Welcome back to the Fairer World Cup, where I use Football Manager 2024 to find out what would happen if players represented the lowest-ranked nations available to them.
210 nations entered the tournament, but ‘only’ 48 have made it to North America for the main event itself. Several big European nations have missed out completely, including Belgium, France, Portugal… and Scotland! If you want to revisit the qualifiers in full, you can catch up on all the previous chapters right here.
But now it’s time for the Fairer World Cup to begin in earnest. Two of the co-hosts are in action in today’s chapter, as the United States kick off the tournament in Group A, before Canada enter the fray in a wide-open Group B.
GROUP A
UNITED STATES
The first and perhaps strongest of our co-hosts, the United States will hope that their golden boys Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna can make American soccer great again. If not, they can probably expect fire and fury from the commander-in-chief.
In a throwback to the 90s, the USMNT is bolstered by a number of South American-born stars. Lazio’s powerful target man Taty Castellanos and West Ham’s skilful winger Talles Magno both honed their craft at New York and will provide plenty of Latin flair. Such is their strength in attacking depth that Leeds duo Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson both missed out on selection.
However, the defence looks a bit sub-par, with poor decision-making likely to prove the Americans’ undoing. Dutch-born goalkeeper Maarten Paes has been at FC Dallas since 2022, but he is hardly the next Tim Howard.
AUSTRIA
Austria are still big gegenpressers – albeit with Stefan Kuntz now at the helm instead of Ralf Rangnick. At the heart of their all-action approach is shadow striker Christoph Baumgartner, who was practically unstoppable in the qualifiers.
Though the Burschen can’t call upon David Alaba at left-back, the addition of Mateo Kovačić gives them some genuine playmaking class. At the back, the strong centre-half Samson Baidoo could be one of the tournament’s breakout talents.
As great as this team’s work ethic is, there were signs of mental fragility in a pre-tournament defeat to Tunisia. There’s also a dearth of quality attacking options besides Baumgartner… except maybe Saša Kalajdžić, who will probably get injured again anyway.
ALGERIA
Algeria are short on stature, but certainly not talent. Their likely star man is the mercurial Amine Gouiri – a member of my FM21 Rennes ‘unbeatables’ who has coincidentally ended up at Roazhon Park in real-life.
Most of Algeria’s French-born stars had already committed to their nation before the Fairer World Cup cycle began, but they have secured one major coup. Nabil Fekir is a world-class attacking midfielder who can help the Fennecs to outfox stronger and more stubborn defences. Lyon winger Rayan Cherki was very unlucky to miss the cut.
Question marks remain over the Algerian defence, especially after thoroughbred goalkeeper Luca Zidane broke a finger at the pre-tournament training camp. Left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri will certainly need to be at his best if the North Africans are to reach the knockout stages.
UZBEKISTAN
After several near-misses, the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan finally make it onto the World Cup stage. Srečko Katanec’s pragmatic football has already taken them to an Asian Cup Final in 2024, and now further history beckons in 2026. I’m sure Zlatko Zahovič is thrilled.
One big factor behind their defensive solidity is the presence of Waldemar Anton, who was born in Uzbekistan before being raised in Germany. The only other Uzbek player in an elite European league is also a centre-back. Abdukodir Khusanov obviously likes wearing sky-blue, as he has been with Lazio for the past two seasons.
Up top, the White Wolves rely heavily on Greek-based Eldor Shomurodov, who has a great scoring record at international level but is an erratic finisher. If he doesn’t hit form quickly, winter could be coming early for Group A’s underdogs.
UNITED STATES vs ALGERIA
(11 June – Atlanta)
The United States kicked off the tournament with a rapid start against Algeria. Josh Sargent nodded them into the lead in the 16th minute from a deep cross by Sergiño Dest. The ginger-haired Norwich striker did it again four minutes later – this time heading in Christian Pulisic’s delivery after Algeria failed to clear a corner.
However, Dest handed the Fennecs a couple of lifelines before half-time. When the right-back pushed Farès Chaïbi in the area, Ramy Bensebaïni converted the penalty to pull it back to 2-1. Dest’s day worsened when he failed to cut out Amine Gouiri’s through-ball to Nabil Fekir, leaving the Algerian talisman free to equalise.
The match then took another turn 10 minutes into the second half. Algeria midfielder Ismaël Bennacer intercepted a penalty-area cross from Joe Scally, but then dawdled on the ball and allowed Brenner to restore Team USA’s lead! Brenner then hit the bar before setting up a blistering strike from Pulisic – completing an epic 4-2 victory for the co-hosts.
AUSTRIA vs UZBEKISTAN
(11 June – Toronto)
Things were a little bit quieter, but no less dramatic, in Toronto. Uzbekistan’s ‘flat back seven’ held up well against an energetic but ill-disciplined Austrian team who picked up three yellow cards in a cagey first half.
Then, on 59 minutes, the White Wolves showed their bite. A well-worked corner routine ended with winger Oston O’runov volleying Uzbekistan into a shock lead… only for Saša Kalajdžić to head Austria back level within three minutes.
Though Austria threatened to continue the fightback late on, Marcel Sabitzer wasted a couple of late free-kicks as the match finished 1-1. More significant than the dropped points was that Die Burschen’s attacking talisman Christoph Baumgartner twisted his ankle, likely ending his tournament early.
UNITED STATES vs AUSTRIA
(15 June – Atlanta)
Mind you, Austria didn’t seem to miss Baumgartner very much when they faced the co-hosts. The USA seemed very nervous – especially Cameron Carter-Vickers, whose underhit pass gave away a goal in the 32nd minute. Winger Alexander Prass intercepted before crossing to Kalajdžić, who headed in his second goal of the tournament.
After frontman Taty Castellanos was denied at close range by Austria keeper Alexander Schlager, the United States sent for their opening-day hero in the second half. However, Josh Sargent could not drill in any goals this time, as the Americans’ shooting was about as accurate as Dick Cheney’s. (It is still 2006, right?)
By contrast, Austria were more clinical. When Stefan Posch headed home a late Marcel Sabitzer free-kick, Stefan Kuntz’s heavy pressers sealed a 2-0 win to go top of the group. Team USA would have to lick their wounds before a crucial meeting with Uzbekistan.
UZBEKISTAN vs ALGERIA
(15 June – Toronto)
After surviving a very early scare when Amine Gouiri’s swerving effort hit their crossbar, Uzbekistan broke the deadlock on 11 minutes. O’runov was tackled in Algeria’s area, but the rebound fell perfectly for the deadly Eldor Shomurodov, who poked in the opener.
That jolted the Fennecs into life. After midfielder Yacine Adli drilled a clinical equaliser into the far corner, Chaïbi gave the crossbar another beating. However, Algeria’s defence lost focus again just before half-time, allowing Shomurodov to double his money and restore the White Wolves’ lead.
But never write off Algeria. They levelled again in the 53rd minute, when Chaïbi’s strike glanced in off the back of Gouiri’s head. Uzbek keeper Dilshod Yo’ldoshev was even more bewildered five minutes later, as he let Adli’s long-ranger slip underneath him. Suddenly, it was 3-2 to Algeria!
Then Uzbekistan’s world fell apart. Star defender Waldemar Anton carelessly gave away a penalty in the 71st minute, which Bensebaïni dispatched to seal the spoils. This time round, Algeria had been on the right end of a 4-2 scoreline!
AUSTRIA vs ALGERIA
(19 June – Toronto)
Back in 1982, Austria infamously screwed Algeria out of reaching the second group phase by conveniently losing 1-0 to West Germany. Four decades later, Die Burschen threatened to repeat history… by beating them. Nicolas Siewald’s coolly-finished 24th-minute opener pushed the Fennecs a step closer to an early exit.
Algeria were simply no match for the master gegenpressers, and their shaky defence was opened again on the stroke of half-time. Posch hit the post from a tight angle, but Marcel Sabitzer was perfectly placed to poke in the rebound for 2-0.
Austria were now storming through as Group A winners. Young winger Aaron Sky Schwarz added another goal midway through the second half, before a breathtaking 30-yard free-kick from Paul Wanner completed a 4-0 demolition. Algeria now needed to hope that their three points would be enough to take them through.
UNITED STATES vs UZBEKISTAN
(19 June – Atlanta)
Uzbekistan needed a victory to keep alive their slim hopes of progression, and they almost made the perfect start when O’runov’s header hit the American crossbar after just 20 seconds. Giovanni Reyna then did likewise with a free-kick at the other end in the 3rd minute, but he made up for that with a clever assist for USA talisman Pulisic only a couple of minutes later.
The co-hosts hammered another nail into the Uzbek coffin on the half-hour mark. Azizjon G’aniev tried to block a 30-yard rocket from Tyler Adams, but succeeded only in deflecting the ball into his own goal.
Uzbekistan tried to get themselves back in the game, but wasteful shooting let them down far too often. The USA focussed on simply keeping the ball instead of taking any undue risks. A 2-0 win was enough to send Gregg Berhalter’s squad through in 2nd place, while the White Wolves were slain after picking up only one point.
So the USA and Austria were safely through. As for Algeria, they now faced a long and anxious wait.
GROUP B
CANADA
Canada have a point to prove on home soil after their underwhelming 2022 World Cup in Qatar – and they have a much-changed team too. Prior to the tournament, the Canucks fuelled their heated rivalry with the United States by stealing their hard-working midfielder Aidan Morris.
Inside-forward Omar Marmoush will showcase his dribbling skills against his former Egypt team-mates in the group stage. Other major recruits include Roma’s box-to-box midfielder Bryan Cristante and the spirited Ferdi Kadıoğlu, while Milan’s excellent centre-back Fikayo Tomori will finally get the regular international recognition he deserves.
Canada’s head coach – the ex-Iceland and Jamaica boss Heimir Hallgrímsson – will need to fix a few potential toothaches if they’re to go deep. Ex-Morocco star Yassine Bounou abruptly retired last year, leaving them without a decent goalkeeper. Their low determination could likely hold them back if and when they needed to come from behind.
ECUADOR
Ecuador’s road to the World Cup was not without controversy. Having started the qualifiers with a three-point deduction for fielding the Colombian-born right-back Byron Castillo, the same player then assisted Enner Valencia for the goal that sent them through. However, CAS have confirmed that Castillo is indeed eligible for Ecuador now, so all’s good.
‘La Tri’ like to play high-tempo football out from the back. Though they gained the experienced Argentine keeper Javier Burrai, they are expected to keep faith in the highly-rated Moisés Ramírez. Another player to watch out for is Kendry Páez – one of Chelsea’s 53 wonderkid forwards.
Despite perhaps having the weakest squad in their group in terms of mental fortitude, Ecuador can’t be written off by any means. If they can keep focussed – concentration is a general team weakness – they could surprise a few people.
EGYPT
As far as Egypt are concerned, this World Cup looks like Mohamed Salah’s last hurrah on the international stage. The legendary left-footer arrives in this tournament off the back of his lowest-scoring season at Liverpool. This will also be the end of their charismatic Argentine manager – 74-year-old Ricardo La Volpe.
The Pharaohs are more than just Salah, though. Zizo has had a fantastic Eredivisie season with AZ and is almost as cool at set-pieces as the main man. Ipswich’s tough-tackling wind-up merchant Sam Morsy is the only player in the squad born outside Egypt.
If Egypt have an obvious weakness, it’s that they lack a true international-quality goalkeeper. La Volpe’s all-or-nothing tactics could leave his defences vulnerable to counter-attacks.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Bosnia & Herzegovina did well to top a tough qualifying group that included 2018 runners-up Croatia. In fairness, it probably helped that they had stolen centre-half Josip Šutalo and midfielder Luka Sučić, who were both bronze-medallists at the last World Cup.
The Zmajevi have several physically imposing players with plenty of experience – not least Nemanja Gudelj, who’s at the back end of a long career with Sevilla. Left-back Sead Kolašinac is the most-capped player, though he has lost his starting place to Manchester United youngster Amar Dedić.
While I would personally rate the Bosnians as slight favourites to top Group B, I have a word of caution. Their ageing squad lacks pace and stamina, so their performance levels could drop severely in the sweltering Texas heat.
CANADA vs ECUADOR
(11 June – Vancouver)
Bono might have retired, but replacement keeper Dayne St Clair certainly had ‘the edge’ in the first half of Canada’s opener. St Clair pulled off a couple of tremendous saves to keep Ecuador at bay and keep the scores goalless heading into the second half.
Six minutes after the break, though, St Clair was finally beaten. Teenage mezzala Kendry Páez announced himself onto the world with a brilliant strike from the edge of the area, silencing the home fans…
…until a Norwegian colossus drew Canada level on 73 minutes. Odd centre-back Sondre Solholm Johansen (no, he isn’t odd; he plays for them) headed home from Stephen Eustáquio’s corner – and the co-hosts never looked back. Marcelo Flores’ daisy-cutter and then Omar Marmoush’s blistering free-kick broke Ecuadorian hearts and sealed a hard-fought 3-1 home win.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA vs EGYPT
(11 June – Houston)
This wasn’t a great game at all. Both teams wilted in the Houston heat, with Egypt in particular unable to keep their shots on target (maybe Mohamed Salah’s legs have finally gone). Bosnia looked rather likelier to score, but even then, Mahmoud Gad was never seriously tested in the Pharaohs’ goal.
Honestly, I could just post up the ‘highlights’ from the Egypt match in “Mike Bassett: England Manager”, and that would sum it up. So here you go.
CANADA vs EGYPT
(15 June – Vancouver)
Egypt’s second match was rather more entertaining than their first. Canada were probably expecting them to serve up another bore draw, as they dozed off for the first five minutes, and left wing-back Ahmed Aboul Fotouh took full advantage. 1-0 to the Pharaohs!
Frankly, Canada were lucky things didn’t get worse before half-time, as keeper Maxim Crépeau brilliantly denied target forward Mostafa Mohamed a second Egyptian goal from close range. That save was especially telling when the Canucks equalised eight minutes after the break. Ferdi Kadıoğlu’s brilliant right-wing delivery picked out Lille striker Jonathan David, who finished as coolly as ice hockey ace Connor McDavid.
Canada’s fighting spirit was on display again, as Solholm Johansen headed in another Eustáquio corner to complete another turnaround. Egypt had crumbled like their ancient empire, and the Vancouver crowd would soon be celebrating a 2-1 home win. Canada were safely through with one group game to spare!
ECUADOR vs BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
(15 June – Houston)
Ecuador were miles the better team here. They were more comfortable on the ball, and they had plenty of creativity and penetration from the wings… but the strikers just couldn’t finish. At half-time, Bosnia & Herzegovina – coached by the former Aston Villa hotshot Savo Milošević – remained on course to grind out another goalless stalemate.
Bosnia’s right-back had other ideas. Shortly after Jordy Caicedo wasted what was probably Ecuador’s fourth sitter of the match, Jusuf Gazibegović stunned La Tri with a vicious strike that crashed in off the woodwork! Seven minutes into the second half, the Zmajevi had gone ahead against the run of play!
Ecuador huffed and puffed as they tried to break the resilient Bosnians down. Finally, in the first minute of stoppage time, substitute midfielder Oscar Zambrano broke through with their lucky 13th shot of the match. While they perhaps deserved more than a 1-1 draw, they were at least off the mark.
CANADA vs BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
(19 June – Vancouver)
Having already won Group B, Canada could now afford to take it easy before the knockout rounds. By contrast, Bosnia & Herzegovina needed a victory to secure their progression, and they started brightly. Ermedin Demirović even had the ball in the Canadian net after 26 minutes, but he was miles offside from Dedić’s through-ball.
At the other end, Canada had one massive chance in the first half, but Eustáquio’s shot was superbly blocked by Gazibegović. They were more potent five minutes after the break, when left-winger Liam Millar broke the deadlock – albeit with a helpful deflection. That was all the Canucks needed for a 1-0 win, and a perfect record in Group B.
Unfortunately, Bosnia’s profligacy in front of goal – particularly against Canada’s inspired goalkeeper St Clair – had left their fans pining for the retired Edin Džeko. The only result that could send the Zmajevi through now was a 0-0 draw between Egypt and Ecuador.
EGYPT vs ECUADOR
(19 June – Houston)
As it transpired, a resurgent Mo Salah had already seen to that. The Liverpool legend helped himself to THREE goals in the first 22 minutes to stun Ecuador – and put Egypt in pole position to reach Round 2. The goal you’re seeing below is the one that secured his hat-trick:
Ecuador’s misery only heightened when Zambrano tripped Egypt wing-back Karim El Eraki in the penalty area just before half-time. Zambrano narrowly escaped a second yellow, and he could only watch on as Salah buried the penalty for his FOURTH goal of the afternoon!
There were no doubts about Egypt’s continued progress now, but they didn’t let up after the half-time break. Ibrahim Adel banged in another goal 90 seconds from the restart, completing a royally impressive 5-0 whitewash.
As Salah and Marmoush celebrated their respective teams’ successes, Ecuador went home with their tails between their legs – their tight defence having been blown to smithereens. Bosnia still had a slim chance of progressing, but two points would surely not be enough.
So it’s delight for the American and Canadian co-hosts, but Uzbekistan and Ecuador are the first two teams to say their goodbyes.
I’ll be back on Wednesday for Groups C and D, where we’ll see what Mexico are made of – and find out whether the Netherlands can possibly survive without half their team!
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