On Thursday, the blue-white-red flag of Costa Rica, and the 29 teams from two other recently qualified nations, Wales and Australia, will be raised around the clock, marking the time remaining before the start of the tournament. represent. On the iconic Doha Corniche.

In another sign that the countdown is on, the official poster of Mondial-2022 was unveiled in the capital on Wednesday.

First created by a woman, Qatari artist Butaina Al Mufta, it is represented in black and white, the traditional headdress of men waving in the wind in a sign of celebration following a goal, a common gesture in Qatar and the world. Arab.

Among the traditionally favourites, “Rosa” and “Manshaft” are doing better and better respectively. Spain dominates its League of Nations group, ahead of Portugal, another contender, and Germany is confident: after three draws, it crushed Italy (5-2) in the midst of a crisis, pulling off the World Cup for the second consecutive edition. remained absent.

France and England stopped breathing

But other European tenants are doing much worse. France have already lost their League of Nations title with two losses and two draws and will have to ensure their maintenance in League A in the last two games of September.

Despite two of the world’s best players in the attack, defending world champions Karim Benzema and Karim Mbappe are in a crisis of confidence as season-ending trying fatigue doesn’t explain everything.

Coach Didier Deschamps has five months left to level up, but his future opponents are doing a good job.

Australia, the first of them, are encouraging after qualifying on penalties against Peru (0–0, 5 from 5 pens) on 22 November, Denmark leads their League of Nations group and in Paris (2–1) won, and Tunisia won 3–0 against Japan and 2–0 against Chile in friendly matches.

Brazil and Argentina in good shape

Doubts also attack England, semifinalists in Russia and last summer’s Euro final at home. The “Three Lions” at Wembley by Hungary has just been corrected (4-0), in a ratio that recalls the historical lesson given by the great team of Ferenc Puskas (6-3) in 1953, not the first team British In the “temple” of football to establish itself.

The British find themselves in a very “geopolitical” group with their neighbors in the United Kingdom, Wales, then the United States and Iran.

If some strongholds of old Europe crumble, South American favorites are doing well. Brazil recently beat Japan (1-0) and South Korea (5-1) with three penalties from Paris’ Neymar in these two matches.

Placed in a strong group with Switzerland, Cameroon and Serbia, “Seleçao” will begin their sixth star hunt against the Serbs on 24 November.

Argentina, in the grouping of Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, for their part won the new edition of the Intercontinental Cup of Nations against Italy (3–0) and against Estonia (5–0) with a quintuplet from another PSG star. went away. Playing at the age of 35, Lionel Messi is probably his last chance to win the World Cup. There is not a tired cadre here.