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This is a team with a robust defense and a match-winning creator in Christian Eriksen; that is a formula for serious success. Shouts for Pefok's inclusion were loud prior to this window and should be even louder now. After winning the Golden Boot in the Swiss League last year, he has scored four goals in eight games across all competitions for Union Berlin, who sit atop the Bundesliga standings. He might not be the system fit Berhalter is looking for, but that logic is hard to defend when the players who supposedly fit the system are continuously ineffective. Sergino Dest is a lock to start at the World Cup, but there is plenty of competition for places behind him in the depth chart.Silvestre Szpylma/Quality Sport Images/Getty ImagesAssuming full fitness, Dest and Robinson will start on the right and left, respectively.

Neither of them figures to be in line for meaningful playing time, unless injuries force the issue. Pulisic, Reyna, Weah and Aaronson are all obvious inclusions who will have important roles to play as either starters or impact subs -- if healthy. All four have dealt with injuries in the past year and they've never all appeared in the same game. Those four, plus Adams, are all safe bets to be on the roster, while Brenden Aaronson and Giovanni Reyna can also contribute in midfield. The wild card is Tillman, whose inclusion will likely be determined by some combination of roster makeup and injuries. There could be six slots here, depending on how many wingers or center-backs are selected.

Amnesty International has sent an open letter co-signed by other human rights organizations to Infantino, asking football’s international governing body to designate at least $440 million to compensate migrant workers. Scally played just 31 minutes during the window and did not contribute during qualifying, but he made a positive impact when coming on for Yedlin against Saudi Arabia. His ability to play on the left or right would be a vital asset, and even though he's just 19, Scally has more appearances in top-five European league games in the past two seasons than anyone else in the player pool. Vines got the start against Japan and has been playing well in Belgium, but he probably didn't do enough to get into the final 26.

Concerns have been raised about the rights of members of the LGBT community who attend the tournament, as homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and also punishable by death for Muslims under Sharia. After Qatar was chosen as host, Blatter was criticised for jokingly telling a reporter inquiring about these concerns that gay attendees "should refrain from any sexual activities". On 7 June 2015, Phaedra Almajid, the former media officer for the Qatar bid team, claimed that the allegations would result in Qatar not hosting the World Cup. In an interview published on the same day, Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, stated that "should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled."

Lionel Scaloni may not be committed to unleashing his attacking talent en masse but instead, he has a side that are hard to break down, keep the ball well and get the best out of Lionel Messi. The hulking presence of the Nations League on the international calendar serves to confuse matters somewhat. In years gone by friendly meetings between the best of Europe and South America were a rite of passage pre-tournament. Depending on how Berhalter structures the roster, Morris and/or Arriola will also go among the final picks.

The Guardian estimated that, by the time the competition would be held, without reforms of the kafala system, out of the 2 million-strong migrant workforce up to 4,000 workers could die due to lax safety and other causes. These claims were based upon the fact that 522 Nepalese workers and over 700 Indian workers had died since 2010, when Qatar's bid as World Cup's host had been won, about 250 Indian workers dying each year. Given that there were half a million Indian workers in Qatar, the Indian government said that was quite a normal number of deaths. The Guardian reported last year that 6,500 migrant workers had died in the country in the 10 years following Qatar’s successful bid to host the tournament in 2010, most of whom were involved in low-wage, dangerous labor, often undertaken in extreme heat.

In May 2019, an investigation by the UK's Daily Mirror newspaper discovered some of the 28,000 workers on the stadiums are being paid 750 Qatari Riyal per month, which is equivalent to £190 per month or 99 pence an hour for a typical 48-hour week. According to a report released in April 2013 by แข่งขันบอลโลก Merrill Lynch, the investment banking division of Bank of America, the organisers in Qatar have requested FIFA to approve a smaller number of stadiums due to the growing costs. Bloomberg.com said that Qatar wishes to cut the number of venues to eight or nine from the twelve originally planned.