With 29 of the 32 teams already qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a draw will be held this Friday in Doha to determine the eight groups of four countries each with all participants and the remaining three tickets placed in 4 Pots according to FIFA rankings.
The United States and Mexico officially got the ticket last Wednesday and after that it was confirmed this Thursday that both teams will be in Pot 2.
Who cannot be Mexico’s and USA’s opponents?
Due to different rules, Mexico and the United States have two major restrictions on their opponents in the draw.
The first is that they cannot face the other six teams that make up Pot 2, which are:
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Croatia
- Uruguay
The second is that they can’t be with another CONCACAF country, so they can’t be together and also can’t face:
- Canada
- The winner of the intercontinental playoff between Costa Rica and New Zealand
Best-case scenario for the United States and Mexico
Like all Pot 2 teams, the desire is not to face a major power in Pot 1 where they are
- Qatar
- Belgium
- Brazil
- France
- Argentina
- England
- Spain
- Portugal
So clearly of these opponents, the weakest by far in the host Qatar, this makes them no longer able to repeat with an AFC (Asian) opponent, with that in mind, the Pot 3 options are:
- Senegal
- Morocco
- Serbia
- Poland
- Tunisia
Discarding the two European rivals, in this case it would be any of the three remaining Africans, a priori, the weakest by FIFA ranking is Tunisia.
Finally, in Pot 4, since each group must have at least one European team, the only remaining option would be the winner of the UEFA playoff between Ukraine, Scotland and Wales (it is not yet known which team will get that ticket).
Thus, the ideal group for Mexico and the United States would be:
- Qatar
- Mexico/USA
- Tunisia
- Ukraine/Scotland/Wales
Marca
