The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar is just a few weeks away. This year’s edition will be the first to be held in the Middle East and the first to be held at the end of the calendar year in November and December.
Eight stadiums in the five Qatari cities of Lusail, Al Khor, Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah, and Doha will host the event.
The World Cup draw was held on April 1 and allowed event organizers to set the full group stage schedule, including times and dates.
The knockout stages of the World Cup are predetermined, with the top two teams from each group already assigned slots.
Two initial slots in Group D and Group E were also reserved for the winners of the two intercontinental playoffs. Australia won its first victory by defeating Peru in a penalty shootout. Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 in another intercontinental playoff to secure the 32nd and final spot at Qatar 2022.
How many teams are there in the World Cup?
The 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar will feature 32 teams before the field expands to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup. 32 teams have participated in the FIFA Men’s World Cup since France 1998 for the last six editions.
Along with the host nation Qatar, 31 other countries that got tickets from the regional qualifiers will participate in the tournament. How many nations qualified from each region was predetermined:
- South America (CONMEBOL):– 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
- Oceania (OFC):- 1 playoff qualifier
- North/Central America & Caribbean (CONCACAF):– 3 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
- Europe (UEFA):– 13
- Asia (AFC):– 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
- Africa (CAF):– 5
The four playoff qualifiers listed above participated in two intercontinental playoff matches played in June 2022, each featuring a nation from four different regions. Those matches determined the final two qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup: Asia vs. South America, and North America vs. Oceania.
- Asia vs South America: Australia (third in the Asian qualifying group) defeated Peru (fifth in South America) in a penalty shootout on June 13 to book a place in Qatar. The Socceroos advanced to their fifth consecutive World Cup after beating the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the Asian Confederation play-offs to earn a chance to play Peru.
- North America vs Oceania: Costa Rica (ranked fourth in North America) qualified for the World Cup after defeating New Zealand (Oceania winner) 1-0 on June 14 for a ticket to the finals in Qatar. The Ticos will join Germany, Spain, and Japan in Group E.
The final European World Cup venue was also decided in June. Wales beat Ukraine 1–0 in the single elimination play-off final on 5 June. (Wales and Ukraine reached the final after beating Austria and Scotland respectively.) The final European qualifying spot was pushed into the June window after Ukraine requested a postponement from the original date of March due to the Russian invasion.
When does the World Cup start?
- Group Match: Nov. 20, 2022, Sunday
- World Cup final: Dec. 18, 2022, Sunday
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Sunday – a day earlier than originally scheduled – with hosts Qatar facing Ecuador in their opening Group A match at the Al Beit Stadium.
The final of the World Cup will also be held on Sunday as per tradition. The winner will be presented with the trophy on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
More on World Cup 2022:
Which teams have qualified for the World Cup Qatar?
All 32 teams have been officially selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, along with the host nation. The final two spots were filled by the winners of the intercontinental playoffs on June 13 and June 14.
Apart from the host country Qatar, 13 countries have been selected from Europe, four from South America, four from Asia, five from Africa, four from North America, and Australia, a member of the Asian Federation, has been selected.
The table below features the full 32-team field for the 2022 World Cup, the dates each nation won a berth, and how they did.
| No. | Nation (FIFA Ranking when qualified) | Region | Date Qualified | How Qualified | WC apps | Titles (Last) |
| 1 | Portugal (8) | Europe | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 8 of 22 | — |
| 2 | Germany (12) | Europe | Oct. 11, 2021 | 1st – Grp. J | 20 of 22 | 4 (2014) |
| 3 | Denmark (11) | Europe | Oct. 12, 2021 | 1st – Grp. F | 6 of 22 | — |
| 4 | Poland (26) | Europe | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 9 of 22 | — |
| 5 | France (3) | Europe | Nov. 13, 2021 | 1st – Grp. D | 16 of 22 | 2 (2018) |
| 6 | Belgium (2) | Europe | Nov. 13, 2021 | 1st – Grp. E | 14 of 22 | — |
| 7 | Croatia (16) | Europe | Nov. 14, 2021 | 1st – Grp. H | 6 of 22 | — |
| 8 | Spain (7) | Europe | Nov. 14, 2021 | 1st – Grp. B | 16 of 22 | 1 (2010) |
| 9 | Serbia (25) | Europe | Nov. 14, 2021 | 1st – Grp. A | 4 of 22 | — |
| 10 | England (5) | Europe | Nov. 15, 2021 | 1st – Grp. I | 16 of 22 | 1 (1966) |
| 11 | Switzerland (14) | Europe | Nov. 15, 2021 | 1st – Grp. C | 12 of 22 | — |
| 12 | Netherlands (10) | Europe | Nov. 16, 2021 | 1st – Grp. G | 11 of 22 | — |
| 13 | Wales (18) | Europe | June 5, 2022 | Playoff | 2 of 22 | — |
| 14 | Iran (21) | Asia | Jan. 27, 2022 | Top 2 – Grp. A | 6 of 22 | — |
| 15 | South Korea (29) | Asia | Feb. 1, 2022 | Top 2 – Grp. A | 11 of 22 | — |
| 16 | Qatar (51) | Asia | Dec. 2, 2010 | Hosts | 1 of 22 | — |
| 17 | Japan (23) | Asia | Mar. 24, 2022 | Top 2 – Grp. B | 7 of 22 | — |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia (49) | Asia | Mar. 24, 2022 | Top 2 – Grp. B | 6 of 22 | — |
| 19 | Australia (42) | Asia | June 13, 2022 | Intercont’l Playoff | 6 of 22 | — |
| 20 | Ecuador (46) | S. America | Mar. 24 2022 | Top 4 | 4 of 22 | — |
| 21 | Uruguay (13) | S. America | Mar. 24, 2022 | Top 4 | 14 of 22 | 2 (1950) |
| 22 | Argentina (4) | S America | Nov. 16, 2021 | Top 4 | 18 of 22 | 2 (1986) |
| 23 | Brazil (1) | S. America | Nov. 11, 2021 | Top 4 | 22 of 22 | 5 (2002) |
| 24 | Senegal (20) | Africa | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 3 of 22 | — |
| 25 | Ghana (60) | Africa | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 4 of 22 | — |
| 26 | Tunisia (35) | Africa | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 6 of 22 | — |
| 27 | Morocco (24) | Africa | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 6 of 22 | — |
| 28 | Cameroon (37) | Africa | Mar. 29, 2022 | Playoff | 8 of 22 | — |
| 29 | USA (15) | N. America | Mar. 30, 2022 | Top 3 | 11 of 22 | — |
| 30 | Mexico (9) | N. America | Mar. 30, 2022 | Top 3 | 17 of 22 | — |
| 31 | Canada (38) | N. America | Mar. 27, 2022 | Top 3 | 2 of 22 | — |
| 32 | Costa Rica (31) | N. America | June 14, 2022 | Intercont’l Playoff | 6 of 22 | — |
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
World Cup Group Draw
These are the results of the group stage draw held on April 1 in Doha, Qatar.
| Group A | A1: Qatar | A2: Ecuador | A3: Senegal | A4: Netherlands |
| Group B | B1: England | B2: Iran | B3: USA | B4: Wales |
| Group C | C1: Argentina | C2: Saudi Arabia | C3: Mexico | C4: Poland |
| Group D | D1: France | D2: Australia | D3: Denmark | D4: Tunisia |
| Group E | E1: Spain | E2: Costa Rica | E3: Germany | E4: Japan |
| Group F | F1: Belgium | F2: Canada | F3: Morocco | F4: Croatia |
| Group G | G1: Brazil | G2: Serbia | G3: Switzerland | G4: Cameroon |
| Group H | H1: Portugal | H2: Ghana | H3: Uruguay | H4: South Korea |
World Cup Draw Pot
On 31 March FIFA released its updated FIFA World Rankings, which were used to rank teams into separate pots ahead of the draw held on 1 April. Each 2022 World Cup group consists of one team from each of the four pots below.
The top eight teams in the world rankings (as of March 31) went to Pot 1, the next best eight teams to Pot 2, and so on. Pot 4 also includes three placeholders for the remaining spots to be claimed. This process helped to ensure competitive balance in the groups.
(FIFA World Rankings added in parentheses below as of March 31, 2022. Qatar was included as the host nation in Pot 1, a FIFA tradition at World Cup events.)
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Qatar (51) | Mexico (9) | Senegal (20) | Cameroon (37) |
| Brazil (1) | Netherlands (10) | Iran (21) | Canada (38) |
| Belgium (2) | Denmark (11) | Japan (23) | Ecuador (46) |
| France (3) | Germany (12) | Morocco (24) | Saudi Arabia (49) |
| Argentina (4) | Uruguay (13) | Serbia (25) | Ghana (60) |
| England (5) | Switzerland (14) | Poland (26) | Intercont’l Playoff 1 (Australia) |
| Spain (7) | USA (15) | South Korea (29) | Intercont’l Playoff 2 (Costa Rica) |
| Portugal (8) | Croatia (16) | Tunisia (35) | Euro Playoff (Wales) |