By Victor Kanayo
The United States of America team have become the first to officially make their way into Qatar, venue of 2022 World Cup.
Among the first players to touchdown in Doha were representatives from USA with several members of Gregg Berhalter’s Group B aspirants arriving at Hamad International Airport on Thursday evening.
Like several national team managers, Berhalter announced his squad for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup this week, naming 26 players on his roster to challenge England, Wales, and Iran throughout the group phase.
The USA – a co-host of the FIFA World Cup in 2026 – will feature at their 11th FIFA World Cup in 2022, with their best result in the tournament coming in the inaugural edition in Uruguay in 1930 when they finished third.
Jesus Ferreira, Sean Johnson, Aaron Long, Jordan Morris, Walker Zimmerman, Kellyn Acosta, DeAndre Yedlin, Cristian Roldan and Shaq Moore were among the first batch of FIFA World Cup stars to set foot in Qatar, and they will be joined by hundreds more over the coming days as the 32 participating nations get set to pursue world football’s greatest prize.
Berhalter cannot wait for USA’s FIFA World Cup quest to commence.
“We believe we have a talented group, a strong team spirit, and one that is ready to compete. We are extremely proud and honoured to represent the United States and appreciate all the amazing support from our fans in Qatar,” he said.
Berhalter and the USA can expect rousing support in Doha.
Behind Qatar, residents from the USA have purchased the most tickets for the tournament.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the football world had been thrilled over the past week, watching on as coaches revealed their squads to contest world football’s biggest event.