https://www.nytimes.

com/live/2022/04/01/sports/world-cup-draw

Certainty at last. Now comes the hard

part.
April 1, 2022, 4:52 p.m. ET

Rory Smith

Louis van Gaal said it all with just the hint of a playful smile. The Netherlands’ draw for the World
Cup was not easy, he said, with his characteristic bluntness, and nor was it lucky. It was, instead,
“colorful.” That was a better word. Ecuador’s sunshine yellow, Qatar’s rich maroon, Senegal’s deep
green and that blazing Dutch orange: colorful. Consider Spain and Germany, for example, drawn
together early on in Group E. Their encounter will mark the end of the tournament’s first week; it is
the only time two of the anticipated contenders to win the competition, to be crowned world
champion, will meet in the opening phase. Both seemed to have drawn the short straw. And then the
balls kept on rolling and the names kept on coming and it turned out that both had, in fact, landed
on their feet. Japan will be no pushover, and whichever of Costa Rica or New Zealand fills out the
group will hardly be content to go quietly. Then it could be France, the reigning champion, in the
quarterfinals. Whatever lies beyond that may not be immediately relevant. There will, of course, be
some teams who are pleased with their fates: France, certainly, should have little trouble with
Denmark and Tunisia and one of Peru, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The two South
American contenders, Brazil and Argentina, will be confident, too. Even the United States should
not be too displeased.

Hoàng Mai Khôi

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