FIFA World Cup 2022 Power Rankings: USMNT tumble after awful month; Brazil, Argentina the favorites
One of the standout performers of Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph and adding further bewilderment to their failure to reach Qatar this time around. As a result, the world will be denied the chance to see the rapidly-improving box-to-box midfielder at the tournament. Part of their improvement is due to the presence of highly decorated Real Madrid and former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba. On 27 February 2022, FIFA announced a number of sanctions impacting Russia's participation in international football. Russia was prohibited from hosting international competitions, and the national team had been ordered to play all home matches behind closed doors in neutral countries. The next day, however, FIFA decided to suspend Russia from international competitions "until further notice", including its participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. FIFA's six continental confederations organise their own qualifying competitions. The position for the team within the group would then ...