Following the most recent series of international games, numerous Blues have already secured a spot at Qatar’s table for next winter. The Blues’ players who might participate in the Qatar World Cup in 2022 are listed below.
N’Golo Kante (France):
The world champions had to qualify through the group stage as the holders were no longer guaranteed a chance to defend their title. Kante earned his first start since Euro 2020 due to injury in the pivotal 8-0 hammering of Kazakhstan at the Stade de France, and the French have done so with a game to spare. France will be amongst the favorites with this year’s World Cup, and Betway have them priced at 6/1 to defend their title.
Thiago Silva (Brazil):
When Thiago Silva led Brazil to a 1-0 win against Colombia in November, they qualified with six games to spare. They qualified for the World Cup with a top-of-the-table finish, six points ahead of second-placed Argentina and a 21-point cushion for automatic qualifying following a strong season in which they were unbeaten and surrendered only five goals in 17 games.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium):
Romelu Lukaku was injured during the November international break, when Belgium clinched their participation in the World Cup with a 3-1 home win over Estonia to lead Group E. Lukaku scored five goals to become the group’s top scorer and help Belgium finish with six victories from eight games, ensuring their qualifying.
Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher, Reece James, and Mason Mount (England):
All four Blues were part of the highest-scoring squad in the European qualification’s group stage, with Mount and Chilwell adding to the total of 39 goals in ten games. With an impressive 10-0 win over San Marino in their last game — Gallagher’s senior international debut – the Three Lions officially clinched their berth at the World Cup.
Kai Havertz, Antonio Rudiger, Timo Werner (Germany):
The Germans, who finished nine points clear at the top of Group J, became the first team to qualify for the World Cup after a strong campaign. They clinched their place in the tournament in October when Havertz scored the opening goal and Timo Werner added a brace in a 4-0 win in North Macedonia.
Mateo Kovacic (Croatia):
Kovacic also missed the key qualifying game, in which they beat Russia thanks to a late goal, leapfrogging their opponents to win the group by one point in the final game. Despite missing the previous two qualifiers due to injury and one more owing to suspension, the midfielder remains an important player for Croatia, having started all but one of the qualifiers he was eligible for.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain):
The top two teams in Group B squared off in the final game, with Azpilicueta playing the entire 90 minutes as Spain beat Sweden 1-0 in Seville. Spain won the group with four points, having trailed Sweden by two points going into the last two games.
Andreas Christensen (Denmark):
With a 1-0 home win over Austria in October, the Danes became the second side to qualify for the World Cup, one day after Germany. Christensen only missed one game, and he played every minute of the other nine, as they finished four points ahead of their group with nine victories from ten games.
Baba Rahman (Ghana):
Baba was injured and missed Ghana’s last match, which they qualified for using the away goals rule after a 1-1 tie over two legs in the final of Africa’s knock-out qualification process. He did, however, start five of their six games as they finished first in their group and advanced to the next round.
Edouard Mendy (Senegal):
As Mendy became Senegal’s hero in their final qualification encounter, there was a sense of déjà vu. It went to penalties again after overcoming a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Egypt in a replay of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final. Senegal won the match for the second time in a row, with Mendy saving the game-winning penalty kick to send his country to the World Cup.
Christian Pulisic (USA):
In a suspenseful conclusion to the CONCACAF league format, the Americans qualified. Following a 0-0 draw with Mexico, the USA’s 5-1 win over Panama – highlighted by Pulisic’s first international hat-trick – effectively sealed their qualification, though a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica in their final game meant they finished level on points with their opponents, qualifying in third place due to their superior goal difference.