sport news The 10 group games you MUST watch at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar trends now

The Premier League season has drawn to a close and, typically, attention would be turning to a summer feast of football.

While the wait for the World Cup is a little longer than usual, the build-up to this year's tournament in Qatar has nonetheless begun in earnest.

By the time the new domestic campaign kicks-off on August 6, there will be just over three months to go before the talking stops and the action on the pitch begins.

For fans of the global showpiece, there will be plenty to tuck in to in the group stage, which gets underway on November 21. Four matches are due to be played each day - at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm here in Britain - through to December 2.

With the draw having been done to much fanfare in Doha in April, we now know who will be playing who. And when.

So what are the matches to look out for over the 12 days of group stage action? Here, Sportsmail runs the rule over the games you simply cannot miss. 

Senegal v The Netherlands - Monday November 21, 10am BST

The two sides meet in a fascinating contest to open this year's World Cup, which often sets the tone for the rest of the tournament. 

And who doesn't love the weird and wonderful opening ceremony, which will take place before this fixture? 

The game itself pits two Liverpool stars against each other as Sadio Mane is expected to line up for African champions Senegal, while Virgil van Dijk is set to marshal the Dutch defence.

Senegal will be hoping for a repeat of the last time they featured in the World Cup curtain-raiser, when they stunned then defending champions France 1-0 in 2002.

A similar result would not be as much of a surprise. At the time of writing, The Netherlands are just 10 places ahead of Senegal, who lifted the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in February, in the FIFA rankings, making for what promises to be an intriguing game.

France v qualifier (Australia/UAE/Peru) - Tuesday November 22, 7pm

While all of France's opponents are not yet known, their opening fixture in Group D will provide the opportunity to get an early look at the defending champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites.

France will arrive in Qatar under serious pressure back home to become the first team to retain the famous trophy since Brazil clinched consecutive World Cups in 1958 and 1962.

All eyes will be on the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba as they make their entrance onto the Qatar 2022 stage.

It will also be their first appearance at a major tournament since their dreams of adding the European title to their World Cup came crashing down at the hands of Switzerland at Euro 2020 last year. 

The defeat sparked an inquest in the country and triggered drama involving some players' wives, while there were reports of serious unrest in the dressing room.

France are always one to look out for at these tournaments - on and off the field - and that is unlikely to change in Qatar. 

Brazil v Serbia - Thursday November 24, 7pm

There are fewer countries on the planet who take the World Cup as seriously as Brazil.

Their first outing in Qatar will no doubt be watched by tens of millions in the feverish South American country, all of whom will be dreaming of a first World Cup triumph in two decades.

Serbia represent tricky opponents for Brazil. They topped their qualification group, with six wins and two defeats from their eight matches, and sealed their spot in style, beating Portugal to secure an automatic berth and consign Cristiano Ronaldo's side to the dreaded play-offs.

The Serbians, who have failed to get out of their group on their last three World Cup appearances, boast the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in their ranks. The Lazio midfielder could be a Premier League player by the time competition in Qatar kicks-off.

For Brazil, who also went unbeaten in qualifying, Neymar will spearhead the front-line, with Liverpool's Alisson, regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, leading the rearguard action for the five-time world champions.

Spain v Germany - Sunday November 27, 7pm

This titanic clash between two footballing powerhouses is arguably the biggest in the entire group stage and needs little introduction. Put simply, 2010 winners Spain will take on the team who took their crown four years later.

It is a repeat of the 2010 semi-final, which Spain won 1-0, and the final of the 2008 European Championship, where the Spaniards triumphed by the same scoreline. The match in Qatar will be their third World Cup meeting.

Germany will be out to avenge the 6-0 hammering they suffered at the hands of Spain in the Nations League in their last encounter in 2020, a result which will no doubt be on the minds of the players when they face off in the Gulf nation. 

The Germans have won eight of their last nine games since the thrashing by Spain, who, at the time of writing, are fourth favourites with the bookies behind England, France and Brazil.

The game could go some way to determine who will top Group E and, in theory, get a kinder draw in the round-of-16.

Portugal v Uruguay - Monday November 28, 7pm 

While Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani will almost certainly not be Manchester United team-mates by the time of this crunch Group H contest, it will nonetheless see two greats of the game go head-to-head on the grandest stage.

The fact both Portugal and Uruguay's lines will be led by players with a combined age of 72 says more about Ronaldo and Cavani's longevity, and ability to perform at the highest level, than a

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