Group G, which consists of Germany, Portugal, United States, and Ghana, was dubbed this World Cup’s “Group of Death” as soon as the draw was announced. However, Group G might actually be the 3rd toughest group: Group B and Group D also have legitimate claims for the “Group of Death” claim.
This depends upon how the toughness of a group is gauged: the group with the highest average team rating, or the group that is the “deepest”? Per ESPN’s Soccer Power Index, the highest average rating is found in Group B, the second highest is Group D’s, and then Group G follows in third. In the case of Group B, the first three teams are stacked: at least one of Spain, Chile, or Netherlands will not advance. However, Australia has the second-lowest rating of the tournament (Algeria is last).
If you consider “toughness” by how deep the groups are, Group D has the second highest average rating, and also has the highest rating for its “worst” team. Costa Rica trails Uruguay, England, and Italy (again, at least one of these teams will not advance), but would be the second-best team in Group A, and third-best in Groups C, F, and H. By this measure, Group G is the second-toughest “Group of Death”, as Ghana is no lightweight either.
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