Japan's winning goal in Wednesday's surprise victory over Germany was one of the easiest ever scored at a World Cup, according to Ilkay Gundogan.

Gundogan appeared to have put Germany on course for victory when he converted a first-half penalty, but Japan hit back in sensational fashion after half-time through two Bundesliga attackers.   

Freiburg's Ritsu Doan levelled after Manuel Neuer pushed Takumi Minamino's cross into his path, before Bochum winger Takuma Asano sent Japan's fans into raptures with a powerful near-post finish late on.

Asano's winner was the result of some dismal defending from Niklas Sule, who inexplicably played the 28-year-old onside from Ko Itakura's long ball, and Gundogan cannot recall a more straightforward goal being scored on the biggest stage.

"We made it too easy for Japan, especially with the second goal. I don't know if an easier goal has ever been scored at a World Cup," Gundogan told reporters.

"It can't happen. This is a World Cup. We dominated the game for the most part, Manu [Neuer] saved us once in the second half. That's why we have him. 

"We had incredible opportunities up front, but we didn't score the second goal. How the goals came about was far too easy. 

"There was a bit of a lack of conviction that we could hold the ball and move, that we could offer ourselves.

"We relied on long balls in the second half and the short balls we played were lost easily and quickly. You felt like not everyone wanted the ball."

As well as dealing a blow to the hopes of the country where they ply their trade, Doan and Asano became the first pair of substitutes to score in a single World Cup game against Germany.

Wednesday's game also represented Japan's first win against Die Mannschaft, with the Samurai Blue having posted one loss and one draw in the teams' two previous meetings.

Bastian Schweinsteiger criticised Germany's defence after a shock 2-1 defeat in their World Cup opener against Japan on Wednesday.

The former Germany international and 2014 World Cup winner singled out Niklas Sule, who was utilised at right-back by head coach Hansi Flick instead of his usual position as centre-back.

Germany took the lead through an Ilkay Gundogan penalty in the first half, before goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano dramatically turned things around in the second.

Speaking to German broadcaster ARD, Schweinsteiger said: "We made big mistakes again in defence, and as long as we do that we will lose games, it's that simple!"

The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder then went into detail on Doan's equaliser, highlighting Sule and substitute Leon Goretzka.

"Now, please, let's pay attention to the behaviour of Niklas Sule and Leon Goretzka," he said.

"Niklas Sule is a defender. And if someone comes at you in a one-on-one, you don't let them run inside, but close the inside lane and let them run out – less can happen there.

"Sule gives [Kaoru Mitoma] the chance to pull inside and play the pass. Goretzka doesn't get there after that and then stops.

"I don't like that. This is not good. This is very, very bad. Sure, the ball then deflects to Doan, but I didn't like the behaviour before that.

"That wasn't good enough for a defender like Sule. It's a classic, really serious defensive mistake."

As Schweinsteiger continued, suggesting Borussia Dortmund defender Sule should have been more aware of the positioning of centre-back pair Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, fellow pundit and former Germany international Sami Khedira agreed, saying: "That's a very blatant mistake.

"As a full-back away from the ball, you always have to look to the central defenders for orientation."

Hansi Flick knows Germany are now "under pressure" but would not accept their focus on the OneLove campaign as an excuse for their defeat to Japan.

Germany lost 2-1 at Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday in a match that appeared set to be second billing to a demonstration ahead of kick-off prior to the second-half turnaround.

Die Mannschaft captain Manuel Neuer did not go through with wearing the OneLove armband, which promotes "inclusion and sends a message against discrimination of any kind", with those planning to wear the armband having been threatened with sanctions by FIFA.

Instead, Germany's players lined up for their pre-match team photo with their hands over their mouths, saying FIFA was "denying us a voice".

Much of the attention around the match was on this even after Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring from the penalty spot, but goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano dealt Germany a stunning defeat.

Asked if their protest had contributed to a below-par display, Flick replied: "No. We're not looking for excuses. That would be too easy.

"I said it ahead of the game, Japan have a strong team, great players with good technique, good tactics. They are well trained and they showed their strengths today. They played very efficiently.

"I would have liked to see that from my team, but we can't make excuses. We made too many mistakes."

These errors were "mistakes we should never make in a World Cup", Flick said, with the second goal that condemned them to "a great disappointment" particularly sloppy.

Germany certainly cannot afford to be distracted as they head into their second match against Spain, as Flick added: "We'll analyse this game as we always do.

"Spain is a different team, it is not Japan, and we'll have a different game plan.

"Of course, now with this defeat, we are under pressure, no question, and we're to blame. We can only blame ourselves.

"We have to make sure we can come out of this. We need to be courageous and decisive; we need the aggression in the game that's necessary at the World Cup."

Japan may now be in a stronger position, but they are likewise staying focused on their second group game versus Costa Rica.

"This is a big win, but it is not the end, obviously, so we were not going to get too happy or too sad," said coach Hajime Moriyasu. "We're going to prepare for the next game."

Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda added: "We would like to go to the quarter-final. That is our goal.

"This is our first step, and we are very pleased to have won. But our next game is against Costa Rica and we have to do our best again."

Thomas Muller described Germany's shock World Cup defeat to Japan as "ridiculous", but acknowledged Die Mannschaft's woeful defending meant they did not deserve a victory.

Germany looked set to make a positive start to their Group E campaign when Ilkay Gundogan put them ahead from the spot on Wednesday, but a remarkable comeback from Japan stunned the four-time winners.

Bundesliga pair Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano came off the bench to score in a famous win for the Samurai Blue, leaving Germany under huge pressure ahead of Sunday's meeting with Spain.

Having lost their opening game just once in their first 18 World Cup participations (W13 D4), Germany have now started with a defeat at consecutive tournaments. 

Speaking to ARD after the reverse, Muller said: "In terms of feeling, we actually played a good game over long stretches. 

"Of course, a good game in football is also characterised by the fact that you convert the chances and superiority into goals. 

"The effectiveness at both ends didn't match. It's ridiculous that we are left with a defeat. 

"But at the end of the day, when you see what we're leaving behind us and how we conceded the goals at the end, you would say in football jargon that it's not an undeserved loss."

Germany captain Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, lamented the team's slow start to the second half in his own post-match interview.

"I'm totally frustrated and upset that we gave up the game," Neuer said. "That was more than unnecessary. We created a lot of chances to score, so luck and bad luck go hand in hand. 

"The imperative that we wanted to score the second goal was perhaps missing and we brought Japan back into the game. 

"After the break, we didn't have that flow of play any more, didn't play with the self-confidence we had in the first half. 

"It was a bit more difficult because they started higher, but we still have to play well."

Germany's defeat was their first after scoring the opening goal in a World Cup match since a shock quarter-final loss to Bulgaria at the 1994 tournament, ending their run of 25 such games without losing.

Hansi Flick's side must now bid to bounce back against Luis Enrique's men next time out, as they look to avoid consecutive group-stage World Cup exits.

Japan staged a sensational fightback to deal Germany a shock 2-1 defeat in their World Cup opener as Bundesliga players Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano came off the bench to stun the four-time winners.

Germany made headlines by covering their mouths in a pre-match protest against FIFA's decision to ban Manuel Neuer from wearing the OneLove armband, and they looked set to make a positive start in Group E when Ilkay Gundogan converted a first-half penalty.

Hansi Flick's side then squandered several golden opportunities to put the game to bed before Freiburg forward Doan made them pay from a rebound 15 minutes from time.

With Germany chasing a winner, there was to be one final twist as Asano raced onto a long ball before firing beyond Neuer, leaving Die Mannschaft under huge pressure ahead of Sunday's meeting with Spain. 

Germany's players protested FIFA's decision to ban Manuel Neuer from wearing the OneLove armband by covering their mouths ahead of their World Cup opener, as the team declared: "Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice."

Germany were among several European sides to commit to wearing the armband in order to promote an anti-discriminatory message in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are criminalised.

However, the teams backed down ahead of their opening World Cup fixtures after being threatened with sporting sanctions by FIFA, which German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf suggested were more significant than a yellow card for the affected captains.

After taking to the pitch for their Group E meeting with Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium, Germany's players covered their mouths for the traditional pre-match photo to protest FIFA's handling of the row.

The team subsequently released a statement via social media, which read: "We wanted to use our captain's armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect.

"Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard.

"It wasn't about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn't the case. That's why this message is so important to us.

"Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position."

Germany captain Neuer was seen to have his armband checked by referee Ivan Barton Cisneros ahead of Wednesday's game.

Die Mannschaft also warmed up for the match wearing training shirts featuring rainbow-coloured trim in another apparent show of support for LGBTQ+ rights.

Germany are not used to World Cup failures and do not intend to reflect on their Russia 2018 experience as they prepare to begin their 2022 campaign against Japan.

Die Mannschaft are four-time world champions and have reached at least the semi-finals at four of the five tournaments since the start of this century – more than any other nation over this period.

But the exception came four years ago as Germany – then the holders – exited in the group stage, losing to Mexico and South Korea.

It was the first time since 1950, when Germany were last absent from the World Cup, that they had failed to progress beyond the first round.

Defender Niklas Sule's only finals appearance to date was in the 2-0 reverse against South Korea, and it is not an experience he is particularly keen to revisit.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he told the media.

"We are in a fast-paced society where there is no time for success and failure. I also explicitly mention the successes. What happened yesterday no longer interests anyone." 

Germany, who will be without the injured Leroy Sane, have been drawn into a tough group that includes Spain and Costa Rica as well as Japan, but they rebounded impressively in qualification.

After hosts Qatar, Hansi Flick's side were the first to book their place at the finals, with only England (39) scoring more goals in the European qualifiers (36).

"We have the quality to go far," World Cup debutant Jamal Musiala added. "We go in with the mindset to win the title. We believe in it and are all eager for it to start now."

Opponents Japan have won only one of their last eight World Cup matches, although that sole victory – in their Russia opener against Colombia – was enough to take them through to the round of 16 last time out.

The Samurai Blue have plenty of experience on the global stage, appearing at a seventh straight finals, although they have never advanced to the second round at consecutive editions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Germany – Jamal Musiala

Thomas Muller has been Germany's main man at recent World Cups, with his 10 goals and six assists in 16 appearances the most of any player since his finals debut in 2010. Only Miroslav Klose (16), Gerd Muller (14) and Jurgen Klinsmann (11) have more World Cup goals for Die Mannschaft.

But Muller may no longer be a guaranteed starter under Flick, with Bayern Munich team-mate Musiala the face of this younger team.

The 19-year-old, who could have instead been playing for England in Qatar, is more than capable of picking up the mantle, having scored nine goals and assisted six more in the Bundesliga this season. His 15 goal involvements are the most of any teenager across Europe's top five leagues.

Japan – Takumi Minamino

Minamino, like Musiala, is in line for his World Cup debut, despite being named in Japan's preliminary squad as long ago as Brazil 2014.

An underwhelming stint at Liverpool slowed the attacker's progress at club level, and he has netted only a single goal for Monaco this season, having been limited to just 333 minutes in Ligue 1 across nine appearances.

However, for Japan, Minamino was the key man in qualification, scoring 10 goals and assisting four – form he will hope to carry into the finals.

PREDICTION

This is the first meeting between Germany and Japan at a World Cup, but Die Mannschaft are unbeaten across their two previous encounters in friendlies – and Stats Perform's prediction model expects them to maintain that record.

In his first game as a head coach at a major tournament, Flick is given a 65.4 per cent chance of leading Germany to victory.

Japan are an outside 14.1 per cent shot, while the draw is rated at 20.5 per cent – a result Germany perhaps cannot afford with Spain still to play. 

England head coach Eddie Jones secured a 59th win in charge against former side Japan to equal Clive Woodward's record.

After a shock defeat to Argentina last time out, England responded on Saturday with a dominant 52-13 victory against Japan at Twickenham, where Guy Porter scored his first two international tries and Marcus Smith also went over twice.

The record-equalling win left Jones pleased with his side's performance, stating that his team "looked like England".

"We played more like ourselves. Last week we were too long term in our view, which was my fault and today we were focused. We left 20 points out there and played some really good rugby," he told Prime Video.

"It's about playing to our strengths. You want people to recognise an England team playing, and we need to adopt a new style. But today we looked like England. We were in white shirts which might have made a difference."

Woodward, who managed England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003, had criticised Jones after England's loss to Argentina, writing in the Daily Mail: "It was more than a bad day at the office and I had the feeling that few really cared.

"The RFU kept playing naff music throughout the match and I spent half the afternoon standing up because people were back and forth buying beers.

"The atmosphere felt artificial and contrived and, to top it off, England's performance was so bad. Everyone was bored out of their brains."

England are back in action next Saturday against New Zealand, then conclude their Autumn Nations Series against South Africa the following week.

Sam Simmonds and Jack van Poortvliet will start for England against Japan at Twickenham on Sunday.

Eddie Jones has named five changes from the shock 30-29 defeat to Argentina last weekend as they prepare to face Japan, who he coached between 2012 and 2015.

Number eight Simmonds has not featured for England since the Six Nations in March but comes in for Billy Vunipola, who drops to the bench.

Alex Coles is replaced by debutant David Ribbans at lock while Van Poortvliet, who scored within 30 seconds of coming on the pitch against Argentina, will start at scrum-half.

Jonny May also comes in for Joe Cokanasiga and Guy Porter is the final introduction as he is chosen to start over Manu Tuilagi at outside centre.

Owen Farrell will captain England and earn his 99th international cap, while hooker Jamie George is on the bench after recovering from a foot injury.

England team to face Japan: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jack Nowell, 13. Guy Porter, 12. Owen Farrell (c), 11. Jonny May, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. David Ribbans, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Maro Itoje, 7. Tom Curry, 8. Sam Simmonds.

Replacements: 16. Jamie George, 17. Mako Vunipola, 18. Joe Heyes, 19. Alex Coles, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Henry Slade, 23. Manu Tuilagi.

New Zealand could contest Brodie Retallick's red card in the win over Japan on Saturday as he faces the prospect of being banned for their tour of Europe.

The towering lock was dismissed for a dangerous clean-out on loose forward Kazuki Himeno in the 65th minute of the All Blacks' 38-31 victory.

New Zealand held on to avoid an upset, but they were far from convincing at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The Rugby Championship winners will now travel to face Wales, Scotland and England next month, with a Test against Wayne Pivac's side first up at the Principality Stadium next Saturday.

Head coach Ian Foster says the All Blacks will consider whether to lodge an appeal in a bid to prevent Retallick from being ruled out of those encounters.

He said: "We're going to have a good look at it. I certainly didn't see any intention apart from trying to move a body. That's a process we’ll have to go through."

Retallick scored the first of five All Blacks tries, while 13 points came from the boot of Richie Mo'unga.

Foster was content with the way New Zealand dug in to see off the Brave Blossoms.

"I thought it was a day where we could have panicked a little bit," he said.

"But I thought they hung in there well and did what they needed to do at the right time."

Japan will now prepare to do battle with England at Twickenham on November 12 and head coach Jamie Joseph is relishing what he expects to be a bigger challenge.

He said: "The key for us really is to go to England now and replicate that performance against a better side."

Japan stepped up their World Cup preparations with a deserved 2-0 friendly win over the United States on Friday, as Gregg Berhalter's team produced a flat performance in Dusseldorf, Germany.

With Chelsea's Christian Pulisic left out after sustaining a minor injury in training, the USA struggled from the first whistle and fell behind to Daichi Kamada's side-footed finish.

Berhalter's team were indebted to Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner for keeping the game alive after the break, but he could do nothing to prevent Kaoru Mitoma picking his spot to seal Japan's victory late on.

Turner got down to his right to deny Kamada with a reflex save 13 minutes in, but was beaten by the Eintracht Frankfurt man when he tucked a neat first-time finish into the bottom-right corner after 24 minutes.

The offside flag looked set to deny Japan, but the goal was awarded following a VAR review after Walker Zimmerman was shown to have played Kamada onside as he latched onto Hidemasa Morita's pass.

Turner was forced to divert another Kamada effort away from the bottom-right corner after 65 minutes, and made a fine reflex save to tip Ritsu Doan's strike over the crossbar 10 minutes later.

Brenden Aaronson's wild effort was the closest the USA came to a response, and Mitoma made Japan's win safe by curling into the bottom-right corner from long range with two minutes remaining, as Turner's resistance finally waned.

France boss Fabien Galthie was impressed with the way his youthful Bleus side performed as they made key adjustments to defeat Japan.

The visitors triumphed 42-23 in Aichi on Saturday, the first part of a two-game tour against the Brave Blossoms that follows their triumph in the Six Nations.

Damian Penaud bagged a double while Melvyn Jaminet posted a 17-point haul as the visitors outscored their hosts by five tries to two, albeit in a contest closer than the final scoreline suggested.

Galthie took the opportunity to blood some fresh faces, with Thomas Jolmes and Yoan Tanga handed debuts from the start and Thomas Lavault introduced at half-time for his first Test appearance too.

Speaking afterwards, the coach was happy to see his side deliver at Toyota Stadium, especially with the Test having been level at 13-13 at the interval.

"Our goal was to win," he said. "You have to take into account that it is a young team, with very little collective experience. They are only 25 years old on average.

"We adjusted what we wanted to do and couldn't do for a lot of reasons, including the Japanese intensity.

"We were always a little behind on collisions, on defensive substitutions, on possession - we had to stop observing and find our bearings, trigger the first offensive and defensive steps.

"We made mistakes in a place where we didn't usually make mistakes but we managed to find the solutions, a key opens all the doors."

France will face Japan again next week in the second game of their series, in Tokyo on July 9.

Brazil earned a 1-0 friendly win against Japan in Tokyo on Monday thanks to a penalty from Neymar.

Tite's side dominated for large periods in the pouring rain at the New Japan National Stadium and squandered several chances before Neymar's spot-kick finally broke the deadlock in the 77th minute.

The victory means the Selecao have won five consecutive games, and have not lost since July when they were beaten by Argentina in the Copa America final.

Both teams came into the came on the back of big wins last time out, with Japan thumping Paraguay 4-1 on Thursday, while Brazil went one better in beating South Korea 5-1 the same day.

Brazil almost took the lead inside two minutes as neat play between Vinicius Junior and Neymar ended with the latter backheeling to Lucas Paqueta, who hit the post after shooting across Shuichi Gonda in the Japan goal.

Japan had a brief period in the first half where they caused some problems for Tite's side, with Takumi Minamino getting some joy between the lines, but Brazil soon established their dominance as they created more chances.

Casemiro should have put the visitors ahead in the 26th minute but could only guide a header from a Raphinha free-kick over the crossbar, before Neymar had a shot parried away by Gonda and Raphinha bent a direct free-kick just wide of the left-hand post.

Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus were introduced just after the hour and the Arsenal forward almost made an immediate impact, but could only guide his shot wide of the far post after the ball was cushioned down for him by Casemiro.

The hosts' only real chance of note came in the 72nd minute, when Junya Ito fired over with a volley at the far post.

Brazil were awarded a penalty shortly after when another substitute, Richarlison, was fouled by Wataru Endo and Neymar sent Gonda the wrong way from the spot to win it.

Hansi Flick says Germany have high expectations of making a big impact in the 2022 World Cup despite being drawn in a tough group that includes Spain.

Die Mannschaft discovered at a ceremony in Doha on Friday that they will face Spain, Japan and either Costa Rica or New Zealand in Qatar later this year.

Spain hammered Germany 6-0 the last time the two nations met in the Nations League in November 2020, while Japan reached the round of 16 in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Flick will take charge of his country for the first time in a major tournament and although he knows Germany's draw could have been kinder, the former Bayern Munich boss is confident his side can make a big impact.

He said: "It is an exciting and interesting group, the tasks are not easy. But we have big plans, we have to ensure that we prevail. You can't get an easy group.

"We are happy, but we will have to be ready from the beginning. We want to get as far as possible, preferably to the final. We're expecting a lot from this tournament."

Flick added: "Japan is a team that is always present at the World Cup, with many Bundesliga players. Therefore, they are of high quality. We wanted to play a friendly against Japan, but that's not going to happen now.

"All the teams [in the group] have evolved and have something special to offer."

Germany finished bottom of their group in the last World Cup and were knocked out of Euro 2020 at the round of 16 stage by England last year. 

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is optimistic they can be a force this time around.

"It was inevitable that we were going to get a strong opponent from the pot," he said.

Neuer added: "We haven't covered ourselves in glory in recent tournaments and we want to make up for that."

Qatar 2022 is fast approaching and the anticipation will surely be at its most intense so far when Friday's draw for the group stage is completed.

The Doha Exhibition and Convention Center plays host to the milestone event, which will see eight groups drawn from pots as the eventual storylines of the World Cup begin to unfurl.

Among the narratives that will start being mapped out on Friday is France's title defence, with Les Bleus hoping to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their World Cup crown.

Ahead of the draw, Stats Perform provides a lowdown of all the key information…

How will the draw work?

Most of us have seen a draw and understand the general premise, but there's a lot of detail to consider before we end up with our completed group stage.

For starters, the draw (19:00 local time) will only include 29 qualified teams, with the other three spots to consist of a couple of intercontinental play-off slot placeholders and one UEFA play-off slot placeholder, with those nations to be determined later in the year.

The qualified teams will be sorted into four pots of eight, with their FIFA world ranking determining which they enter – joining Qatar in pot one will be the top seven teams, while the nations ranked eight-15 will be in pot 2, and so on. The three play-off slot placeholders will be drawn from pot four.

There will also be eight pots representing the groups, A to H. Each group pot contains four balls with position numbers, ranging from one to four, which correspond to the teams' respective starting position in the tables and subsequently impact their fixture schedule.

Team pot one will be the first to empty, with Qatar automatically drawn into slot A1. The other sides from pot one will go straight into position one of the remaining groups.

From then on, a ball is drawn from a team pot and followed by one from a group pot, determining that team's position – for example, the second nation drawn into Group A could be placed in slot A4. The process continues until each team pot is emptied, with pot four the last to be drawn.

Where possible, no group will contain more than one team from the same qualification zone, with the exception of Europe – so anyone hoping for an encounter like Brazil v Uruguay will have to wait for the knockout stage.

Thursday's release of the latest world rankings confirmed the make-up of the respective pots, so, without any further ado, let's take a look through them…

The Pots

Pot One:

Qatar (hosts)
Brazil
Belgium
France
Argentina
England
Spain
Portugal

Pot Two:

Denmark
Netherlands
Germany
Mexico 
USA
Switzerland
Croatia
Uruguay

Pot Three:

Senegal
Iran
Japan
Morocco
Serbia
Poland
South Korea
Tunisia

Pot Four:

Cameroon
Canada
Ecuador
Saudi Arabia
Ghana
Intercontinental play-off placeholder 1 
Intercontinental play-off placeholder 2
UEFA play-off placeholder

Luck of the draw!

It goes without saying that, theoretically, being in pot one means you would be favourites to win your group. But that's the beauty of football; practically anything can happen once you're on the pitch.

If we look back to the last World Cup four years ago, defending champions Germany were top of the FIFA rankings and in pot one, but then failed to get through the group stage for the first time ever.

But just as being in a higher pot is no guarantee of going deep into the tournament, who's to say how eventual 2018 champions France would have fared had they been in pot two?

Les Bleus were ranked seventh at the time so squeezed into pot one ahead of Spain. While that arguably gave them a trickier route to the final in the knockout phase, perhaps the tests posed by Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium were what kept them sharp all the way to the end?

This time around, Spain do appear in pot one. Portugal do as well, with Fernando Santos' men benefiting in that regard from European champions Italy's shock absence.

Nevertheless, there are some powerful teams in pot two. The Netherlands and Germany are undoubtedly the pick of the bunch there, both of whom will provide a stern test for any of the teams in pot one. Brazil v Die Mannschaft in the group stage, anyone?

There's a chance we could even see a repeat of the 2018 final in the group stage, with Croatia (pot two) able to come up against France in the opening round, while an England v United States showdown would surely capture the imagination of fans on both sides of 'the pond'.

We can expect to see plenty of quality in pot three as well, especially with Serbia, Robert Lewandowski's Poland and African champions Senegal present.

Among those in pot four are Canada. They may only be competing in their second World Cup and first since 1986, but John Herdman's team have won plenty of admirers en route to winning the CONCACAF qualifying section ahead of Mexico and reaching a record high of 33rd in the rankings.

Excitement, expectations and exoduses as Ronaldo and Messi look likely to bow out

Whether watching football on TV or from the stands, it can often be easy to forget that our heroes are just ordinary people as well. They are individuals who in all likelihood had the same hopes and dreams as many of us as children.

The glitz and glamour surrounding professional football can lead us to put footballers on a pedestal, but behind the sport's shiny facade, our teams are made up of – and coached by – people who are just as obsessed with the idea of the World Cup as anyone else.

England manager Gareth Southgate encapsulated the excitement earlier this week, as he said: "[The World Cup evokes] a different sort of feeling, but it's still a tournament we all watched as kids, we all filled our wallcharts out, we all hoped and followed when England were there that we would do well. And it's a unique chance to make history, so that of course is massively exciting."

Of course, that innocent excitement harbours expectation and hope for many, for others there will be a feeling of responsibility to amend the wrongs of the past.

This time around, that's arguably truest when looking at Germany, with Manuel Neuer fully appreciating he may not get another opportunity to put things right.

"I know that I will probably not get to play many more World Cups, so after crashing out in 2018 in Russia and our exit against England [at Euro 2020], it's important that we show a new version of ourselves and visualise success," the experienced goalkeeper said.

That finality Neuer alluded to is another key aspect of the World Cup. Given the four-year cycle of the tournament, every time we bid a fond farewell to a few greats of the game who opt to take advantage of the cyclical nature and end their international careers.

This time it looks as though Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – who for so long battled out their own personal 'Greatest of All-Time' rivalry – may be among those appearing on the World Cup stage for the last time.

"Goal achieved, we're at the Qatar World Cup. We're in our rightful place!" Ronaldo's Instagram post after Portugal's play-off success focused on the positive, but at 37, Qatar 2022 will surely be his final appearance at the tournament.

As for Messi, he said last week: "I don't know, the truth is I don't know. Let's hope [Argentina's preparations] go the best way possible. But for sure after the World Cup many things will change."

Exoduses after major international tournaments are common as teams reset or rebuild, but given what Messi and Ronaldo have represented on the pitch and the fact they've appeared at each of the previous four World Cups, their appearances at Qatar 2022 need to be savoured.

It all begins with Friday's draw, when narratives and talking points that'll live longer than any of us will start to take shape with the unscrewing of a few shiny plastic balls.