Wild World of World Cup Qualification: How the 32 Field Will Get to Qatar
04:44 GMT 15.11.2021 (Updated: 09:58 GMT 30.11.2022)
© REUTERS / STEPHANE MAHE
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be the first World Cup held in the Arab world - and in the winter. It will also be the final World Cup with 32 teams, but which 32 teams still remains a question.
Some nations have already qualified for the event, but far more still need to produce performances to play on the world’s largest stage. At the moment, Serbia, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Croatia, and Brazil have punched their tickets to Qatar, but that leaves 24 open spots.
Qualifying for the World Cup is as magical for some nations as winning it is for others. However, the qualification process is far from straightforward. Each continent has its own football federation that has its own qualification rules.
The 2022 World Cup is only a year away. Here is a breakdown of the qualification standards of each confederation, who looks poised to qualify, and who has work to do.
UEFA: 13 Automatic Qualifiers
UEFA qualification is a convoluted mess - the final round of qualification splits 55 teams into 10 groups, five groups of five, and five groups of six. Each team plays a home and away contest against their group mates, with the top team in each group gaining automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Group play garners ten qualifiers, with the final three coming from a 12-team playoff. Each group runner-up heads to the playoff and the top two Nations League points earners that did not finish first or second in their group also join the playoff. Those 12 teams are drawn into three four-team groups that play single-elimination games to determine the three UEFA playoff qualifiers.
Group A is all done and dusted - Serbia took the top spot by beating Portugal 2-1. As for Portugal, the team is headed to the UEFA playoffs. Spain won group B and Sweden came in second.
Serbia needed a win vs. Portugal in Lisbon.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 14, 2021
They got it in the 90th minute.
What a photo 📸 pic.twitter.com/JMmWDCbU3p
Group C has one more match week and it will be must-see television. Italy and Switzerland are tied atop the group with 15 points. Switzerland plays Bulgaria and Italy plays Northern Ireland. Italy is currently top of the group due to their superior goal difference.
Group D has no drama at the top, as France have already qualified, but second place and a spot in the playoff is still up for grabs. With one match to be played, Finland has 11 points and Ukraine has 9 points. Finland plays France and Ukraine plays Bosnia and Herzegovina to wrap up group play.
Group E has been settled for all intents and purposes. Belgium have already won it and Wales and the Czech Republic have both qualified for the playoff. The pair, due to their Nations League standing, will make the playoff if they finish second or third in the group.
Spain are heading to the World Cup 🇪🇸
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 14, 2021
Álvaro Morata’s goal vs. Sweden in the 86th minute secured their spot. pic.twitter.com/7TqJPzlkMv
Group F, the first of five six team groups, is also drama-free. With one game to go, Denmark has already qualified for the World Cup, Scotland are locked into a playoff spot, and Austria will qualify for the playoff through their Nations League performance.
Group G is set to have the most exciting final matchday. The Netherlands lead the group with 20 points, but Turkey and Norway are hot on their heels with 18. Norway plays the Netherlands and Turkey play Montenegro on the final day. Norway need a win to top the group or make the playoff, the Netherlands can top the group with a tie due to their significant advantage in goal differential, and Turkey are in the current playoff spot from a single goal edge in goal differential over Norway and have the easiest opponent.
Group H has played all of its matches. Croatia topped the group and Russia finished in second.
Group I has already sorted out who will finish first and second, but, with one match to go, it has yet to determine the order. England currently tops the group with 23 points and Poland sits in second with 20. England currently has a +26 goal differential compared to Poland’s +20 and play San Marino. England could end up in the playoff, but it would take an extraordinary upset and Poland dismantling Hungary.
Group J has played all of its matches and was topped by Germany, with North Macedonia finishing second.
CONMEBOL: 4 Automatic Qualifiers
CONMEBOL is more straightforward than UEFA. Qualification goes through a single ten team group. Each nation plays each other home and away, and the top four teams qualify for the World Cup while the fifth-place team heads to the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
Each team will play 18 matches and after only 12, Brazil has qualified with 34 points. Argentina sits in second with 28 points and have very nearly punched their ticket to Qatar.
Oh my Di María!!!!! @Argentina takes the lead with this golazo! #CONMEBOL #WCQ #ARGvsURU pic.twitter.com/hRrG4iCIEr
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) November 12, 2021
After Brazil and Argentina, things get more interesting. Ecuador are on 20 points, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay are on 16, and Peru are on 14. Only two of these teams will get automatic qualification to the World Cup and a third will go to the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
Brazil and Argentina have only played 12 matches, but everyone else has played 13. Ecuador are in a good position to qualify, but one of Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay will be left on the outside looking in. For those three nations, they’re already in a five-game World Cup qualification playoff.
With the way CONMEBOL is set up, just about every World Cup misses out on at least one very strong South American side and this round of qualification looks no different.
CONCACAF: 3 Automatic Qualifiers
The final round of CONCACAF qualification has an eight team group that plays home and away matches. The top three teams automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team goes to the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
CONCACAF qualification is halfway completed. The US and Mexico are atop the group with 14 points, Canada is in third with 13, and Panama is in fourth with 11. Costa Rica, Jamaica, and El Salvador are on 6 points and Honduras is bottom of the group with 3 points.
🇺🇸 🎥 s ʟ ᴏ ᴡ ᴍ ᴏ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) November 13, 2021
This is how Timothy Weah connected with Christian Pulisic for USA's first goal this evening #CWCQ pic.twitter.com/oatTu6KMRN
The United States, Mexico, and Canada should end up with the top three spots. Panama could sneak into the top three, but it’s more likely that the fight for fourth is between Panama and whoever between Costa Rica, Jamaica, and El Salvador make a surge. If one of the US, Mexico, or Canada end up with the Inter-Confederation Playoff, it will be an unmitigated disaster.
CAF: 5 Automatic Qualifiers
CAF is absolutely brutal and could see strong squads miss out on the World Cup entirely. CAF is wrapping up the second round of qualification with a third round scheduled for March 2022.
The second round of qualification has ten four-team groups that play each other home and away. The winners of each group enter the third round, where they are drawn against another group winner and play a home and away two-legged affair to determine the five nations who advance to the World Cup.
Mali, Egypt, Morocco, DR Congo, Senegal, and Ghana have already won their group and advanced to the third round. Groups A, B, C, and D will come down to the final matchday.
🎥 Match Highlights: 🇿🇦 1-0 🇬🇭
— CAF (@CAF_Online) September 6, 2021
South Africa bag a precious win over Ghana with a last-minute goal in the #WorldCup qualifiers. 🔥
via @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/wDt0DXdMnZ
Group A is currently topped by Algeria with 13 points and Burkina Faso in second with 11 points. Fortunately for the casual observer, they play each other in a winner take all contest on the final matchday. Burkina Faso needing a win should make it a high-flying affair.
Group B has a deadlock at the top. Both Tunisia and Equatoria Guinea are on 10 points. Unfortunately, they do not play each other on the final day, but Tunisia play Zambia who has 7 points and Equatoria Guinea play Mauritania who have 1 point. There’s a route for Zambia to top the group, but this final matchday should be incredibly exciting.
Group C is topped by Nigeria on 12 points with Cape Verde in second on 10 points. Bless the scheduling gods down in CAF, because Nigeria and Cape Verde play each other on the final matchday. Nigeria certainly has the edge, but Cape Verde played them close in their first encounter.
Group D is topped by Ivory Coast with 13 points and Cameroon is in second with 12. The two nations are set to play each other on the final matchday as well. Both sides have incredibly talented rosters and if they weren’t in the same group they both could have qualified for the World Cup.
AFC: 4 Automatic Qualifiers + Qatar
AFC has the added bonus of having Qatar automatically qualify for the World Cup through hosting the event. The federation is in its final round of qualification. 12 teams are broken into two six team groups with the top two teams in each group gaining automatic qualification and the third-place teams playing in a single-elimination match to go to the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
AFC qualification is only halfway completed but Iran and South Korea in Group A look like locks to punch their tickets to Qatar. Iran has 13 points and South Korea has 11, but the third-place team Lebanon are on 5 points.
In Group B of the Asian qualifiers to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Australia was held to a goalless draw by Saudi Arabia in Sydney.
— Football Qatar (@FootballQatar) November 11, 2021
Group Standings - Top 3
1⃣ Saudi Arabia - 13 points
2⃣ Australia - 10
3⃣ Japan - 9#RoadtoQatar #WorldCupQualifiers pic.twitter.com/Z3eR9DEad3
Group B is currently topped by Saudi Arabia with 13 points, Australia is in second on 10 points, Japan is in third with 9 points, and Oman is in fourth on 7 points. The fight for seeding in Group B looks to be incredibly competitive. Whoever finishes third in Group B will the be the favorite to advance to the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
OFC: 0 Automatic Qualifiers
OFC, due to the coronavirus pandemic, has yet to play any qualification matches. The federation doesn’t have a single automatic World Cup qualification spot. The winner of their qualification process gets to play in the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
OFC qualification is set to be played at a neutral site where the 11 nations break into two groups and play each team a single time. The group winners will then play a two-legged home and away contest with the winner securing entry into the Inter-Confederation Playoff.
Inter-Confederation Playoff: 2 Automatic Qualifiers
The Inter-Confederation Playoff has four teams vying for two spots at the World Cup. The four participants are the top team from OFC, the fourth-place team in CONCACAF qualification, the fifth-place team in CONMEBOL qualification, and the winner of the AFC third-place clash.
European World Cup qualifying ✅
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 14, 2017
Only 2 spots remain via the inter-confederation playoffs! pic.twitter.com/UwXEoO6pUB
The four teams will be drawn against one team for a home and away clash to determine who goes to the World Cup. Whoever comes from CONMEBOL will be favored to advance. If the third-place side from AFC avoids a CONMEBOL side, they should have a good shot to make it to Qatar.
