Mexico – Poland

Mexicans will be closer to winning the first match at the tournament

Teams from four continents were drawn in Group C of the World Cup. Argentina represent South America and are the runners-up to the gold medals. Saudi Arabia have been "sent" to the tournament by the Asian confederation and are considered by bookmakers to be the weakest team with the least chance of winning the title. The two first-round opponents in Doha, Mexico and Poland, form the centrepiece of quartet C, being direct play-off contenders and with roughly equal chances of making the play-offs. The bookmakers could not pick a favourite either, offering equal odds on the opponents. The Mexican national team entered the battle for a ticket to the Mundial in the third round of selection in the CONCACAF zone. In a group of eight remaining contenders, the Mexicans have picked up two thirds of the possible points, conceding just eight times in 14 meetings. That was enough to finish second behind the sensational Canadians and qualify for the tournament in Qatar. The Mexicans had a productive preparatory campaign in the autumn, playing six friendlies with mixed success. In straight sets, Mexico beat Iraq 4-0 in November and lost 1-2 to Sweden. Poland's path to the World Cup's main tournament was the most difficult of the participants in Group C. In Group I of the European qualifying campaign, the Poles expectedly lost to Great Britain, but second place allowed them to head to the playoffs. Russia's disqualification delegated Poland directly to the final tie, with Sweden as their opponents. Second-half goals from Lewandowski and Zielinski gave Poland a 2-0 lead, securing one of their last tickets to the Mundial. In the second half, Poland played in the Liga A of the Nations League, retaining their place in the division. As the World Cup opener between Qatar and Ecuador demonstrated, character comes first in these early games. Mexico are the team that has never had any problems with their attitude and focus on results. It's a good bet that the North American side will be closer to victory.