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Players will travel to Qatar in November to participate in the biggest football extravaganza on earth - the FIFA World Cup. The competition begins on 20 November when the hosts take on Ecuador, and the final takes place on 18 December. It is the first time the competition will take place during a domestic season, and it will be interesting to see its repercussions on domestic league football.
Group A consists of Qatar, Senegal, the Netherlands, and Ecuador, and they will kick off the tournament. Mentioned below are the most capped active players from each team. Naturally, these footballers have accomplished a lot during their careers to hold such a record for their country.
#1 Hassan Al-Haydos - Qatar - 168 caps
Hassan Al-Haydos is the current captain of the national team and Qatar's most-capped player ever with a whopping 168 caps. He primarily plays as a forward and is one of the country's most influential performers on the pitch.
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He won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with the team and the Gulf Cup of Nations in 2014. Al-Haydos will now be captaining his country in their first appearance at a World Cup.
Al-Haydos began his career in 2007 and has spent the entirety of it at Al Sadd in the Qatar Stars League. He has won multiple domestic and Asian titles during his time at the club and continues to be a pivotal player for them. At 31, Al-Haydos still has a few years left at the top of the game, but November will bring one of the highlights of his career and something he will treasure forever.
#2 Enner Valencia - Ecuador - 74 caps
Enner Valencia is Ecuador's most capped active player with 74 appearances and the country's central striker heading into the World Cup. Currently 32, Premier League fans will know him well from his stints at West Ham United and Everton.
In 2020 Valencia signed for the Turkish team Fenerbahce, for whom he has continued to excel and score goals. He has tallied 39 goals and 14 assists for the club in 87 games.
This will probably be Valencia's final appearance at a World Cup, and he will look to help his team progress from a tricky group. Valencia at his peak was known for his pace and finishing within the box, but as he has grown older he has become more of a poacher. With 35 goals to his name, he also happens to be Ecuador's top scorer, so there is plenty of responsibility on his shoulders.
#3 Daley Blind - Netherlands - 94 caps
Daley Blind is the Netherlands' most-capped active player with 94 caps and will likely be heading to the World Cup in November. Blind finished third with the Netherlands at the World Cup in 2014 and has spent most of his domestic career at Ajax. After impressing at the World Cup in 2014, he signed for Manchester United, where he spent four seasons winning various cup titles.
Blind is versatile but mostly operates as a defensive midfielder. At times, he has been used as a full-back and center-back when others have not been available. Currently 32 years old, Blind will be one of the most experienced players for the national team in this World Cup. The Netherlands have an exciting set of players and could be dark horses in this year's tournament.
#4 Idrissa Gueye - Senegal - 95 caps
Idrissa Gueye is the most capped active player for Senegal with 95 games and will be heading to Qatar in November for the World Cup. At 33, Gueye will be part of an experienced group, along with Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mané, who will look to guide the AFCON champions into the tournament.
He returned to Everton earlier in the summer after winning several trophies at Paris Saint-Germain.
Earlier in his career, Gueye had plenty of energy and was physically gifted to cover vast distances during a game. Alongside N'Golo Kanté, he was one of the most talented defensive midfielders in the Premier League. As with Kanté, such a role has taken its toll, and he has become injury prone and lost some pace. This will likely be his final major tournament for Senegal, and the Lions of Teranga will look to go deep.
