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Three weeks before the World Cup kicks off on 11 June, preparations are intensifying: Norway beats Sweden 3–1 without its superstar, South Africa loses 24 hours to visa chaos – and Opta does not see France as the number one title contenders.
World Cup preparations are in full swing, and today's news shows how differently teams are entering the crucial phase. Norway made the strongest impression: without Erling Haaland, who was rested, the team dominated Sweden 3–1 according to Ouest-France in the first of two test matches. For France, which faces Norway in the group stage, this is a signal – the Scandinavians function even without their goal guarantee.
The departure of the South African delegation was less smooth. As Ouest-France reports, the team only departed for Mexico with a 24-hour delay because visa processing took too long. The South African Football Federation confirmed the delay – a bureaucratic stumbling block shortly before the world's biggest tournament.
On the favourites front, Opta provides a clear assessment: according to Le Figaro, the statisticians see Spain with 16 per cent title probability ahead of France with 13 per cent. The Équipe Tricolore under Didier Deschamps is thus considered a serious contender, but not as a clear top favourite.
Personnel-wise, Deschamps surprised with the nomination of Robin Risser. The goalkeeper from RC Lens was called up to the A squad for the first time – according to DNA, he is the first Lensois in 20 years in a France World Cup squad and is primarily intended to serve as a sparring partner for the more experienced goalkeepers.
Other nations are also completing their squads: Ghana travels with Antoine Semenyo from Manchester City but must do without the injured Mohammed Kudus. In Group G, Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand face each other – Augsburger Allgemeine has compiled the squads of the four teams.
The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July in the USA, Mexico and Canada – with 48 teams for the first time at this scale.
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