World Cup 2022: When is it? Who has qualified? And who are the favourites?

Most talked about World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar promises to be one of the most discussed in history. 

The nature of the host nation – in terms of its politics, climate, and geography – have been the subject of much controversy for the decade in which they have been preparing for the competition. Despite protests, though, the World Cup is set to go ahead in November, with France seeking to defend the title that they won in Russia in 2018.

It will be a unique competition and one that will forever be etched in the annals of sport.

Where is the World Cup 2022?

Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It will be the first time that the competition has been held in an Arab state. 

The tournament will be played in eight stadiums across five cities in the tiny nation. Doha will be the main centre of the competition, with four stadiums in the capital of the country. Meanwhile, Al Khor, Lusail, Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah will also host matches.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final will be played at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, while the opening match will be hosted by the Al Thumana Stadium in Doha.

When is the World Cup 2022?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins on 21 November, 2022 with Senegal playing Netherlands in Doha. Later that same day, Qatar will tackle Ecuador in Al Khor. 

The competition will run over 28 days and concludes with the final will be played on 18 December, 2022.

The Qatar World Cup is a unique competition because it is the first tournament that has not been played in sync with the traditional football calendar. Traditionally, it is played in May, June or July. FIFA have agreed to move the tournament because of the country’s intense summer heat, which has been once source of controversy regarding the competition.

Which team will get their hands on the World Cup in Qatar in December? Brazil are the current favourites

When is England’s first game?

England will play in Group B and their first game will be against Iran on 21 November, 2022, the first day of competition. It will be the second match of the tournament and will take place at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan and will kick off at 1pm BST, which is 4pm local time.

Gareth Southgate’s side will then play the USA in Al Khor on 25 November while their final pool fixture will come against Wales on 29 November at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Should the Three Lions qualify, they will either play on 3 December or 4 December, with the Group B winners earning that one day extra rest.

England’s World Cup fixtures

21 November, 1pm BST: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)

25 November, 7pm BST: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Kohr)

29 November, 7pm BST: Wales vs England (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

World Cup qualified teams

There will be 32 teams competing to win the World Cup in Qatar before the competition expands to 48 teams for the North American edition of the tournament in 2026.

Europe is the most heavily represented continent in the competition, with UEFA supplying 13 teams in total. France and England lead the European contingent, with Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain also familiar UEFA qualifiers. However, in a major upset, European champions Italy failed to qualify as they were knocked out by North Macedonia.

There are six Asian teams qualified for the World Cup, including hosts Qatar, who qualify automatically for that reason. Five African teams will take part in the competition while there are four teams each from North and South America.

Costa Rica were the last team to qualify as they beat New Zealand 1-0 in a playoff match in Qatar on 14 June, 2022. A day earlier, Australia beat Peru on penalties in a playoff match also played in the host nation.

Teams qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

UEFA

• Belgium
• Croatia
• Denmark
• England
• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Serbia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Wales

AFC

• Australia
• Iran
• Japan
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea

CAF

• Cameroon
• Ghana
• Morocco
• Senegal
• Tunisia

CONCACAF

• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Mexico
• USA

CONMEBOL

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Ecuador
• Uruguay

2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

The qualifying process for the World Cup varies from one continental governing body to another.

In Europe, UEFA decides its qualifiers by placing teams into groups of 10, with the winner of each group qualifying. The runners-up went into a playoff competition along with the two best-performing teams from the Nations League who had not finished in the top two of their groups. These playoffs decided the final three qualifiers.

South American (CONMEBOL) qualifying is a straightforward affair, with one big group of 10 teams playing home and away. The top four qualified automatically, while the fifth-placed side, in this case Peru, when into a play-off with an Asian nation.

Asian (AFC) qualifiers were decided over a longer process. The 12 lowest ranked sides in the confederation played each other home and away for the right to advance to a 40-team group stage. These teams then had to negotiate a further two group stages culminating in two pools of five, from which the top two nations automatically advanced. The two third-placed teams then faced off against each other for the right to play against the South American counterparts in the inter-confederation playoffs.

Africa (CAF) World Cup qualifying followed a similar pattern to Asia. As many as 28 teams played a preliminary knockout round before a group stage whittled down the competition to 10. These nations played home and away for the right to qualify.

The North American (CONCACAF) process was very similar, with a preliminary stage followed by two groups. Eight teams competed in the third round, playing each other home and away. The top three qualified automatically and the fourth-placed side went into the inter-confederation playoffs against the OFC winners.  

No teams qualified from the Oceania region, although qualifiers were ultimately played. The pandemic crippled the schedule, though, and saw just three matches take place. These were all knockout games, with New Zealand advancing to the inter-confederation playoffs against CONCACAF’s fourth-ranked side thanks to a 5-0 win over the Solomon Islands. 

Favourites for World Cup 2022

Brazil are favourites to win the World Cup, with the Selecao on offer at 6.2. No nation has won the competition as regularly as the South Americans, with Canarinho chasing a record-extending sixth title.

France are available at 7.6 to defend their crown, though their price has lengthened a little in recent times following a poor showing in their June 2022 Nations League fixtures. Similarly, England have drifted to 8.2 after a poor summer as they chase a first World Cup trophy since 1966.

Argentina, meanwhile, are on offer at 9.2 as Lionel Messi chases his second international crown after leading his nation to Copa America glory in 2021, while Spain, the 2010 World Cup winners, round off a tightly bunched leading five sides at 9.6.