Group H Overview
Two-time World Cup semi-finalists Portugal are alongside 2018 quarter-finalists Uruguay at the top of Group H.
They are joined by Ghana, competing in their fourth World Cup after missing out four years ago, and South Korea, who have qualified for every World Cup since 1986.
The Favourites: Portugal
Despite being knocked out of the last two major tournaments at the round of 16, Portugal are favourites to win Group H.
Fernando Santos is a safety-first manager with an array of attacking talents in his squad, and he will hope Cristiano Ronaldo can put the messy situation at Manchester United behind him.
Having finished second in their qualifying group, Portugal had to see off Turkey and North Macedonia to reach Qatar. Since then, they have won three, drawn one and lost two in the Nations League.
Portugal are 8/11 to win Group H at Paddy Power.
Uruguay
Uruguay won all of their group matches in Russia four years ago, and then knocked Portugal out in the round of 16 before losing to France in the last eight. They have suffered two quarter-final exits in the Copa América since then.
Veterans Diego Godin, Edinson Cavani, Martín Cáceres and Luis Suárez remain, yet Uruguay are not dependent on post-peak stars.
There is a new generation ready to lead La Celeste in Qatar, with Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez, Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur at the forefront.
Uruguay’s only loss of 2022 came in a friendly with Iran in September. They have conceded two goals in nine matches, winning seven of them.
Uruguay are priced at 2/1 to win Group H with Bet365.
Ghana
Ghana’s best World Cup showing was a quarter-final appearance in 2010, when they were controversially eliminated by Uruguay. They failed to qualify in 2018, following a group-stage exit four years prior.
Despite falling at the round of 16 at the 2019 AFCON and failing to win a match at the 2021 edition, Ghana squeaked past Nigeria in the third round of CAF World Cup qualifying.
The Black Stars are at a talent deficit when they face Uruguay and Portugal, but they have a few quality players of their own in Inaki Williams, Thomas Partey, Tariq Lamptey, and Mohammed Kudus.
Ghana are 3/1 to qualify for the knockout rounds with SpreadEx.
South Korea
Since stunning the world of football by reaching the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup, South Korea have won just three matches across four appearances, and they have only six victories in 34 World Cup fixtures overall.
Paulo Bento’s side are not expected to make it out of the group, but with Heung-min Son confirmed fit, they will at least pose a threat when they get the ball. Napoli’s Kim Min-jae has been superb to start the season too, and will be playing at the heart of defence.
Friendly wins over Iceland, Cameroon, Egypt and Chile earlier this year will have helped to boost the Taegeuk Warriors’ confidence heading to Qatar.
South Korea are 11/4 to finish in the top two of Group H at Boyle Sports.
Schedule and Venues
- 24th November: Uruguay vs South Korea, 1pm, Education City Stadium
- 24th November: Portugal vs Ghana, 4pm, Stadium 974
- 28th November: South Korea vs Ghana, 1pm, Education City Stadium
- 28th November: Portugal vs Uruguay, 7pm, Lusail Iconic Stadium
- 2nd December: South Korea vs Portugal, 3pm, Education City Stadium
- 2nd December: Uruguay vs Ghana, 3pm, Al Janoub Stadium
All odds are subject to change
