World Cup Group Stage Preview

Previewing all 12 World Cup groups

We’ve made it; the World Cup is only a few short days away from kicking off in North America.

I have previewed all 48 teams participating in this World Cup, so now it’s time to break down the group stage.

Since I’ve already given a lot of background on each team, this preview will focus more on how each team matches up against its respective group. The group stage should be interesting, but because the World Cup has expanded to 48 teams, it’s really not that difficult to make it to the knockout stage.

I’ve decided to break it down into a couple of different categories that hopefully make sense: Favorite, Contender, Underdog, and No Chance. All of these categories apply to each group, not necessarily to the tournament overall.

Here is what I mean by each of these:

Favorite: Who I think is going to win the group

Contender: If things bounce their way, they can win their group, but will more than likely qualify for the knockout stage

Underdog: Long shot to win the group (more than likely the third-place finisher), and it’s up in the air whether or not they’ll make the knockout stage.

No Chance: Absolutely no chance of winning the group and will be a long shot to make it to the knockout stage.

Not every group will have one of each of these; some groups may have two contenders or two underdogs, etc.

At the end of each group, I have included the results of simulating the group stage 10,000 times using a Monte Carlo simulation based on my international rankings and expected points, the probabilities of finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, and the probabilities of each team advancing to the knockout stage.

Note: Half of this preview is behind a paywall because I wanted to give my paid subscribers something since I made all of my team previews available to the public.

To be clear, I will be writing daily previews during the World Cup: one per week for paid subscribers and the remaining six for everyone.

One matter of opinion before we get started. I am certainly not going to complain about more football matches, but the World Cup's expansion to 48 teams will really reduce the drama of the group stage, making it more of a formality for the top nations.

While this is certainly going to be fun, the real drama will start when we reach the knockout stage.

Group A

Favorite: Mexico

Because Mexico is hosting all three of its group-stage matches, it has a significant edge over both the Czech Republic and South Korea.

The honestly matchup really well with every team in this group because of their versatile style of play. We’ve seen Mexico in CONCACAF dominate possession and tilt the field against opponents. Still, once they get a lead, they are incredibly difficult to break down and can be really effective playing direct from the back.

Since the 2022 World Cup, Mexico has had a +0.87 xGD per 90 minutes, and their average opponent rank, based on my rankings, is 82, which isn’t great.

With that being said, they’ve been incredible under Javier Aguirre since he took over after their group stage exit at Copa America in 2024. They have not lost a non-friendly under his management, and the only two friendlies they’ve lost have been to Paraguay and Colombia.

The worry here for Mexico is the talent level. A lot of their players are playing domestically in Mexico, with very few making the jump to Europe.

With that being said, because they have home-field advantage, they are my favorites to win Group A.

Contender: Czech Republic

The Czech Republic certainly would be the favorite if this were not taking place in Mexico.

They have the physical and aerial advantage over every team in this group. They will use that to their advantage throughout this group, creating passing triangles out wide to find their big man, Patrik Schick, in the box.

The type of team that could give the Czech Republic problems is South Korea. Because the Czech Republic sticks to their man-to-man marking, if you are a team that can play out aggressively from the back by dropping forwards in deep, you can pull them apart.

The Czech Republic posted strong underlying numbers in their qualifying group, but those numbers were inflated by a couple of blowout wins against San Marino. Against the other three teams in their group, they only had a +1.29 xGD.

While they are certainly the most talented and physical team in this group, the Czech Republic can only attack one way effectively, and their defensive performances in the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs against Ireland and Denmark were concerning.

They are certainly capable of winning this group if they are playing from an even or positive game state, because they are not a team built to play from behind.

Contender: South Korea

There is no denying that South Korea has put up really impressive underlying numbers in Asia since the 2022 World Cup.

In their 16 World Cup qualifying matches, they had a +18.03 expected goal differential, and Jordan was the only team to create more than one expected goal against them.

However, based on my rankings, their average rank faced was 101.

As a result, the South Korean FA scheduled additional friendlies against tougher competition to help them prepare for this World Cup.

image via ESPN

When you look at the data from those friendlies (put whatever stock you want on this), it really wasn’t that great.

South Korea Friendly Stats

All data is from Footystats.org & FotMob

South Korea is a team that mainly builds from the back, trying to play through opponents rather than play directly over the top. You will often see them dropping a lot of forwards in deep like this, which can be effective, but they struggle against good low-block defending teams because they lack physicality.

Mexico and the Czech Republic have a massive physical advantage over South Korea, so they really need to be effective with their passing against those two teams, and I think they need to win their match against South Africa; otherwise, they could be shockingly heading for the exits early.

Underdog: South Africa

In a group this wide open, I don’t think you can count out South Africa, even if I have them rated well below the rest of the teams in this group.

Of all the draws they could have gotten, this is the best possible one that South Africa really could have gotten to get out of the group stage.

The problem for South Africa in this group is that they are severely lacking talent compared to the other three teams. Basically, their entire roster is playing domestically in South Africa for the two biggest clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

Hugo Broos has modeled their tactical style on that of Mamelodi Sundowns, who have been dubbed the “Brazilians of Africa” for their tiki-taka style of play. They only build out of the back, consistently overloading the opposition through every phase of buildup. They led the Africa Cup of Nations this winter, averaging 63% possession.

They are likely going to hold a high amount of possession in this group, but the worry is that they may not be able to do anything with it.

The other three teams in this group will be the three best defensive teams they have seen in a really long time. They struggled to play through low blocks at AFCON, so I am not sure they will create many high-quality chances.

They also aggressively press high man-to-man, but are physically well below all three teams, so if they leave themselves exposed on the back line 1 v 1 against the forwards in this group, they are going to get punished.

Group B

Favorite: Switzerland

This is probably the weakest group in the World Cup field, and Switzerland is one of the biggest favorites to win their group.

They may not have the top-tier talent that a lot of the top teams in Europe have, but their tactical foundation and experience across the squad make them so difficult to beat in tournament football.

It’s basically the same squad since the 2020 Euros, but that is not a bad thing.

What makes Switzerland so good is that they are a very versatile team tactically, able to dominate lesser-tier opponents, like the ones they are going to face in this group, or concede a lot of the ball and counterattack bigger teams effectively.

Since the 2022 World Cup, they have only lost one match in regular time, and it was their final match of the Euro Qualifiers when they had already qualified for the tournament, and the match meant nothing to them.

All data is from footystats.org & FotMob

The other three teams in this group have some pretty serious weaknesses, and Switzerland will take advantage of those. I would be utterly shocked if they did not win this group.

Contender: Canada

The way Canada plays makes them live to beat anybody, but they can also lose to anybody.

Jesse Marsch has implemented his Red Bull style of play into the Canadian National team, making them one of the more deadly transition offenses in this tournament.

They showed that at Copa America two summers ago by making it all the way to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions, Argentina.

Canada is reliant on pace and intensity both in and out of possession, which makes them one of the highest-risk/reward teams in this tournament.

They certainly have good transition strikers up top in Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, who are very good at making runs in behind with blistering pace.

However, their aggressive man-to-man pressing leaves them exposed at the back when teams play over the top.

At Copa America last summer, they allowed the most fast-break shots, and a perfect example of their aggressiveness coming back to bite them was in their recent friendly against Uzbekistan. One simple pass from the back after winning the ball, and they were in on goal.

Even though there is a risk of teams hitting them on the counter, they are in a very favorable group with two winnable matches on home soil against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar, in which they will be the favorites in both.

Underdog: Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina took the most dramatic way possible to get here. After finishing second in their qualifying group, they beat both Wales and Italy on penalties to get to their second-ever World Cup.

I have concerns about them in this group, given their style of play. Bosnia and Herzegovina plays extremely direct and is very reliant on set pieces. They do have a physical advantage over Canada and Qatar, but their offensive numbers really weren’t that impressive during qualifying.

They did create 3.38 expected goals against Italy in the final qualifying match. Still, in their other seven qualifying matches (excluding their two matches against San Marino), Bosnia and Herzegovina averaged only 1.19 xG per 90 minutes.

What you will see a lot from them is switching the play to the opposite end of the pitch to create 2 v 1s and then piling a bunch of their big forwards in the box to try to get on the end of a cross.

They are a low-block defending team and can be very difficult to play through, but they are not a team that can control matches, which will be crucial against Qatar and Canada.

No Chance: Qatar

Qatar is basically bringing the same team that dominated on home soil in the 2022 World Cup.

If you remember, since Qatar didn’t have to qualify, they ended their domestic season early, giving their team a full year to train and prepare for the World Cup. Yet they were still dominated by Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands.

They are the 2023 Asian Cup champions, but they were awful in World Cup qualifying. In the third and fourth rounds of qualifying, they posted a -0.55 xGD, making them among the few teams entering this World Cup with a negative expected goal differential.

In addition, Qatar has scored 55 goals from 40.04 xG, so they have drastically overperformed their xG over the last three years.

The problem for Qatar is their talent level and the manager.

All but one of the players on Qatar’s squad is playing domestically in the Qatari Stars League. This is why they struggled so badly in World Cup qualifying and why I think they will get dominated at the World Cup.

I have no faith in Julian Lopetegui because his tactical system does not fit this Qatari team.

Lopetegui’s downfall at West Ham stemmed from his attempt to turn a low-block defensive team into something it was not. He’s tried to implement a possession-dominant system, having Qatar play out from the back and overloading opponents in the first two phases of build-up.

There is absolutely no way they are going to be able to hold possession or play through the three teams in this group. In addition, their physical floor is significantly lower than everyone else in this tournament, so I would be shocked to see Qatar finish anywhere but fourth place.

Group C

Favorite: Brazil

This isn’t the most talented team that Brazil has ever brought to the World Cup, and they really weren’t that impressive during qualifying.

South American qualifying is the most difficult of any confederation, but Brazil, averaging 1.22 xG per 90 minutes with the talent they have up front, is really concerning.

All data is from FotMob

That is why Carlo Ancelotti was brought in before the final four qualifying matches and has certainly improved the Brazilian national team.

They’ve gone from a very strict tactical system under the previous two managers to having, now with Ancelotti, the freedom to play Brazilian football without a stringent tactical system.

You’ll see them in deep build-up, dropping six or seven players in deep to overload the opposition, creating passing triangles to play quick passes through them.

For Brazil at this World Cup, especially in this group, it’s going to come down to how effective their wingers are in 1v1s, because every team in this group will play a low block against them.

Brazil defensively really shouldn’t allow any high-quality chances against the three teams in their group. Their last match against Bolivia was meaningless because they had already qualified for the World Cup. In the other 17 matches, Brazil allowed only a total of 12.14 expected goals.

Contender: Morocco

While there are some concerns about how far Brazil can go at this World Cup, they shouldn’t have any problems winning this group.

Contender: Morocco

If Morocco were in a group with two better teams behind them, they would be one of my picks to have a shocking exit in the group stage.

I have loads of concerns for them coming into this World Cup because, despite their run to the AFCON finals this winter, they really weren’t that impressive.

You can see here that during their run to the finals, they only created over one expected goal from open play twice. In addition, four of Morocco’s goals came from set pieces, and they were awarded three penalties.

All data is from FotMob

Morocco has gone through some turmoil since the Africa Cup of Nations final. Their long-time manager, Walid Regragui, stepped down after the tournament, but Morocco made an internal hire, promoting Mohamed Ouahbi from the Morocco U23 team to the National team.

He’s never managed above the youth level, so this will certainly be an interesting World Cup.

The problem for Morocco was that they really struggled to break down low blocks at AFCON, and that’s exactly what they are going to face when they face Scotland and Haiti.

They are clearly the second-best team in this group, but I don’t see them contending with Brazil.

Underdog: Scotland

Scotland upset Denmark in their World Cup qualifying group to get here, but man, they were less than impressive.

They are one of the few teams coming into this World Cup with a negative expected goal differential since the 2022 World Cup.

Scotland had a really poor showing at the Euros in 2024. They scored twice but created only 0.9 xG, the lowest of anyone in the tournament.

Even during World Cup qualifying, Scotland averaged only 1.56 xG per 90 minutes, ranking 28th among European teams. In addition to that, five of their 13 goals scored came from set pieces.

All data is from Footystats.org.

Scotland is an extremely direct team that is almost entirely reliant on Scott McTominay to score all their goals.

Scotland basically only builds through the wide areas, trying to send crosses into the box. That really isn’t going to work against Brazil or Morocco, so their tournament will come down to their match against Haiti.

Against Brazil and Morocco, you’ll see them in a very low block like this, but I have concerns about how they are actually going to break out of it and actually get off a couple of shots after what we saw at the Euros two summers ago.

No Chance: Haiti

It’s a great story for Haiti to qualify for the World Cup, but there is a reason they are my lowest-rated team in the tournament.

Their style of play kind of works in CONCACAF against smaller Caribbean islands, but they are going to be out of their element in this group. When they played Mexico and the United States at the last two Gold Cups, they were completely dominated, and even in the lead-up to this World Cup, they haven’t challenged themselves in terms of friendlies.

Like Scotland, Haiti is one of the few teams entering this World Cup with a negative expected goal differential since the 2022 World Cup, and it faces an average opponent rank of 106.

When they do see the ball, the real worry is that they actually try to play out of the back. They turned the ball over 40 times on their own end of the pitch in two matches against Costa Rica, so what do you think is going to happen against Brazil and Morocco?

Haiti often falls back into a 4-4-2 defensively, but they can be vulnerable to being hit behind because they play a pretty high defensive line at times.

The real issue for Haiti is that when they fall into a negative game state, things are really going to get out of hand, so unless they pull some stunning upset against Scotland, I don’t see them finishing anywhere but at the bottom of this group.

Group D

Favorite: USA

The United States of America is the most talented team in this group, and, because of their home-field advantage, they are the deserving favorites to win this group.

With that being said, I do not think this group will be a breeze for them, and they better be ready to go to war because Paraguay and Australia are two of the most physical teams in this group.

Now, the United States has actually played both Paraguay and Australia in friendlies in the lead-up to this World Cup, winning both matches pretty convincingly.

In fact, the United States in friendlies were actually pretty impressive up until their recent matches against Belgium and Portugal.

All data is from Footystats.org & FotMob

The question I have for the United States is how effective are they actually going to be breaking down a low block. The last non-friendly where they played a full Starting XI was in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals against Panama, where they failed to score.

In that match, I think you saw a lot of what you’ll see from the United States in the group stage, which is trying to overload the middle to create numerical advantages out wide.

You’ll probably see a lot of ball circulations and switch balls to try and create these types of opportunities because the space is simply not going to be there in the middle.

The United States is a good transition defending team, and they are very physical in their own right, so if they can match the other teams in their group in that respect, they really should be finishing at the top.

Contender: Paraguay

I really think everyone needs to look for Paraguay at this World Cup.

They had a really bad showing at Copa America two summers ago and made a managerial change to Gustavo Alfaro who took them on a magical run over the final 12 World Cup qualifying matches.

All data is from Footystats.org & FotMob

As you can see, the only match they lost was to Brazil. They’ve pulled off wins over the likes of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay along the way to qualify for this World Cup.

They did it by playing extremely organized defense, counterattacking effectively, and being one of the best teams in South America at set pieces.

They play this very compact 4-4-2 with a high defensive line, daring teams to play balls over the top and allowing absolutely nothing through the middle of the pitch.

Since Alfaro took over in Paraguay, they have only allowed 1.00 xG per 90 minutes, and they’ve done so while playing the most difficult schedule of anyone entering the World Cup.

If the United States doesn’t win this group, it will more than likely be because of Paraguay.

Contender: Turkey

The reality of this group is that after the United States, it’s pretty much a coin flip on the other three places.

Turkey is a very interesting case because, after the United States, they certainly have the most talent in this group, but their results in Europe have been less than desirable.

They were one of the worst defensive teams at the Euros two summers ago, allowing the second-highest xG per 90 minutes and the highest xG per shot. They are a passive team by nature, but they really are not good at defending in a low block.

Spain completely picked them apart in both meetings in qualifying, so the second they have to play an elite team, they are going to get dominated.

However, in this favorable group, things could be a little interesting for Turkey. They are possession-dominant, depending on the opponent. Against Paraguay and Australia, they will most likely have the majority of the ball, but my concern with Turkey is whether they can match the other three teams in this group physically.

For Turkey in this group, I think it really comes down to the level of play of two players: Arda Guler and Kenan Yıldız.

Guler is the most talented attacking player in this group, and Yıldız is the best 1v1 dribbler in this group as well.

If Yıldız is playing at a high level and Guler is creating chances like this, Turkey certainly can win this group.

Contender: Australia

Here is the deal with Australia: when you look at their squad, you don’t see a lot of talent; in fact, they are probably one of the least talented teams in this World Cup field.

However, you cannot write off the Aussies, because they are one of, if not the most, physical teams in this entire tournament.

Tactically, they are old school. They line up in a 3-4-3, they play direct balls up to the forward, and they are lethal on the counter.

They love to get the ball from back to front as quickly as possible. This sequence against Indonesia is a good example.

Australia also places a massive emphasis on set pieces, but my worry for them in this group is that they will be facing at least two other very physical teams in the United States and Paraguay.

After losing to the United States in a friendly 2-1, they faced two other CONMEBOL teams, Venezuela and Colombia. They were beaten pretty handily in both of those matches.

In Asian World Cup qualifying, they played many teams like Japan and Saudi Arabia that simply don’t have the physical floor or size compared to the teams they face in their group.

If Australia can make every match and up-and-down battle or defend for their lives, they certainly have a shot, but I would put them a good distance behind Paraguay and Turkey, even if my simulations have it pretty close.

Group E

Favorite: Germany

Germany should have absolutely no problems winning this group. The reason I say that is because they are by far the most tactically diverse team and have by far the most talent in this group.

Julian Naglesmann has turned Germany into a nightmare to face because he’s found the perfect balance between aggression and control.

In this group, they will face three teams that will defend extremely deep against them, as happened in World Cup qualifying. After a shock loss to Slovakia, Germany got their act together and won their remaining five matches, outscoring their opponents 16-1.

All data is from footystats.org & FotMob

The reason finding the perfect balance is key is that it makes you dangerous in any game state.

If Germany gets out to an early lead, they can control a large amount of the ball and pin the opposition in their own final third. If they fall behind, they have the gear to play aggressively and attack passive low blocks like this scenario.

The Ivory Coast will probably be the team to give them the most trouble in this group, but I would be shocked if they did not win this group fairly comfortably.

Contender: Ecuador

I have some concerns about Ecuador, but with a favorable match against Curaçao, they should easily advance from the group stage.

My worry for them is their attack. They are going to be relying on a 38-year-old Enner Valencia to lead their attack and play far too directly to be able to have any sort of control.

With that being said, Ecuador has one the best spines in this tournament. Moises Caicedo sitting in front of Piero Hincapié and William Pacho is about as difficult as it gets in terms of trying to play through the middle of their 4-4-2 low block.

However, I have to mention that Ecuador drastically overperformed during qualifying. They only conceded five goals in 18 matches, but conceded 18.46 expected goals. So they could be experiencing a period of negative regression at the worst possible time.

I really worry that they won't be able to keep up with the offensive prowess of both Germany and the Ivory Coast and could fall to third in this group, but with a defense this talented, they could surprise some people and finish at the top, albeit unlikely.

Contender: Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast has the potential to win this group if everything goes right because they have a lot of talent in their attack.

Yan Diomande is one of the best dribblers on the planet, with Amed Diallo on the opposite end of the pitch, which means the Ivory Coast creates a lot of chances from out wide and sends in a lot of crosses to the box. They did that very effectively at AFCON this winter, having the most headed shots of anyone in the tournament.

The Ivory Coast has also been the best defensive team in Africa over the last few years, allowing only 0.68 xG per 90 minutes.

The problem I see for the Ivory Coast is twofold.

First, they have not played difficult competition in non-friendlies since the 2022 World Cup, as their average opponent rank is 100.

Second, they were one of the most possession-dominant sides at AFCON this winter, holding over 60% of the ball and averaging the most accurate passes per 90 minutes. They will hold a lot of possession against Curaçao and Ecuador, but when they face Germany, can they be effective sitting in a low block and relying on counterattacks?

No Chance: Curaçao

The problem Curaçao has in this group is their talent level, physicality, and tactical setup.

When you look at the talent across this squad, there are some names you may recognize, but the squad's total value is only $28,750,000, which is significantly lower than the other three teams in this group.

All data is from transfermarkt.com

Curaçao also has nowhere near the physical floor of the other three teams in this group because they haven’t played any decent competition in World Cup qualifying or at the Gold Cup outside of Canada.

I included this in my team preview, but go watch their friendly against Australia and try to tell me they will be able to compete with Germany, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast.

Curaçao’s whole tactical system of playing super direct and trying to get the ball into wide areas to send in cross doesn’t work if you can’t win 1 v 1 battles. Therefore, I think they have absolutely no shot in this group, unless they get lucky.

Group F

Favorite: Netherlands

I have the Netherlands projected as the favorite to win this group, but man is it close between them and Japan.

I have some real problems with how Ronald Koeman is managing the national team. They may have made it to the semifinals of the Euros, but it’s not because he’s an elite tactical manager.

When you watch them defensively, Koeman has them playing passively on the front line (because they have forwards that don’t want to press) and then he also wants them to play a high line, which leaves them really exposed to balls in behind.

If you want more evidence of their poor defense, just go watch the highlights of their loss to Austria at the Euros.

Here is my question for the Netherlands: If Austria was able to rip you apart in transition and control the match with their press, what do you think Japan is going to do?

What Koeman really wants to do is overload the middle of the pitch, use a single pivot with a back four, with forwards dropping into the half spaces to play through the opposition, like this example here against England.

The problem this creates is there is nobody other than the wingers attacking the last line of defense. Therefore, when the Netherlands is trying to play through teams their attack centers around through balls with their forwards making runs off the back line.

This system is probably going to work against Tunisia and Sweden, but their match against Japan is going to be really telling on how far they can actually go in this tournament.

Contender: Japan

In terms of upsets at the group stage level, I think Japan has best chance of anyone of topping the favorite.

The Japanese team showed that they are not afraid of anyone at the 2022 World Cup finishing at the top of a group with Spain and Germany. They’ve been the best team in Asia since that World Cup putting up ridiculous underlying numbers.

They are the most aggressive team in this tournament both in and out of possession and are a pain to play against. They were insanely impressive, posting a +25.6 expected goal differential over their 16 qualifying matches, but the average rank of their opponents (based on my rankings) is 122.

They’ve tested themselves in friendlies leading up to this World Cup beating Brazil, England, Ghana, and Scotland along the way.

What makes them so dangerous is not only their aggressive high pressing that can create easy transition opportunities, but the variability in their build up. They love to get a lot of guys around the ball and play quick passes forward to open up the opposition.

Or they can build up in a 4-2 base and create transition opportunities from deep build up.

This is why I have Japan so close to the Netherlands in this group and why I think they are going to upset them.

Underdog: Sweden

There are a lot of question marks with Sweden because in reality, they shouldn’t even be at this World Cup.

They finished at the bottom of their qualifying group with only two points, but because of UEFA allowing the Nations League to give a few teams a route to the knockout playoffs, they beat Ukraine and Poland to get here.

The two questions I have for Sweden are this and if they answer them, they could potentially upset both Japan and the Netherlands.

The first is can Graham Potter get his tactics right? Potter historically doesn’t stick to one tactical system and instead likes to change things up based on the opponent. That’s easy to do at the club level, but at the international level, with so little time to train and prepare, I not sure that is going to work.

The second question I have for Sweden is what kind of production are you going to get up top. Because if Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak can co-exist and play at the level we know they are both capable of, then Sweden can beat anyone in this group.

The problem is, I am not sure what kind of level of production you are going to get from either of them since they both had less than stellar seasons.

No Chance: Tunisia

Here is the problem for Tunisia, they have really impressive underlying numbers and actually didn’t even concede a goal during World Cup qualifying, but when it came time to face elite teams at the Africa Cup of Nations, they were quite bad.

Nigeria destroyed them in the group stage by turning the match into a series of 1 v 1 duels, which Tunisia couldn’t cope with.

Nigeria vs. Tunisia xG

image via FotMob

They are strict build out of the back teams as well, which means they are going to have to play direct at this World Cup and I don’t think they are capable of being effective playing that way.

Tunisia also has a new manager in Sabri Lamouchi who was appointed in January, just six months before the World Cup.

He’s only been in charge for two friendlies, where they kept clean sheets against both Haiti and Canada, but they recently were dominated by Austria.

The talent level on this squad is far below the other three teams in this group, so I think they will be finishing at the bottom.