Who to watch from the Lowest Ranked World Cup teams? (Part 1)
With the World Cup starting soon, which players from the Ten lowest ranked teams will be worth keeping an eye on and who might have a breakout tournament?
As football’s biggest stage, the World Cup offers players young and old the opportunity to launch or reignite their careers. During every World Cup, many names which had previously been unknown shoot to the forefront of footballing minds around the world. Such is the televisual reach of the biggest event in football that a few good performances can announce a player’s talents to a worldwide audience. Playing well against football’s elite is a sure way to make people take notice and can fast track a career.
While the World Cup is an exciting event to look forward to every four years, it can be hard sometimes for those watching at home to be drawn into watching games involving the lesser known, lower ranked teams. Below I’ve written about the lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings that have qualified for the World Cup, some details about the teams and a player from each time to look out for who may end up raising their profile on the global stage with some exciting performances.
Ghana (Ranked 61)
Ghana had a disappointing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) last year, being knocked out in the Group Stages for the first time since 2006, and ended up scraping their way into the World Cup by the skin of their teeth, beating their fierce rivals Nigeria on away goals to qualify. They have ended up being drawn in Group H alongside South Korea, Portugal, and the team that cheated them out of becoming the first African team to ever reach the World Cup Semi Finals in South Africa in 2010, Uruguay. The man that cost them that Semi-Final berth by slapping Dominic Adiyiah’s header off the line in the final minute of extra time, Luis Suárez, is still present in the Uruguayan national team.
This has been the weakest Ghana team to make it to a World Cup, but they have been bolstered recently by some major players declaring for them because of links through their parentage, including one Iñaki Williams, which means they’ve finally found a goalscorer to stick up top. Led by their captain André Ayew (who missed that infamous game through suspension), a potential icon for the next generation in Ajax's Mohammed Kudus, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Athletic Bilbao icon Iñaki Williams, Southampton star Mohammed Salisu and Brighton’s pacy wing back, Tariq Lamptey, the Black Stars will be hoping they can pull out a surprise and at the very least that they can avenge the 2010 defeat in their game vs Uruguay. Ghana will not be the most exciting team you watch in the World Cup. They may not even score a single point by the end of their campaign. What I can promise you will see watching The Black Stars and their fans is a Passion and love for the game that is rivalled by very few. They will bring their best every time on that pitch, so opposing teams better beware, especially now that they’ve found someone to score goals for them
Player to Watch – Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennais)
Sulemana is a raw but incredibly exciting young talent. Incredibly gifted but also incredibly unlucky at the moment. Became the most expensive Ghanaian teenager ever when Rennes signed him for €15m in 2021 after one season at FC Nordsjælland. A graduate of the highly rated Right to Dream Academy like his teammate Mohammed Kudus, he got off to a superb start in France only for injuries to intervene this summer. Before that, his blistering pace and directness had made a move to an even bigger league seem inevitable. This tournament will hopefully bring a turnabout in those fortunes. Expect to see a lot of explosive and direct running from the winger as he looks to enjoy a breakout tournament.
Saudi Arabia (Ranked 51)
Saudi Arabia topped a group containing both Japan and Australia in the World Cup qualifiers but face a much stiffer task with Mexico, Poland and Argentina all contenders to make the knockout stages. Saudi Arabia will be making their sixth appearance at the World Cup since making their debut in 1994, when they reached the last 16 in the USA. They have failed to reach those heights since, exiting at the group stage in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2018. The Green Falcons are probably the weakest team in their group but make no mistake, they will be no pushover.
Player to Watch – Salem Al Dawsari (Al-Hilal)
Nicknamed “The Tornado”, Al Dawsari is likely the best domestic based Asian footballer at this World Cup. A bold claim but one which Al-Dawsari repeatedly backs up. The Jeddah-native has scored at a World Cup – a 95th-minute clincher versus Mohamed Salah’s Egypt four years ago - and at the Club World Cup, while also bagging a crucial goal in the 2019 AFC Champions League final. He has bundles of experience with 66 caps to his name and 17 goals during an international career which has spanned over 10 years. Brimming with confidence, with a bag of tricks over his shoulder, he is a pivotal figure for Saudi Arabia and he will need to be at his very best if the Green Falcons are to mark any sort of impact in Qatar.
Qatar (Ranked 50)
Qatar may have qualified automatically as hosts, but their preparation for a World Cup on home soil has perhaps been one of the most comprehensive for any side in the history of the tournament. After their shock AFC Asian Cup win in 2019, Al Annabi have gone on a world tour to prepare for a first-ever World Cup. First came a 2019 appearance at the Copa America in Brazil, in which they failed to qualify for the knockout phases.
This was followed up with the 2021 Gold Cup, which ended with a creditable third-place finish with Qatar losing to eventual winners USA in the semi-finals. Finally, Qatar also took part in the UEFA Qualification group stage, taking on likes of Portugal, Serbia and the Republic of Ireland in vital preparation games against a higher calibre of opposition, though the lack of competitive football over the last while may cost them. Now, after seventh months in camp playing various behind-closed-doors friendlies Qatar will take on Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands. It will be interesting to see if their hard work will pay off and see Qatar progress to the round of sixteen.
Player to Watch – Akram Afif (Al Sadd)
Qatar are counting on Akram Afif for the goals they may need to get some victories in this tough group. Afif, who will be 26 two days before the November 20th start of the World Cup, was born in Doha to a Tanzanian footballer father and Yemeni mother. The electric-haired left-winger has trodden an unusual path for a talent from this part of the world having played for the youth teams of Sevilla and Villarreal. It's at Al Sadd that his best has come though, beating defenders, making assists and scoring goals regularly. The 2019 Asian Footballer of the Year is Qatar's superstar and the Aspire Academy jewel will be desperate to shine on home soil.
Ecuador (Ranked 44)
Ecuador will be an exciting team to watch no matter the opponent this year. La Tricolors have a young side with plenty of room to grow. Led by their highly sought after Brighton and Hove Albion based starlet, Moisés Caicedo, as well as the ever-present Enner Valencia, formerly of West Ham, now plying his trade in Turkey with Fenerbahçe. This team weren’t even expecting to make the World Cup this year, and had their sights set on 2026, so they have nothing to lose here. Ecuador have an incredible home record, owing to the fact that the play their home games at a very high altitude, leaving many of the teams they face off against winded early on in games. Thanks to this, it can be a bit difficult to work out the level at which they’re capable of playing. In my opinion though, they’ve been highly underestimated by many going into this World Cup, as they share Group A with a Netherlands team who could end up making the final, and last year’s AFCON winners, Senegal. Ecuador certainly have the potential to at least become the first team to beat a host nation in the opening game of a World Cup, when they face off against Qatar on Sunday November 20th.
Player to watch – Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid CF)
Gonzalo Plata has already left his mark on a World Cup. In the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland he was awarded the adidas Bronze Ball for being the third-best player in the tournament, as Ecuador also finished in third place. He recently broke the record for the youngest Valladolid player to achieve 2 assists in a La Liga match in the 21st century. At 1.82 tackles per 90, the Ecuadorian ranks in the 88th percentile among his positional peers in Europe - which is a testament to his industrious nature, even as a forward-thinking player. The 22 year old shows lovely balance when progressing at speed with the ball, displaying excellent close control dribbling and can evade challenges with ease. Plata constantly commits defenders which ultimately creates more space for others.
Hopefully we see a few defenders in his World Cup group get served up on a Plata.
Cameroon (Ranked 43)
The Indomitable Lions carry the distinction of being Africa’s most frequent visitors to the World Cup finals and in Qatar are making their eighth finals appearance, but this might be their weakest side yet. That is quite some indictment, as there have been some poor Cameroonian teams previously, like in the United States in 1994 and South Africa in 2010. Hopes for a repeat of some of the heroics of 1990 truly do stretch the imagination, but nothing is assured at the World Cup. Qualification for Cameroon was a fortuitous affair as they snatched a last gasp extra time win in Algeria in the second of their playoff tie in March to book their berth on the away goals rule. Their win came six weeks after the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which they hosted but failed to win, never providing anything near a performance of conviction. A lot has changed with this nation in recent times following the appointment of legend Samuel Eto'o as President of the Cameroonian Football Federation. This is a team that is now building for the future, but they’ll want to show heart on this major stage at the least.
Drawn in group G, Cameroon need positive results in their opening two games against Switzerland and Serbia before meeting Brazil in their last group game. They are far from the famous days of Roger Milla's joyous dancing, but with Bayern Munich’s on form striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Karl Toko Ekambi of Lyon, Andre Onana of Inter Milan in goals, and Napoli’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa shoring up the midfield, the only way is up for Les Lions Indomptables.
Player to Watch – Collins Fai (Al-Tai)
The first thing that stands out to football observers watching Collins Fai is his explosive pace. The dynamic defender, who plies his trade for Al-Tai in Saudi Arabia, doubtless ranks among Africa’s fastest-ever full-backs. Whether defending or attacking, his blistering pace is an excellent asset for The Indomitable Lions. Fai had three years with Dinamo Bucharest from 2013, during which he made his international breakthrough, then six at Standard Liège in Belgium where he became a cult hero, praised for his dependability. He joined Al-Tai in Saudi Arabia in January this year, and this winter is his fifth international tournament. A highly competent and dependable right-back, he marks opponents in a rigorous fashion and is capable of finding crucial space when bursting down the flank, where he is particularly adept at beating his man and linking up with his right midfielder.
This is Part One of a Two part series. Part Two can be accessed below
