World Cup 2022: Full Squads for the Top 5 Tournament Favourites in Qatar

World Cup 2022: Full Squads for the Top 5 Tournament Favourites in Qatar

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:16 PM
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  • The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar in seven days, and most countries have named their squads
  • The squads for the favourite teams have all been released, and they are ridiculously talented
  • The deadline for squad submission was Monday, with FIFA to publish all team lists on Tuesday this week

The long-awaited World Cup tournament is just days away, and squads for most teams have been announced.

The squads for the favourites are stacked with ridiculous talent, which should make the tournament entertaining and unpredictable, since several sides could win it all.

Brazil, World Cup, Neymar, Richarlison, Alisson, Raphinha, team, squad, announcement, 2022
Brazil have won the World Cup five times and are fielding a formidable side. Photo by Antonio Borga.
Source: Getty Images

Per FIFA rules and regulations, every nation must name a minimum of 23 players but can call up to 26. Three players must be goalkeepers.

The deadline for naming squads for the tournament is the evening of Monday, November 14, but most of the top-ranked teams have named their teams already, according to ESPN.

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FIFA will officially publish all squad lists on Tuesday - here are the squads for the top 5 teams.

1. Brazil

Brazil have arguably the most balanced squad at the World Cup. They are marshalled by the experienced Thiago Silva and led up front by Neymar.

Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton

Defenders: Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva

Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta

Attackers: Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.

2. Argentina

Lionel Messi finally won an international trophy when Argentina hoisted the 2021 Copa America, after suffering heartbreak in the 2014 World Cup final. With coach Lionel Scaloni steadying the ship, they go into the tournament as top favourites along with Brazil.

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Franco Armani

Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Juan Foyth

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Rodriguez, Papu Gomez, Enzo Fernandez, Exequiel Palacios

Forwards: Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Paulo Dybala, Nicolas Gonzalez, Joaquin Correa.

Argentina, World Cup, Lionel Messi, team, 2022, favourites, competition
Argentina won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, and hope to make it three in Qatar. Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce.
Source: Getty Images

3. France

World Cup winners in 2006, 2010 and 2014 have failed to progress from the group stage. Will France join them on this unenviable list at this year's edition? However, their squad is surely too good not to progress.

Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda

Defenders: Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Varane

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Matteo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jordan Veretout

Forwards: Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Christopher Nkunku.

4. England

England lost in the semis in 2018, but were close to winning the 2020 Euros. Their squad has grown stronger despite some noticeable absentees.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope

Defenders: Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Ben White, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Luke Shaw

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Kalvin Phillips, Jordan Henderson, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount

Forwards: Harry Kane, Callum Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison.

5. Portugal

This will probably be Cristiano Ronaldo's last chance to win a World Cup trophy. Their squad is one of the strongest in recent years and will surely cause a lot of problems for many teams.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Jose Sa, Rui Patricio

Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro

Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Mario, Matheus Nunes, Vitinha, William Carvalho, Otavio

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Goncalo Ramos, Andre Silva.

Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, 2022 World Cup
Portugal are looking to win their first World Cup, steered by five-time Mundial competitor Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo by Carlos Rodrigues.
Source: Getty Images

Brazil hasn't lifted the World Cup in 20 years, but there's a universal acknowledgement that the Selecao may lift it for the first time since 2002 in South Korea and Japan, according to 90min.

Southgate snubs top English players

Sports Brief earlier reported on England manager Gareth Southgate naming a strong squad, which was missing some top players however.

The players were left out due to injuries or lack of form, with Chelsea's Reece James among those excluded.

Speaking during the unveiling of the squad, head coach Southgate pointed out the team he named is the most balanced.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.