Six EFL Championship stars who could shine at the 2022 World Cup
Wales have the greatest representation in the Championship - and the rest of the EFL - with 12 players in their squad coming from either the second division or Leagues One and Two.
In total, 26 players from the second tier of English football will be travelling to Qatar. Flashscore has picked out six that could excel on the biggest stage.
Connor Roberts - Burnley & Wales
The wingback was recently in the Premier League with Burnley but has been plying his trade in the Championship following their relegation last season.
While Roberts has had to share his minutes following the arrival of Vitinho from Cercle Brugge, he has still played 19 times already this season and started 71% of his games. He has scored once and provided two assists for the club that sits top of the league, losing just two games.
Roberts has also been a mainstay in the national team after taking over from Welsh hero Chris Gunter. He has featured 41 times for Wales and will hope to be part of another fairytale story in Qatar.
He also has quite the story of his own, bouncing back from falling seriously ill with pneumonia at the start of the year.
Iliman Ndiaye - Sheffield United & Senegal
Ndiaye has set the second tier alight with his performances so far this season by scoring nine times aged just 22. His record puts him joint-first in the scoring charts alongside veterans like Scott Hogan and Jay Rodriguez, as well as other talent muted for a Premier League transfer, such as Ben Brereton-Diaz.
While Ndiaye has only played twice for Senegal so far, his inclusion in the World Cup squad hints that there is a big future to come for the young forward. With the injury to key attacker Sadio Mane opening up a slot in attack, Ndiaye could grasp the opportunity with both hands should he be given the chance.
Jewison Bennette - Sunderland & Costa Rica
Bennette is a lesser-known player to fans of English football, but already an important part of the Costa Rica national side and a very promising talent attracting interest from some of Europe's biggest sides - most recently Valencia as reported by Spanish media outlet El Gol Digital.
The winger only turned 18 in June but has already played seven times for Costa Rica, scoring twice from the left wing. Notably, both his goals came in a 2-2 draw against South Korea in September which sets him up nicely heading into the World Cup.
Bennette has also played well in his appearances off the bench for Sunderland this season, including scoring a dramatic late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Watford.
Antoine Semenyo - Bristol City & Ghana
Ghana have built an exciting squad going into the World Cup, recruiting players to their team like Tariq Lamptey and Inaki Williams. Semenyo is another talent that could play a big part for the African nation.
The attacker can play across the front line and has scored three times in the Championship this season despite struggling with injury during the early parts of the campaign.
His form last season is also cause for excitement after he scored eight goals and provided 12 assists in just 31 appearances. Semenyo also netted from the bench for Ghana in their World Cup warm-up friendly against Switzerland, with the Black Stars winning 2-0.
Ilias Chair - QPR & Morocco
One of the standout performers in the Championship this season, Chair has contributed nine goals already in a QPR side looking to push for the playoffs.
The Moroccan winger has the joint-most assists in the league with six, as well as three goals. He has played 10 times for Morocco already and will be part of a host of attacking talent looking to make an impact in Qatar.
Chair will play alongside the likes of Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea and Youssef En-Nesyri of Sevilla as he looks to translate his club form to the national team.
Ismaila Sarr - Watford & Senegal
Perhaps the most obvious inclusion on the list, Sarr is a level above the Championship but has stayed with Watford on their return to the second tier. The winger has scored six times already this season - including a strike from his own half against West Brom - while also setting up three goals.
Sarr has played 40 times for Senegal and scored 10 goals, form which he will look to continue in Qatar. As with Ndiaye, the injury to Mane means that Sarr could step up and fill in a huge gap in the Senegal attack.
Honourable Mentions:
Hannibal Mejbri (Birmingham & Tunisia), Josh Sargent (Norwich & USA), Olivier Ntcham (Swansea & Cameroon), Riley McGree (Middlesbrough & Australia)
