In two weeks, Gareth Southgate will announce his 26-man squad to travel to Qatar and mount England’s FIFA World Cup campaign. With 55 players currently in the provisional World Cup squad for England, players are now vying to put their best foot forward in the English Premier League in order to make the cut. For West Ham, however, it’s not just the English squad that players are looking to be selected in—a range of international stars could feature in the World Cup
As Many as Nine West Ham Players Could Feature in Qatar
Over the past few years, West Ham have been active in the transfer market.
The result has seen West Ham grow in Premier League stature, improving their form and subsequently acquiring a number of international stars. This has led to the club having a diverse range of players representing other countries, which could see West Ham featuring in multiple teams come the FIFA World Cup in late 2022.
Despite Jamaica, Czech Republic and Italy failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022, which would have featured some of the top international players from West Ham, it is still looking like as many as nine West Ham players could be on the field across November and December for their respective nations.
England and France Most Likely to Draw On West Ham Players
Four players from West Ham are looking likely to be called into the England and France squads later this month when announcements are made.
Playing in Group B, England will have their initial pool matches against Wales, Iran and the USA. The side have consistently called upon West Ham captain Declan Rice, whose work in the midfield has seen him become a regular for England over recent years. There’s also a good chance Jarrod Bowen will be retained by England, having made his debut this June.
France, on the other hand, plays Denmark, Tunisia and Australia in their pool games. Alphonse Areola and Kurt Zouma are the two West Ham players in contention for the French national side, with the goalkeeper a regular, and Zouma having recently played three of the side’s qualifying matches.
Other World Cup Teams That May Feature Hammer’s Stars
Looking beyond these two football superpowers, there may also be West Ham players scattered across other World Cup squads.
Lucas Paqueta has already received a call-up for the Brazilian team, while Pablo Fornals is an outside chance to feature for Spain. Germany could also pick Thilo Kehrer, while Nayef Aguerd and Nikola Vlasic could play against each other for Morocco and Croatia in Group F.
Once these squads are announced, a whole range of betting markets will open for the FIFA World Cup around player performance. These present both fun and lucrative opportunities to bet on which West Ham players will score or perform well in the World Cup—but getting the right betting tips is essential for these bets. A website such as Betting.com presents excellent information on different players to inform such punts and will help transform you into a betting pro ahead of the World Cup.
Tune in late October to see which West Ham players will be active on the big stage at the FIFA World Cup this year.
Photos by Unsplash
