The World Cup qualifying line-up for 2022 will be held on Tuesday, June 14th. Costa Rica became the last team to qualify with a 1-0 win over New Zealand in their intercontinental playoff.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will start on November 21 and will be held on December 18 in Qatar. The Asian Football Confederation’s website states that 32 teams have qualified for this tournament. With the last 16 teams being decided at the final draw in December.
Many notable names won’t be at the World Cup this year, including Mohamed Salah with Egypt, Zlatan Ibrahimovic with Sweden, and the Italian team under Roberto Mancini that won Euro 2020.
It was a big moment for Canadian soccer fans and one of the proudest moments in Canada’s soccer history. But it also marked the return of Canada into the World Cup fold for the first time since 1986, as well as Wales’s return after 58 years.
EUROPE (UEFA)
From this region, thirteen teams qualified for the World Cup.
Ronaldo, the first Portuguese player to score over 50 international goals, was stunned when his country missed the direct spot in their last qualification match.
After the second round of qualifications, Poland and Wales progressed to the World Cup.
10 fierce regional competitors made it through to the finals, with Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, and England all taking home the coveted victory.
SOUTH AMERICA (CONMEBOL)
Of the four teams that made it through from South America this time, Australia beat Peru on their way to the inter-continental qualifiers.
Brazil, who last won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and is considered one of the biggest footballing countries in the world, advanced as a top finisher in their CONMEBOL qualification tournament. They’ve featured in every World Cup to date.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the reigning Copa America champions, have qualified for this year’s World Cup.
Uruguay managed to get through to the quarterfinals for the fifth straight year, and then Ecuador finished fourth to wrap up the direct entry of CONMEBOL.
AFRICA (CAF)
Ghana will host the all-important World Cup for African nations due to their first-place qualification score of 71. Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, and Cameroon were the five teams out of 54 competing to claim the World Cup spots reserved for African nations.
ASIA (AFC)
As hosts, Qatar secured the qualification for the World Cup early on. Joining them through direct entries are Saudi Arabia, Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia. They had a record six teams from AFC qualify for the World Cup in Russia this year.
Not only have six teams affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualified for this World Cup final tournament, but they are also competing in their first-ever World Cup.
NORTH AMERICA (CONCACAF)
Canada was a surprise runner-up in the qualification round to earn their first World Cup spot in over 30 years. Mexico finished second, and the United States placed third to make up the three direct entry spots
The World Cup will continue to grow, with the next edition in 2026 involving 48 teams instead of 32.
GROUPS
- Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
- Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
- Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
- Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
- Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
- Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
- Group H- Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea.
KEY DATES
- Round of 16: December 3-6
- Quarter-finals: December 9-10
- Semi-finals: December 13-14
- Final: December 18
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