2022 FIFA World Cup – Group E details, prediction and broadcast details

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Streaming Info, Germany, Spain, Costa Rica, Japan, 2022 FIFA World Cup

For all intents and purposes, it looks like the battle for top spot in Group E will be between Spain and Germany. However, could Japan, or even Costa Rica potentially upset the odds?

On paper, Group E looks pretty straightforward in terms of who is expected to qualify for the knockout rounds. Two of the eight prior World Cup winners - Spain and Germany - are in this quartet, and will be hoping to make amends on the biggest stage after disappointing in recent years. Meanwhile, Japan have posted some impressive results in recent friendlies, while Costa Rica are no strangers to pulling off upsets. Here's a quick look at who's who in Group E.

Team Descriptions: Who's who in Group E

Spain: Although typically dominant in possession during qualifiers as they topped their group by four points, Spain really struggled for goals, with just 15 scored in eight matches. Barcelona's Ferran Torres had four of the team's efforts, followed by Alvaro Morata, who will be desperate to prove himself after a string of disappointing showings on the international stage over the past few years.

Last summer, however, they did make it to the semi-finals at the rescheduled EURO 2020 tournament, which was their first appearance at that stage for the first time in 2012, while they featured in the UEFA Nations League final in 2021, albeit they ultimately lost to France. Key for Spain will be how Luis Enrique figures out his best starting XI and which tactics to deploy as they are still very much a team in progress, but if he can get the issues of scoring goals sorted, La Furia Roja really could have a strong showing in Qatar.

Germany: Germany are the most recent victims of the winner's curse, having won the World Cup in 2014 but crashing out in the group stages in 2018. Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick, who led die Roten to an unprecedented sextuple in 2020, has been in charge of the team since Joachim Löw's departure after EURO 2020. Under his tutelage, Germany became the first team to secure qualification (not including hosts Qatar who qualified automatically) after finishing top of their group, and with a core group comprised of experienced Bayern Munich players, it will be interesting to see if Flick can replicate the same success he enjoyed with die Roten on the world's biggest footballing stage.

Japan: To date, Japan have never gotten past the round of 16, and in fact, have alternated between group stage exits and round of 16 departures in their past seven World Cup appearances since making their debut in 1998. If one uses that as an indicator, then, unfortunately for Hajime Moriyasu's men, they look set to be making another early exit after qualifying for the round of 16 four years ago. Safe to say, Japan, who enjoyed a very successful qualifying process, will face an uphill battle to get out of a group in which Spain and Germany are expected to be the ones battling for the number one spot.

Costa Rica: Los Ticos are in their third consecutive World Cup, and only secured qualification this past June by beating New Zealand in a play-off. Eight years ago, they really upset the odds and topped their quartet, and showed their mettle during qualifiers. Initially, they won just two of their first eight qualifying matches, but then went six games sans defeat once 2022 rolled around, including a stunning win over the USMNT in their final match. However, Luis Suarez's side had to secure their spot here the hard way, successfully navigating their way through tricky play-off ties against New Zealand to earn their ticket to Qatar.

Must-Watch Games in Group E

Germany vs Japan: Many eyes will be on this match, and the pressure naturally will be on Germany to get their World Cup campaign off to a good start after a disasterous showing four years ago. Die Mannschaft will obviously look to pick up a win as they will likely be battling with Spain for top spot in Group E, and as such, it will be important to ensure they can kick off proceedings on the right foot. Meanwhile, Japan, who are not expected to progress despite a solid qualifying campaign, could make a huge step towards potentially upsetting the odds should they earn at least a point from this match.

Spain vs Costa Rica: Like Germany, Spain will look to get out of the blocks quickly, and first up for La Furia Roja will be a tie against Costa Rica. Spain have worked hard to try to redeem themselves after a bumpy period, and while not everyone views La Furia Roja as outright favorites to win it, this squad, with a mix of veterans and youth, could potentially make a deep run this year in Qatar as they hope to win their first major title in 10 years.

Spain vs Germany: This will be one of the biggest matches of the group stage, and given that it takes place on matchday two, the much-anticipated clash between two of Europe's biggest teams on November 27th will be one not to miss. In addition, this match looks likely to decide who finishes top of Group E and who will head into the round of 16 as runners-up.

Key Players: Who could make an impact for their teams?

Spain: Pedri

Pedri might only be 19 years old, but there are already a lot of expectations of the Barcelona youngster. Last year saw him make his big debut at a senior tournament, and far from being a fringe player, the then-18-year-old played in over 600 minutes for Luis Enrique's side, and thus earned himself a spot in the team of the tournament. As such, he will certainly secure a spot in the starting XI this year in Qatar, and with 14 appearances so far, could even grab another huge milestone - by scoring his first goal.

Germany: Kai Havertz

The 23-year old gets his fair share of criticism from frustrated Chelsea fans due to his failure to perform in matches at a consistent level, but the former Leverkusen man does have a knack for scoring big goals. Whether it be the game winner to earn Chelsea their second Champions League title in 2021, or the penalty to earn them the Club World Cup in February 2022, or most recently, netting a decisive goal against Red Bull Salzburg to ensure Chelsea qualified for the round of 16, he will hope to continue that trend as he makes his first ever appearance for die Mannschaft at the World Cup this year. With Timo Werner now ruled out of the tournament, Havertz could very likely be deployed as Germany's main man in attack, so the stage is set for him to prove his doubters wrong as to his abilities.

Japan: Takumi Minamino

The 27-year-old failed to make Japan's squads for the 2014 and 2018 editions, but will be looking to make a big splash at his first World Cup in Qatar. Minamino, who plays his club football for Monaco, was the joint-top goal-scorer for Japan during qualifiers with 10 goals, and so far has netted 17 times in 43 appearances for the Blue Samurai. Despite failing to nail down a consistent spot in the starting XI during his time at Liverpool, Minamino is nonetheless a quality player and will be determined to show his worth as Japan aim to overcome the odds to get out of a tough group.

Costa Rica: Keylor Navas

Experienced shot-stopper Keylor Navas was huge in Costa Rica's impressive run in 2014, and now, the 35-year-old, who could be featuring in his last World Cup, will hope to help Los Ticos as they will face a tough battle to get out of this group. Navas has been unfortunately displaced as the no. 1 shot-stopper at PSG by Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma, but still put in a good shift for Costa Rica with eight clean sheets during qualifiers. A two time recipient for CONCACAF goalkeeper of the year, Navas is no stranger to putting in good shifts on the biggest stages, having won three Champions League titles during his time with Real Madrid.

Group E Prediction: Who will progress and who will be leaving early?

Germany and Spain are the two most recent World Cup winners (besides reigning champions France) and despite both teams having made early exits at past tournaments, this time around, die Mannschaft and La Furia Roja are expected to progress to the next stage. Arguably, it looks like it will be a battle between these two European powerhouses for top spot.

Meanwhile, although Japan do have quite a solid squad, with many players playing in Europe's biggest leagues, it appears to be a bridge too far for the Blue Samurai to get out of a very tough group. Finally, Costa Rica did upset the odds in 2014 to finish top of a quartet containing three World Cup winners: Uruguay, Italy, and England. However, four years later, they exited at the group stages, with just one point and it's safe to assume that Los Ticos could find things equally difficult in Qatar.

All in all, here's how we expect Group E to shape up:

1. Spain

2. Germany

3. Japan

4. Costa Rica