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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates6 June 2019 – 14 June 2022
Teams206[note 1] (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played804
Goals scored2,286 (2.84 per match)
Attendance7,344,275 (9,135 per match)
Top scorer(s)United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout
(14 goals)
← 2018
2026 →
All statistics correct as of 21 March 2022.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification[note 2] is the qualifying process which will decide 31 of the 32 teams that will participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, joining hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot.

Parallel tournaments are organised by FIFA's six confederations. Qualification started on 6 June 2019, when the first match played was between Mongolia and Brunei and the first goal was scored by Mongolian player Norjmoogiin Tsedenbal, and is set to end in June 2022 with the inter-confederation play-offs. Unlike with previous editions, there was no general preliminary draw, and instead, various draws were held separately due to different timelines used by each confederation.[1] The qualification process has suffered numerous postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qualified teams

Status of countries with respect to the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
  Team has qualified for World Cup
  Team can qualify
  Team eliminated
  Team withdrew or suspended from qualifying
  Not a FIFA member
Team Method of
qualification 		Date of
qualification 		Finals
appearances 		Last
appearance 		Consecutive
finals
appearances 		Previous best
performance
 Qatar Hosts 2 December 2010 1st – 1 –
 Germany UEFA Group J winners 11 October 2021 20th[a] 2018 18 Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
 Denmark UEFA Group F winners 12 October 2021 6th 2018 2 Quarter-finals (1998)
 Brazil CONMEBOL Round Robin top two 11 November 2021 22nd 2018 22 Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
 France UEFA Group D winners 13 November 2021 16th 2018 7 Winners (1998, 2018)
 Belgium UEFA Group E winners 13 November 2021 14th 2018 3 Third place (2018)
 Croatia UEFA Group H winners 14 November 2021 6th 2018 3 Runners-up (2018)
 Spain UEFA Group B winners 14 November 2021 16th 2018 12 Winners (2010)
 Serbia UEFA Group A winners 14 November 2021 13th[b] 2018 2 Fourth place (1930, 1962)
 England UEFA Group I winners 15 November 2021 16th 2018 7 Winners (1966)
  Switzerland UEFA Group C winners 15 November 2021 12th 2018 5 Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)
 Netherlands UEFA Group G winners 16 November 2021 11th 2014 1 Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
 Argentina CONMEBOL Round Robin top two 16 November 2021 18th 2018 13 Winners (1978, 1986)
 Iran AFC Third Round Group A top two 27 January 2022 6th 2018 3 Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018)
 South Korea AFC Third Round Group A top two 1 February 2022 11th 2018 10 Fourth place (2002)
Notes
  1. ^ Germany between 1950 and 1990 competed as West Germany, as a separate East German team existed then.
  2. ^ This is the third appearance of Serbia at the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA considers Serbia as the successor team of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, who between them qualified on 10 occasions.

Qualification process

All FIFA member associations, of which there are currently 211, are eligible to enter qualification. Qatar, as hosts, qualified automatically for the tournament. However, Qatar was obliged by the AFC to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also acted as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[2] Qatar won their group so the fifth-best group runners-up advanced instead.[3] For the first time after the initial two tournaments of 1930 and 1934, the World Cup will be hosted by a country whose national team has never played a finals match before.[4] The reigning World Cup champions France also participate in qualifying as normal.[5] Saint Lucia initially entered qualification in the CONCACAF zone, but later withdrew from the competition. North Korea also withdrew from the qualifying round due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. American Samoa and Samoa likewise retracted their participation ahead of the draw for the qualifiers in the OFC zone, while Tonga withdrew after the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami. Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in their squads, Vanuatu and Cook Islands also withdrew.

The allocation of slots for each confederation was discussed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 30 May 2015 in Zürich after the FIFA Congress.[6] The committee decided that the same allocation used in 2006, 2010 and 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments:[7]

  • AFC (Asia): 4 or 5
  • CAF (Africa): 5
  • CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean): 3 or 4
  • CONMEBOL (South America): 4 or 5
  • OFC (Oceania): 0 or 1
  • UEFA (Europe): 13
  • Hosts: 1

Summary of qualification

World Map FIFA2.svg
Confederation Available slots in finals Teams started Teams eliminated Teams can still qualify Teams qualified Qualifying start date Qualifying next match date Qualifying end date
AFC 4+1 or 5+1 45+1 37 6 2+1 6 June 2019 24 March 2022 13–14 June 2022
CAF 5 54 44 10 0 4 September 2019 25 March 2022 29 March 2022
CONCACAF 3 or 4 34 28 6 0 24 March 2021 24 March 2022 13–14 June 2022
CONMEBOL 4 or 5 10 2 6 2 8 October 2020 24 March 2022 13–14 June 2022
OFC 0 or 1 7 2 5 0 17 March 2022 24 March 2022 13–14 June 2022
UEFA 13 55 34 11 10 24 March 2021 24 March 2022 June 2022
Total 31+1 205+1 147 44 14+1 6 June 2019 24 March 2022 14 June 2022

Status of Russia

On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency initially handed Russia a four-year ban from all major international sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.[8] However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applies to the World Cup proper as a world championship. The WADA ruling allowed athletes who were not involved in doping or the coverup to compete, but prohibited the use of the Russian flag and anthem at major international sporting events.[9] An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed,[10] but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban.[11] The CAS ruling also allowed the name "Russia" to be displayed on uniforms if the words "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" have equal prominence.[12] If Russia had qualified for the tournament, its players would not have been able to use their country's name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation's two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports.[12]

On 27 February 2022, after the threat of boycotts by the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[13] FIFA prohibited the Russia national football team from playing home matches in Russia; the team must play matches behind closed doors at neutral sites. In addition, the team would have been prohibited from competing under the name, flag, or national anthem of Russia, and had to compete under the name "Football Union of Russia" (RFU).[14] On 28 February, however, in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia.[15][16] Poland were subsequently given a walkover for their play-off semi-final match scheduled against Russia.[17] The Russian Football Union announced they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[18] Their request for a temporary lift of the ban was rejected on 18 March.[19]

Format

The formats of the qualifying competitions depended on each confederation (see below). Each round might be played in either of the following formats:[20]

  • League format, where more than two teams formed groups to play home-and-away round-robin matches, or in exceptions permitted by the FIFA Organising Committee, single round-robin matches hosted by one of the participating teams or on neutral territory.
  • Knockout format, where two teams play home-and-away two-legged matches or single-legged matches.

Tiebreakers

In league format, the ranking of teams in each group is based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.4 and 20.6):[20]

  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie is only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

In cases where teams finishing in the same position across different groups are compared to determine which teams advance to the next stage, the criteria depend on the competition format and require the approval of FIFA (regulations Article 20.8).[20]

In knockout format, the team that has the higher aggregate score over the two legs progresses to the next round. If aggregate scores finish level, then the away goals rule is applied.[a] The away goals rule is again applied after extra time.[b] If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out (regulations Article 20.10).[20]

  1. ^ The team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses. If away goals are also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time are played, divided into two 15-minute halves
  2. ^ If there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team qualifies by virtue of more away goals scored

Confederation qualification

AFC

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

The opening two rounds of qualifying also served as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Therefore, Qatar, the 2022 FIFA World Cup host, only participated in the first two rounds of qualifying.[21]

The qualification structure is as follows:[22]

  • First round: 12 teams (ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: 40 teams (ranked 1–34, including Qatar as the host, and the six winners from the first round) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The seven group winners and the five best group runners-up advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification and also qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Qatar finished as winners in their group, so the fifth-best runners-up advanced to the third round in their stead.[3]
  • Third round: The 12 teams that advanced from the second round were divided into two groups of 6 teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group will qualify for the World Cup.
  • Fourth round: The two third-placed teams in each group from the third round will play against each other in a single match to determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Current stage (third round)

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round
Group A Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Iran (Q) 8 22
2  South Korea (Q) 8 20
3  United Arab Emirates (Y) 8 9
4  Lebanon (Y) 8 6
5  Iraq (Y) 8 5
6  Syria (E) 8 2
Updated to match(es) played on 1 February 2022.
Source: FIFA AFC
(E) Eliminated;
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(Y) Cannot qualify directly, may only advance to fourth round
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Saudi Arabia (X) 8 19
2  Japan (X) 8 18
3  Australia (X) 8 15
4  Oman (E) 8 8
5  China PR (E) 8 5
6  Vietnam (E) 8 3
Updated to match(es) played on 1 February 2022.
Source: FIFA AFC
(E) Eliminated;
(X) Assured of at least fourth round, can still qualify directly

CAF

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

CAF announced on 10 July 2019 a reversion to the format used for its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification competition.[23]

  • First round: 28 teams (ranked 27–54) played home-and-away over two legs. The fourteen winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: 40 teams (teams ranked 1–26 and fourteen first round winners) were divided into ten groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The ten group winners advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: The ten teams that advanced from the second round will play home-and-away over two legs. The five winners will qualify for the World Cup.

Current stage (third round)

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Third Round
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Egypt  Match 1  Senegal 25 March 29 March
Cameroon  Match 2  Algeria 25 March 29 March
Ghana  Match 3  Nigeria 25 March 29 March
DR Congo  Match 4  Morocco 25 March 29 March
Mali  Match 5  Tunisia 25 March 29 March

CONCACAF

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

CONCACAF initially announced on 10 July 2019 a restructured format for the qualifiers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[24] However, on 25 June 2020, following FIFA's decision to postpone the September international window due to the pandemic, CONCACAF noted that "the challenges presented by postponements to the football calendar, and the incomplete FIFA rankings cycle in our confederation, means our current World Cup qualifying process has been compromised and will be changed."[25] On 27 July, CONCACAF announced a new qualifying format for the World Cup.[26]

  • First round: CONCACAF teams ranked 6 to 35 based on the FIFA rankings of July 2020 were drawn into six groups of five and played single round-robin matches (two home and two away), the six group winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: The six first round group winners played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The three winners advanced to the final round.
  • Third round: The three second round winners joined the top five CONCACAF teams (Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras)[27] also based on those FIFA rankings and play home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group. The top three teams qualify for the World Cup, and the fourth-placed team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Current stage (third round)

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Canada (X) 11 25
2  United States 11 21
3  Mexico 11 21
4  Panama 11 17
5  Costa Rica 11 16
6  El Salvador (Y) 11 9
7  Jamaica (E) 11 7
8  Honduras (E) 11 3
Updated to match(es) played on 2 February 2022. Source: FIFA, CONCACAF
(E) Eliminated; (X) Assured of at least inter-confederation play-offs, can still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly, may only advance to inter-confederation play-offs

CONMEBOL

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

The CONMEBOL Council decided on 24 January 2019 to maintain the same qualification structure used for the previous six tournaments.[28] From October 2020 to March 2022 (previously scheduled for March 2020 to November 2021, but later postponed due to the pandemic), all ten CONMEBOL teams will play in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams qualify for the World Cup, and the fifth-placed team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Current stage

Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Brazil (Q) 15 39
2  Argentina (Q) 15 35
3  Ecuador (X) 16 25
4  Uruguay 16 22
5  Peru 16 21
6  Chile 16 19
7  Colombia 16 17
8  Bolivia (Y) 16 15
9  Paraguay (E) 16 13
10  Venezuela (E) 16 10
Updated to match(es) played on 1 February 2022. Source: FIFA
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (X) Assured of at least inter-confederation play-offs, can still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly, may only advance to inter-confederation play-offs

OFC

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

Qualifying was expected to begin in September 2020,[29] but the FIFA international window in that month for the OFC was postponed due to the pandemic.[30]

Earlier in July that year, the OFC submitted a proposal to FIFA for the qualifiers in response to the pandemic, intending to organise a group stage in March and June 2021 followed by semi-finals and a final in September and October of that year.[31] After continued delays,[32][33] by September 2021 the OFC felt it was "not possible at this time to organise a qualifying competition within the Oceania region" and will now stage it in Qatar in March 2022.[34][35]

Current stage (group stage)

Group A Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Solomon Islands (A) 0 0
2  Tahiti (A) 0 0
3  Vanuatu (W) 0 0
4  Cook Islands (W) 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on 17 March 2022. Source: FIFA, OFC
(A) Advance to a further round; (W) Withdrew
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  New Zealand (A) 2 6
2  Papua New Guinea 2 3
3  Fiji 2 3
4  New Caledonia (E) 2 0
Updated to match(es) played on 21 March 2022. Source: FIFA, OFC
(A) Advance to a further round; (E) Eliminated

UEFA

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

The draw for the first round (group stage) was held in Zürich, Switzerland, on 7 December 2020, 18:00 CET (UTC+1).[40] However, due to the pandemic, the draw was held as a virtual event without any representatives of member associations present. It was originally planned to be held on 29 November.[41] Earlier on 18 June, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the draw regulations for the qualifying group stage.[42] The 55 teams were seeded into six pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of November 2020, after the league phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019.[43][44] The qualification will depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than UEFA Euro 2020. The structure maintained UEFA's usual 'group stage/playoff stage' structure, with only the specific format of the play-offs amended.[45][46]

  • First round (group stage): Ten groups of either five or six teams with group winners qualifying for the World Cup finals. The four teams in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals (France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain) were put into the smaller groups.
  • Second round (play-off stage): The ten group runners-up are joined by the best two Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group. These twelve teams were drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams to host, followed by finals, with the home teams to be drawn), with the three path winners qualifying for the World Cup.

Final positions (first round)

Group A Group B Group C
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Serbia 8 20
2  Portugal 8 17
3  Republic of Ireland 8 9
4  Luxembourg 8 9
5  Azerbaijan 8 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Spain 8 19
2  Sweden 8 15
3  Greece 8 10
4  Georgia 8 7
5  Kosovo 8 5
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1   Switzerland 8 18
2  Italy 8 16
3  Northern Ireland 8 9
4  Bulgaria 8 8
5  Lithuania 8 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group D Group E Group F
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  France 8 18
2  Ukraine 8 12
3  Finland 8 11
4  Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 7
5  Kazakhstan 8 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Belgium 8 20
2  Wales 8 15
3  Czech Republic 8 14
4  Estonia 8 4
5  Belarus 8 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Denmark 10 27
2  Scotland 10 23
3  Israel 10 16
4  Austria 10 16
5  Faroe Islands 10 4
6  Moldova 10 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group G Group H Group I
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Netherlands 10 23
2  Turkey 10 21
3  Norway 10 18
4  Montenegro 10 12
5  Latvia 10 9
6  Gibraltar 10 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Croatia 10 23
2  Russia 10 22
3  Slovakia 10 14
4  Slovenia 10 14
5  Cyprus 10 5
6  Malta 10 5
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  England 10 26
2  Poland 10 20
3  Albania 10 18
4  Hungary 10 17
5  Andorra 10 6
6  San Marino 10 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group J
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Germany 10 27
2  North Macedonia 10 18
3  Romania 10 17
4  Armenia 10 12
5  Iceland 10 9
6  Liechtenstein 10 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA

Current stage (second round)

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Second Round
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
24 March 2022 – Cardiff
 
 
 Wales
 
June 2022 – Cardiff or Vienna
 
 Austria
 
Winner semi-final 2
 
June 2022 – Glasgow
 
Winner semi-final 1
 
 Scotland
 
 
 Ukraine
 
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
Cancelled
 
 
 Russia
 
29 March 2022 – Chorzów
 
 Poland[note 3]w/o
 
 Poland
 
24 March 2022 – Solna
 
Winner semi-final 4
 
 Sweden
 
 
 Czech Republic
 
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
24 March 2022 – Porto
 
 
 Portugal
 
29 March 2022 – Porto or Konya
 
 Turkey
 
Winner semi-final 6
 
24 March 2022 – Palermo
 
Winner semi-final 5
 
 Italy
 
 
 North Macedonia
 

Inter-confederation play-offs

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

There will be two inter-confederation play-offs[note 4] to determine the final two qualification spots for the finals. They are scheduled to be played in Qatar on 13–14 June 2022.[47][48]

AFC v CONMEBOL

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONMEBOL play-off)
Team 1  Score  Team 2
AFC Fourth Round winner 13 or 14 Jun CONMEBOL 5th place

CONCACAF v OFC

Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–OFC play-off)
Team 1  Score  Team 2
CONCACAF Third Round 4th place 13 or 14 Jun OFC Final winner

Top goalscorers

There have been 2286 goals scored in 804 matches, for an average of 2.84 goals per match (as of 21 March 2022). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

14 goals

12 goals

  • Canada Cyle Larin
  • China Wu Lei
  • England Harry Kane
  • Netherlands Memphis Depay

10 goals

9 goals

8 goals

Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations and the inter-confederation play-offs:

  • AFC
  • CAF
  • CONCACAF
  • CONMEBOL
  • OFC
  • UEFA
  • Inter-confederation play-offs

Notes

  1. ^ Cook Islands and North Korea withdrew and Russia were suspended after playing some matches. American Samoa, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu withdrew before playing.
  2. ^ Also the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers".
  3. ^ Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia were suspended,[16] and Poland advanced to the final on a walkover.[17]
  4. ^ Described by FIFA's website as "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 intercontinental play-offs".

References

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  3. ^ a b "Groups finalised for Qatar 2022 & China 2023 race". China.org.cn. 18 July 2019.
  4. ^ Harding, David (6 September 2017). "World Cup failure puts Qatar back in spotlight". Yahoo Sports. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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