What group is the “Group of Death” in for the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup draw took place in Doha, Qatar today as 29 of the 32 countries involved found out who their opponents will be in the group stage. As is the case with just about every big soccer tournament, four teams were drawn into what is dubbed as the “Group of Death.”

This time around, there isn’t an obvious choice for the Group of Death, but there are two groups that stand out above the rest as a little more competitive.

Group C, consisting of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland, will be extremely competitive as the No. 4 ranked Argentinians will look to finish on top over No. 15 Mexico and No. 26 Poland.

Group E will be an exciting one as well, with No. 7 ranked Spain taking on five-time World Cup champions Germany, ranked No. 12 in the world. That group is rounded out with No. 23 Japan, and the winner of the playoff between Costa Rica and New Zealand set to take place in June.

The term “Group of Death” was originally coined by Mexican journalists during the 1970 FIFA World Cup as England, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Romania were drawn into the same group. It’s become a common term in the vernacular of soccer fans over the years, and the Group of Death generally produces some exciting and intense matches.

The label is generally given to any group that features three or more very competitive teams in a group where only two teams can advance to the knockouts. In the 2018 World Cup, there was no single clear-cut Group of Death, although a couple different groups could had been given the label by many. Group D consisted of Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria. Group F was a tricky one also, with No. 1 ranked Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea.