off-field events again, which has to make people knead Khan: "Gallic rooster" will repeat the mistake?
What form will the stars take?
Players missing the World Cup through injury is nothing new, but with the World Cup in Qatar just around the corner, it is rare for injuries to hit on such a scale. From Germany's Werner to France's Paul Pogba, from England's James to the Netherlands' Wijnaldum, almost every strong team has an important player saying goodbye to the World Cup ahead of time.
Because the World Cup coincides with the northern Hemisphere winter, in order to make way for the World Cup, many mainstream leagues start earlier, and the schedule of players who fight on multiple fronts is more intensive. For example, the Champions League group stage, which does not end until December in previous years, ends more than a month earlier, and high-intensity matches mean a higher risk of injury. Players such as Lukaku and Mainion have suffered repeated injuries, making many players cautious at the club in order to retain better condition until the World Cup. Can like Araujo, Vlahovic, although selected in their respective team roster, but due to injury has not participated in the club game, then can adjust to the best in time is unknown.
Of course, the 26-man roster with 3 more people than in the past and 5 replacement places in a single game more or less gave the teams a certain breathing space.
Farewell, the last 32 of the World Cup
From 2026, the World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams. Although there had been discussions about moving the expansion forward, the final 32 format was retained for the Qatar World Cup.
In 1998, the World Cup was officially increased from 24 to 32 teams. This expansion not only expands the participation, but also ensures the level of its elite competitions from the competitive level.
From 1998 to 2018, from the grudge between England and Argentina, to the crazy "4 red and 16 yellow" between Holland and Portugal, 8 groups, 64 matches, how many classics, will remain in the memory of fans. From Klose's "Kloch flip" to Van Persie's diving to the top, 32 road giants, more than 700 players, how many phantom, engraved in the hearts of fans.
In the last edition of the 32-team World Cup in Qatar, how many places will be included in the World Cup highlights?
Win the golden Cup
From the opening game to the final day, from the "tent" at the Bay Stadium to the "lantern" at the Lussel Stadium, which team can win the World Cup with seven victories? Is it the traditional tycoon who wins? Or is a "dark horse" standing out?
Compared with the past several World Cups, the Qatar World Cup did not have a leading favorite, and the teams that were favored had obvious problems. For example, Germany lacks a strong centre-forward, Spain has no absolute leader, and Belgium has an aging team. Many people are optimistic about the Brazilian team, the center back Silva is older, the two cornerbacks Sandro, Danilo ability is a little weak, in the year that the Brazilian team won the World Cup, often have Alberto, Jurkinho, Carlos such super full-back pressure.
In the clash between Europe and South America, the World Cup has gone to a European team four times in a row, and the last South American team to win the World Cup was Brazil in 2002, which happened to be held in Asia.
