Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle are likely to become household names in the next few weeks, as the 23^rd edition of the Fifa World Cup takes place in North America. These characters have been chosen as the official mascots of the event, with the competition having not one, not two but three hosts for this specific tournament. With a record number of 48 teams qualifying for the finals itself the decision to expand the venues across the continent is an ambitious one, and time will tell if this experiment was a success. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver will be the representatives for Maple and his friends, whilst Zayu will be regularly seen in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

The largest slice of the World Cup pie unsurprisingly goes to the USA, where 11 cities boast hosting rights. (Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle). Clutch the Bald Eagle will have a very hectic workload during the 34-day bonanza.

However, the build up to the event has not gone as well as Fifa would have liked, after several controversies have circulated in the World Press as the tournament draws near. Firstly, ticket prices are outrageous and have priced many genuine football fans out of the market. Also, the allocation of tickets has been so shambolic at some of the American venues, that it has led to New York/New Jersey announcing that they have subpoenaed Fifa with regards to their ticket practices. Other cities are watching closely and could follow suit.

On top of that, supporters from some countries have had visas denied and with the Ebola outbreak in Africa several teams have been threatened with two weeks quarantine prior to the start of the event. The Fifa Peace Prize given to Donald Trump received a massive “thumbs down” from many parts of the world, but the football organization’s biggest “faux pas” was deciding June 26^th in Seattle would be the game to show inclusivity to the LGBTQ community.

This game was earmarked before the World Cup draw and to the horror of Fifa representatives the match will be played between Egypt and Iran, two countries that recognise homosexuality as a criminal act. Expect this story to get more attention as the game draws near because both Egypt and Iran are furious that this sideshow to their game is being allowed to go ahead. The draw itself pitched up some interesting encounters. Group A will be contested between Mexico, South Africa, Korea and the Czech Republic. It is arguably the most competitive of the 12.

A large contingent of the Mexican squad play in Europe and many fans will be familiar with Álvaro Fidalgo (Betis) and Raul Jiménez (Fulham). A suprise selection is the former Malaga and Granada goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The 40-year-old who now plies his trade in Cyprus with AEL Limassol first made his debut in 2005 for the national team, and though he is unlikely to start, he will add some much needed experience to the squad.

South Africa rely mainly on players who are affiliated with clubs in their country. 19 of the squad are home based whilst a Limassol team mate of Ochoa, Thapelo Maseko is also part of the group. Burnley striker Lyle Foster will be hoping for a better international campaign than this season’s domestic one. Korea are a very skilful outfit but may struggle against the physical presence of the other three teams. Former Valencia favourite Kang-in Lee will orchestrate the midfield for his team and Son Heung-Min could be one of the players of the tournament, if the Asians do fire.

The rugged Czech Republic complete the group. The experienced Tomáš Souček has made the cut and he could link up with his former West Ham team mate Vladimír Coufal as part of the spine of the Eastern Europeans. Group B teams are Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovia, Qatar and Switzerland. Maple’s men have a great chance of advancing past the group stages and Alfonso Davies and Jonathan David will be key players in their quest for glory.

Bosnia-Herzogova are not here to just make the numbers and they showed how dangerous they can be by knocking out Italy in the play offs. Scattered all round Europe for their domestic football, the evergreen Edin Džeko (now at Schalke) will be relied on heavily for goals. Qatar are an unknown quantity in many ways but their own league has improved drastically in recent years and they have an equal chance of progressing further in the competition. Julen Lopetegui will lead the Qatar charge.

Finally, Switzerland, in Granit Xhaki they have a match winner who has had an outstanding season with Sunderland. Ruben Vargas of Sevilla and Ricardo Rodriguez of city neighbours Real Betis add experience to the squad. Unforunately, Rennes striker Breel Embolo was denied boarding to the plane carrying the Swiss team flying over the Atlantic, and now faces a race against time and a sympathetic USA Customs in order to join up with his team mates.

One of the bookies favourites for the tournament Brazil top Group C expectations. Carlo Ancelotti is a winner and knows two of his key players Vini Jr and Rodrygo from his Real Madrid days. He could find no room for Chelsea’s João Pedro in the squad, instead opting for Neymar Jr. A huge call by Don Carlo. If the team gel well and leave their individual egos in the dressing room then they will go deep in the competition. Morocco are often underrated and African sides have done well in recent World Cups. Former Girona and Sevilla favourite Yassine Bounou is a proven goal keeper at a top level and Brahim Díaz will hope he can at least match or surpass the exploits of his Real Madrid counterparts representing Brazil.

Haiti are a bit of an unknown quantity, similar to Qatar. The national teams leading goal scorer Duckens Nazon is the one to watch. Having Scotland and its fans as part of the World Cup is always a pleasure and they have a very realistic chance of advancing past the group stage. Unfortunately for them Billy Gilmour suffered a heart-breaking injury in their warm up game with Curacao, and misses out on accomplishing his childhood dream. His Napoli team mate, Scott McTominay is likely to be the inspiration for any Scotland victories.

The next group contains USA, Paraguay, Australia and Turkey. Alex Freeman of Villarreal is likely to line up against Levante’s Mathew Ryan when USA and Australia face off. Ryan’s performances was one of the main reasons ‘Los Granotas’ maintained their La Liga status.The Australian shop stopper will have to be in the same streak of form if his country are to advance. If Turkey can find consistency, they could be a threat and in Arda Güler they have a creative genius in midfield. Valencia fans will be keen to see their former player Omar Alderete shine for Paraguay.

Another one of the pre-tournament favourites Germany are in group E along with Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The Germans have been struggling at international level of late, but the draw has been good to them and they should ease into the next phase. Curacao are side by side with Haiti in the Fifa rankings as the lowest teams in the tournament, and it will be a major achievement if they bag a point. A shoot out to join Germany in the next round should be between the Ivory Coast and Ecuador… with the African side more likely to take the spoils when the teams meet in the Philadelphia stadium on the 14^th June.

Holland also carry strong hopes of a European winner and look a well-balanced and powerful outfit on paper. Like Aldrete, the Valencia faithful will be hoping for playing time for one of their former loanees, Justin Kluivert. Japan are a skilful outfit and their match up with Holland should produce some “sexy football”. Kubo is well respected by LaLiga fans due to his performances with Real Sociedad that helped them win the Copa Del Rey this year, and the Feyenoord duo Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Ayase Ueda are players to consider for any fantasy football players looking for value for money in their squads.

Sweden had a remarkable turn of fortunes under Graham Potter to make the finals, and Tunisia will represent the African nations well, but both will need to improve on their qualifying efforts to finish in the top two. Belgium are still dangerous, but this team’s best years are probably behind them now. A third-place finish like in 2018 is not beyond them, but age and tiredness may catch up with the likes of Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku if they go deep in the tournament.

Egypt will rely heavily on Mo Salah whilst New Zealand have the Nottingham Forest striker Chris Woods as their main goal threat up front. Iran will be super keen to make an impact on American soil and stalwart Mehdi Taremi will be their main threat in his third World Cup. On the six occasions “Team Melli” have played in the event, they have yet to venture past stage one of the competition.

Spain also carry European hopes of World Cup success. Having no Real Madrid players in their squad, whilst Barcelona have eight is a staggering statistic! In Yamal, they have the most exciting young footballer on the planet and if Spain do repeat their 2010 feat he will be key to that success. Cape Verde Saudi Arabia and Uruguay look well below Spain’s standards, but it should prove an interesting tussle for the minor placings.

Cape Verde are making their first ever appearance in the World Cup and their goalkeeper Vozinha, who plays in the Portuguese second tier should see plenty of action. Saudi Arabia have focused on players who participate in their domestic league, with the only “outsider” being the Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid in the 26- man squad. The enigmatic manager Marcelo Bielso sprung a bit of a surprise by not naming Luis Suarez for Uruguay, but Fede Valverde and Darwin Núñez did get the call up and could impress at some stage. The flamboyant and fancy French are the top seeds in Group I. Laced with individuals full of flair and creativity, their games should be some of the better viewing ones.

Senegal, Iraq and Norway are likely to be fighting amongst themselves for second spot with Nicolas Jackson spearheading the Senegal attack. Ipswich forward Ali Al-Hamadi will be gracing the premiership next year if he stays in Suffolk and Manchester United youth product Zidane Iqbal is one to watch for Iraq. For Norway, Erling Haaland and Alexander Sørloth create a lethal attacking force and that duo could make the difference to see the Scandanavians progress.Whilst Argentina have Messi, they always have a chance of winning the event. A competent keeper in Emi Martinez and former Valencia players Nicholas Otamendi and Rodrigo de Paul add further pedigree.

Algeria will look to Riyad Mahrez to unlock defences and Real Madrid’s David Alaba gives a solid look to the Austrian defence. Jordan could be the whipping boys in this group and any points gained will be a bonus, as reaching the World Cup itself is a major achievement for this nation. The Portuguese will be looking to Cristiano Ronaldo to inspire his nation in the same way Messi does Argentina. Littered with individual stars like Bruno Fernandez and Bernardo Silva and with Valencia favourites João Cancelo and Gonçalo Guedes travelling across the ocean, they are dark horses to win the trophy.

They should easily see off the advances of Congo, Uzbekistan and Columbia in the first phase of the tournament. Look for the former Levante UD star Jefferson Lerma, to put in some good performances for the South Americans. In the final group, the last to start their campaign are England. Thomas Tuchel left out Harry MaGuire, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold much to the annoyance of many English fans. Very much his own man, the German coach has made a bold statement with his squad, and now he has to back that up with on field performances.

Croatia are once again going to be a potential nemesis for England, but this time at the group stage rather than in a semi-final, like 2018 in Russia. Veterans Luca Modric and Ivan Perisic will lead the line, but the Croats will need the younger members in the team to step up if they are to emulate that 2018 effort. Ghana are not to be dismissed lightly, and the Ayew brothers Andre and Jordan are capable of converting any assists from Inaki Williams. Panama are the fourth team in the group, and the other three opponents will be disappointed if they do not take maximum points off the Central Americans.

In an attempt to minimalize mind games and time wasting,  Fifa have created some additional rules for this particular event. Outfielders cannot go into the technical area if a goal keeper is getting treatment, is the first new addition.There are also five second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks, and ten seconds for substitutions. Not adhering to the latter stipulation results in a one-minute delay for the new player to enter the field of play. Furthermore, if an outfield player requires treatment, then he must leave the field of play for one minute, and with high temperatures expected there will be a water break of three minutes in each half.

Var has also been tweaked as well. It can intervene early in plays with fouls before the ball is in play for goals, penalties and disciplinary sanctions. It can also correct wrongly awarded yellow cards, corners and penalties. The final adjustment refer to discipline. Red cards will automatically be issued for a player covering his mouth in confrontational talk, and for walking off the pitch in protest.With no Paul the Octopus to predict the winners, football scholars have been analysing previous World Cups to come to their conclusions of potential victors.

Interestingly, if England do win the title they will have to break a very unusual statistic. Only managers from their own countries have ever won the cherished trophy. Will Thomas Tuchel or Carlo Ancellotti change history, or will Luis De La Fuentes or Lionel Scaloni continue to keep this quirky fact intact? On the evening of July 19^th the world will know the answer.

 Report by John Howden

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’