England will meet France in one of the four quarter-finals at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. So, what are the eight remaining teams’ best finishes at the quadrennial FIFA tournament yet?
Qatar is hosting the 22nd edition of the World Cup this winter and the first ever held in the Middle East. The event has already thrown up some surprises with Japan topping Group E and sending four-time champions Germany home. Spain also departed in the Round of 16.
Japan could have become only the ninth nation to win the World Cup had they triumphed in 2022. But the defeated 2018 finalists, Croatia, cut the Samurai Blue’s time in Qatar short in the last 16. Although four teams can still become first-time champions on December 18.
HITC Football looks at the best World Cup finish of all 2022 quarter-finalists
Only four of the eight teams to make the quarter-finals at Qatar 2022 have won the World Cup previously. Four-time champions Italy also failed to qualify after they lost 1-0 to North Macedonia in the UEFA Path C play-off semi-final. Portugal won the Path C final in March.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping Portugal can now go on to win the World Cup for the first time in 2022. The Selecao have reached the last eight after thrashing Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16. Fernando Santos’ side had also topped Group H with two wins to one defeat.
Croatia will also be hoping to go one better than at Russia 2018 and lift the golden gong in 2022. Vatreni, alongside the Netherlands, Morocco and Portugal, are yet to win the World Cup over their previous appearances. But Croatia needed penalties to beat Japan in Qatar.
So, with that in mind, HITC Football has taken a look at the best World Cup finishes of all eight teams in the 2022 quarter-finals ahead of their encounters on December 9 and 10…
Croatia must go through the record World Cup champions, Brazil, in 2022
Croatia and Brazil meet at the Education City Stadium in the first quarter-final at the 2022 World Cup this Friday. The tie pits the defeated 2018 finalists in Vatreni against the record champions in the Selecao. But the latter has not added to their five titles in twenty years.
Brazil became the first nation to lift the trophy five times in 2002 at the first World Cup in Asia. The Selecao beat Germany in the final for the first tournament to also be co-hosted in Japan and South Korea. It added to their titles at the 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994 events.
Retaining the title in 1962 after triumphing in 1958 also saw Brazil become the second side to retain the trophy. Only Italy in 1934 and 1938 had previously won back-to-back World Cup titles. No nation has also done so since Brazil achieved the feet 60 years ago in Chile.
Croatia, on the other hand, achieved their best finish at the World Cup by finishing second in 2018. Vatreni had never previously reached the final of the FIFA tournament across their four prior appearances. Their previous best result came on debut in 1998 with third place.
The Netherlands must go through Argentina to finally win the World Cup title
The Netherlands are the greatest nation to compete at the World Cup to never win a title to date. Oranje have produced some of the game’s greatest players like Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard but have often fallen short.
In fact, no country has lost more finals yet than the Netherlands – with the 2022 quarter-finalists achieving their best finish of second in 1974, 1978 and 2010. Oranje also finished third in 2014 and fourth in 1998. Yet the Dutch failed to even qualify for the 2018 edition.
Argentina now stand in the Netherlands’ path to finally winning the World Cup in the 2022 quarter-finals. La Albiceleste, led by Lionel Messi, are among the favourites to win it all in Qatar. But the South Americans have not won the title since 1986 and triumphed in 1978.
Morocco and Portugal are both targeting their maiden FIFA title at Qatar 2022
Neither of Morocco nor Portugal has yet won a World Cup but meet in the quarter-finals in 2022 hoping to achieve their best finish in Qatar. The Atlas Lions sprung a big surprise after eliminating Spain in the Round of 16. Morocco were well worth their 3-0 win on penalties.
La Roja, who won their only title in 2010, had no answers with their dominant possession to break Morocco down. Now, Portugal must try to find a way through the North Africans on Saturday, December 10. They will meet at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha at 15:00 GMT.
Morocco have now achieved their best finish at a World Cup by reaching the quarter-finals in 2022, too. The Atlas Lions had previously only advanced from their group once in 1986. But they lost in the Round of 16 between group stage exits in 1970, 1994, 1998 and 2018.
Portugal, on the other hand, have advanced from the World Cup quarter-finals twice and registered their best finish in 1966. The Selecao finished third in England on their debut at the FIFA tournament. They have only made the semi-finals once since with fourth in 2006.
England meet France in the only quarter-final between two World Cup winners
England and France meet at 19:00 GMT on Saturday, December 10 at Al Bayt Stadium. The quarter-final is the only final-eight affair between two nations whose best World Cup finish came with the title. The Three Lions won it all on home soil in 1966 for their only triumph.
France also achieved World Cup glory on home soil in 1998 to lift their maiden crown. Les Bleus have since added to their collection once after winning the title again at Russia 2018. They will now look to follow Italy and Brazil to become the third nation to retain the gong.
England reached the semi-finals in Russia before losing to Croatia and then Belgium in the third-place play-off. It was only the second time since they won their title in 1966 that the Three Lions made the semi-finals. They also finished fourth at Italia 90 with Bobby Robson.
Gareth Southgate will now hope to go one better and guide the Three Lions into the final at Qatar 2022. This winter’s edition marks the seventh time that England have competed in the quarter-finals since 1966. They lost in the last eight during 1970, 1986, 2002 and 2006.
France, meanwhile, have now competed in the quarter-finals on nine occasions. They first reached the last eight as the host nation in 1938 but lost to eventual champions Italy. They also lost to Germany in 2014 en route to Die Mannschaft’s fourth and most recent title yet.
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