Qatar

Qatar started with real hope and ended up bottom of Group B, beaten by their leaky defense.

This was their first World Cup earned on merit, after they were handed a spot as hosts in 2022 and lost all 3.

And the opening night was genuinely promising, a 1-1 draw against group winners Switzerland.

For one game it looked like they truly belonged, and many fans dared to dream.

Then it fell apart, with a brutal 0-6 loss to co-host Canada that ripped their goal difference apart.

The final game brought a 1-3 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, so they leaked goals right to the end.

Across 3 games they conceded 10, and you simply cannot survive a World Cup group giving that away.

Akram Afif, a 2-time Asian Player of the Year, gave them moments, and Almoez Ali is their all-time top scorer.

Big-name coach Julen Lopetegui, who has managed Spain and Real Madrid, could not fix the defense in time.

The mood is deflated, because that opening draw hinted at so much more than 1 point and last place.