The countdown to the 2022 FIFA World Cup has begun, and every country is accounted for. The group stage matchups are set and we can start projecting who might be in the best position to make it to the knockouts.
England will face the USA in Group B, Argentina, and Lionel Messi will face Mexico in Group C, and it will be Luis Suarez and Uruguay in Group H to spoil a potential final World Cup tournament for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The tournament will begin on Sunday, November 20 with the opening ceremony and the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador. It will wrap up in less than a month, with the final due to be played on Sunday, December 18.
Brazil enter the tournament as the most successful nation in World Cup history with five titles, and they have a manageable group to navigate while defending champions France are expected to top their group and have a good chance of building a head of steam. In the knockout round.
Which teams can surprise? African champions Senegal is one of the stronger teams in Group A, which also includes hosts Qatar. Participating for the first time in 37 years, Canada advanced to Group F, where they will face Morocco and Croatia for second place behind Belgium.
Tournament Format of World Cup 2022
The 2022 World Cup will follow in the lines of recent editions, with a 32-team group stage whittling the field down to 16 teams – with only the top two teams from each group of eight surviving.
Those 16 group stage teams will advance to a single-game knockout stage — round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final — where the winner advances and the loser goes home. There must be a winner per day for each knockout round match, and extra time and penalty kicks will be used if necessary to determine the winner.
- Nov. 20-Dec. 2 : Group stage
- Dec. 3-6 : Round of 16
- Dec. 9-10 : Quarterfinals
- Dec. 13-14 : Semifinals
- Dec. 17 : Third-place match
- Dec. 18 : Final
When will the World Cup games start in Qatar?
There will be four matches daily in the group stage and will be full of surprises throughout the day. The only matches played on the final day of the group stage will overlap, and that is purely for competitive integrity.
Every time zone in the world will have the opportunity to watch the games at their best time throughout the day. Here’s a breakdown of how local kickoff times in Qatar translate to different regions around the world.
More on World Cup 2022:
FIFA World Cup 2022 Kick-off time:
| Stage(s) | Local (Qatar) | India (IST) | Australia (AEDT) | UK (GMT) | USA & Canada (ET) |
| Group stage | 1 p.m. | 3: 30 p.m. | 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. | 5 a.m. |
| Group stage | 4 p.m. | 6: 30 p.m. | 12 a.m. | 1 p.m. | 8 a.m. |
| Knockouts | 6 p.m. | 8: 30 p.m. | 2 a.m. | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| Group stage | 7 p.m. | 9: 30 p.m. | 3 a.m. | 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
| Group/Knockouts | 10 p.m. | 12: 30 a.m. | 6 a.m. | 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
World Cup 2022 Complete Schedule
Here is the knockout round bracket. The final group stage standings follow at the end of this post.
Round of 16 World Cup
| Match | Stadium | Time (ET / GMT) | Date |
| Netherlands 3 vs. USA 1 | Khalifa Int’l | Highlights | Sat, Dec. 3 |
| Argentina 2 vs. Australia 1 | Ahmad Bin Ali | Highlights | Sat, Dec. 3 |
| France 3 vs. Poland 1 | Al Thumama | Highlights | Sun, Dec. 4 |
| England 3 vs. Senegal 0 | Al Bayt | Highlights | Sun, Dec. 4 |
| Japan 1 vs. Croatia 1 | Al Janoub | Highlights | Mon, Dec. 5 |
| Brazil 4 vs. South Korea 1 | Stadium 974 | Highlights | Mon, Dec. 5 |
| Morocco 0 vs. Spain 0 | Education City | Highlights | Tue, Dec. 6 |
| Portugal 6 vs. Switzerland 1 | Lusail | Highlights | Tue, Dec. 6 |
Quarterfinals of World Cup
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
| Dec. 9, Fri | Highlights | QF1: Croatia 1 vs. Brazil 1 | Education City |
| Dec. 9, Fri | Highlights | QF2: Netherlands 2 vs. Argentina 2 | Lusail |
| Dec. 10, Sat | Highlights | QF3: Morocco 1 vs. Portugal 0 | Al Thumama |
| Dec. 10, Sat | Highlights | QF4: England 1 vs. France 2 | Al Bayt |
Semifinals of World Cup
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
| Dec. 13, Tue | Highlights | Argentina vs. Croatia | Lusail |
| Dec. 14, Wed | Highlights | France vs. Morocco | Al Bayt |
World Cup for 3rd Place
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
| Dec. 17, Sat | 10 a.m. | Semifinal losers | Khalifa Int’l |
World Cup Final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
| Dec. 18, Sun | 10 a.m. | Semifinal winners | Lusail |