Last updated on April 24th, 2022 at 06:07 pm
One thing is certain: Qatar will be the top-seeded side in Group A, occupying slot A1 in the 64-match schedule, which will be completed in just 28 days. Even when ranked No. 65 in the world, as Russia was, all host countries are granted the honour. Qatar is presently ranked 52nd in the world.
This week, at an unprecedented tournament draw, a World Cup unlike any other in its 92-year existence will take shape. Because the three-year qualifying program was delayed and is still ongoing, three of the 32 participants will be placeholders when FIFA and host nation Qatar stage the draw ceremony event on Friday.
That was ensured by a once-in-a-generation global health catastrophe and the war in Ukraine. On Friday, 37 countries will be represented. Five of them will not take part in the first ‘winter’ World Cup, which begins in November.
The whole list will not be revealed until June 14, when the intercontinental playoff round in Qatar concludes. That is 74 days after the draw, and the same day as the start of the 2018 tournament in Russia, which was knocked out of the final stages of qualification due to the invasion of Ukraine this time. Perhaps FIFA struck gold seven years ago by scheduling the 2022 World Cup in November and December, avoiding the scorching desert heat of Qatar’s summer.
After the COVID-19 outbreak wiped out practically every national-team game outside of Europe in 2020, the later start provided wiggle room to clear the match backlog. It has also brought uncertainty to the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center, where the event begins at 7 p.m. (1600 p.m. GMT) on Friday and lasts one hour.
Peru, Australia, or the United Arab Emirates will be represented by one of the balls picked from pot 4 of low-ranked teams.
Take a look at this strange World Cup bracket…
QATAR FOR THE FIRST TIME
One thing is certain: Qatar will be the top-seeded side in Group A, occupying slot A1 in the 64-match schedule, which will be completed in just 28 days. Even when ranked No. 65 in the world, as Russia was, all host countries are granted the honour. Qatar is presently ranked 52nd in the world.
Nonetheless, the winner of the 2019 Asian Cup remains an outlier among current World Cup hosts, having never qualified for the finals. The tournament begins on Monday, Nov. 21 at Al Bayt Stadium with Qatar’s debut. It means Qatar will escape the world’s top-ranked teams in the group stage — Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, and Portugal – from Nos. 1 to 7.
The next seven countries will be picked from top-seeded pot 1 and assigned to Groups B through H in that order.
HOW DOES THE SEEDING PROCESS WORK?
Seeding pots are filled based on FIFA rankings, which take into account results over multiple years and are updated every Thursday. Pot 2 is the second to be drawn, and it contains the following eight highest-ranked qualifiers. After Wednesday’s qualifying games, it will most certainly feature Germany, as well as the United States and Mexico.
Pot 3 includes teams ranked in the FIFA 20s, while pot 4 includes Canada, which is returning to the World Cup after a 36-year absence. Despite leading the North American qualifying group, Canada is in pot four. The straightforward format has been complicated by the three playoff entrants that have been postponed until June: the European bracket, which includes Ukraine, which is unable to field a team at this time, and the two intercontinental playoffs.
LESSON IN GEOGRAPHY
Potential matchups are also limited by geography. Except for a few Europeans, teams from the same continent are not allowed to compete in the same group. Europe has 13 of the 31 qualifying berths available, and they cannot all be avoided. Five groups will receive two European teams, while the other three will each receive one. As a result, Germany, the 2014 winner from Pot 2, maybe paired with the defending champion France.
SCHEDULE OF FIXTURES
Each four-team group plays six games in a round-robin format. Another draw within the ceremony determines the order in which each team faces the other. Following the drawing of each team, a subsequent ball – 1, 2, 3, or 4 – is chosen to place that country in the fixture grid.
Because of this unpredictability, the two top-ranked teams have a chance to win. Because of this uncertainty, the top two teams in each group might meet in any of the three rounds.
STAGE OF KNOCKOUT
The 32-team bracket is the ideal size for a knockout tournament. The top two clubs from each group advance to the round of 16 – with goal differential being the first tiebreaker. The bracket determines a team’s path to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. If Qatar progresses from Group A, it will face the runner-up from Group B.
What time is the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw?
Qatar’s Doha Exhibition & Convention Center (DECC) will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw.
When will the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 take place?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 draw will take place on Friday, April 1st, at 19:00 local time (21:30 IST).
What are the TV times for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Livestream and where can I watch it?
At 21:30 IST, History TV18 HD and Voot will broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2022 LIVE and EXCLUSIVELY.
