Not as lucky as the Netherlands in Group A, Germany had to fall into the group of death, with Spain, Japan and the winner of the qualifying match between Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Germany (white shirt) drew 1-1 with Spain in the UEFA Nations League on September 3, 2020 in Stuttgart.
The Netherlands is in group two but only has to share Group A with hosts Qatar, Ecuador and Senegal.
The opponents of the top two teams in Group A in the 1/8 round will be the top two teams in Group B, where the English seed is.
The battle in Group C may also be unbalanced, when Argentina with superstar Lionel Messi is rated higher.
Argentina will have to try to reach the top of the group to avoid the risk of meeting France in the 1/8 round like the 2018 World Cup. But it is not easy for France to top Group D, when Denmark is in high form by reaching the Euro semi-finals.
Mbappe (white shirt) surrounded by Danish players in the 2018 World Cup group stage in Russia.
In Group F, Belgium will meet defending runner-up Croatia, rising team Canada and Morocco.
That match made Brazil worried, but at least they could breathe easy in the group stage, when they only met Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
In the same situation, `European Brazil` Portugal fell into a group that was not too difficult.
World Cup 2022 group division results
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Peru/UAE/Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
The opening match of the 2022 World Cup will take place between Qatar and Ecuador at 5:00 p.m., November 21, 2022, Hanoi time.
See key developments