England – Rank 5; Coach – Gareth Southgate: Under the supervision of head coach Southgate, England have played in the semi-finals of the last World Cup and the finals of the Euro Cup. The team has some excellent players but most of them are inexperienced on the international stage.
Strength: Under the leadership of captain Harry Kane, young players Bill Foden, Jude Bellingham, Bugayo Saga, Mason Mount are on the field. These players are known for their excellent attacking play.
Weakness: Lack of adequate defense is the weakness of England team. Harry Maguire’s poor form and Kyle Walker’s injury are the setbacks for the team.
USA – Rank 16; Coach – Greg Berhalter: Despite its dominance in various sports, the United States has not been able to compete in World Cup soccer matches. After finishing third in the 1930 World Cup, they did not progress past the pre-quarter-finals until 2002.
Strength: Christian Pulisic who plays for Chelsea in English Premier League is the best player. Midfielder Weston McKenney, defensive midfielder Taylor Adams, forward Josh Sargent and winger Timothy Wiack are the pillars.
Weakness: Lack of experience playing in big tournaments will be a factor. Most of their star players, including Pulisic, who play in European leagues, are not among their respective teams’ playing 11s.
Wales – Rank 19; Coach – Rob Page: Wales have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. The team last played in 1958. The team has proved their mettle whenever they get the chance. They surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals of the 2016 Euro Cup.
Strength: The team relies on midfielder Aaron Ramsey and striker Gareth Bale. Similarly, wingbacks Connor Roberts and Neko Williams are players who have proved their skills.
Weakness: Both Ramsey and Bale are senior players. And are often injured. They don’t have the experience to win against strong teams and the attitude to compete in big tournaments.
Iran – Rank 20; Coach – Carlos Queiroz: Iran is the first team to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Asian powerhouse Iran will often be the first team to exit the World Cup in the league stage. For the World Cup, the team is known as the ‘One Match Wonder’. I mean, if you look at the World Cup history, they have a habit of beating a formidable team in the league round.
Strength: There are 15 players with World Cup experience. Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbaksh are the strong players of the team.
Weakness: The players have split into two factions after Queiroz returned as national coach. The ongoing internal rights struggles in the country have also affected the team atmosphere.