The 2022 World Cup draw (analysis from ProSoccerTalk live show on YouTube) is going to be epic, as the tournament is getting closer and closer.
After years of qualifying, now it is time to focus on who will play who in Qatar in November and December 2022.
[ LIVE: Watch the World Cup draw ]
With the World Cup to be played from November 21 to December 18 in 2022 in eight stadiums in five cities across Qatar, this is going to be a truly unique tournament as FIFA take their showpiece event to the Middle East for the first time in history.
The fact that they are no clear favorites to win this World Cup make it even more intriguing and that makes getting a good draw in the group stage even more important.
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Which group will be the toughest? Which giant will ease through? Where will the upsets be? We are about to find out all of that as the World Cup draw is here, with full details below on how to watch the draw, the date, start time and more.
2022 World Cup draw, live!
- Hello! What a big day this is. The draw for the 2022 World Cup group stage is here!
- The USMNT are back in the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
- Follow along the draw by clicking play on the video above.
- Below we have updates as the teams are drawn out into groups in Doha, Qatar.
- Watch the draw live on Peacock
- Send us your questions and watch live on our ProSoccerTalk show, here!
The draw is done! This is the 2022 World Cup group stage:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan,
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
England, Iran and USA in Group B. Wow. #USMNT
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 1, 2022
Okay, it is go timeeee!
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, is on stage. The draw is moments from starting.
What are the best case scenarios for the USMNT? Based on their current FIFA ranking, here is the best case scenario for the USMNT.
- Qatar
- USMNT
- Poland
- Ghana
A reminder of the pots ahead of the draw...
Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal
Pot 2: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Croatia
Pot 3: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia
Pot 4: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana + 2 intercontinental playoff winners, winner of Wales vs Scotland/Ukraine
The officials are taking their seats and the conference hall in Doha is getting ready. We are almost ready to roll.
How will the World Cup draw work?
- The 28 already qualified teams will be allocated according to sporting principles to pots 1 to 4 based on the Men’s World Ranking released on 31 March, 2022 following the conclusion of the international match window.
- As hosts, Qatar will take position A1 from Pot 1, where they will be joined by the seven highest-ranked qualified teams from the Men’s World Ranking.
- The countries occupying positions 8-15 in the ranking of the qualified teams will be allocated to Pot 2, while the 16th-23rd best-ranked qualifiers will be placed in Pot 3.
- Finally, Pot 4 will include the qualified teams in positions 24 to 28, plus three placeholders representing the two winners of the intercontinental play-offs and the remaining UEFA play-off winner.
- The intercontinental play-offs will be contested on 13-14 June in Qatar, with the AFC representative facing the CONMEBOL representative and the Concacaf representative taking on the OFC representative.
- The final team to qualify through the UEFA play-offs will also be determined in the May-June international window due to Ukraine’s playoff game being delayed and Russia being banned from the World Cup due to their invasion of Ukraine.
- The draw will start with Pot 1 and end with Pot 4. Each pot will be completely emptied before moving on to the subsequent one.
- As per the standard draw procedure, a ball from a team pot will be drawn, followed by a ball from one of the group pots, thus determining the position in which the team will play.
- Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in each of the eight groups with the exception of UEFA, which is represented by 13 teams.
Which teams have qualified for the 2022 World Cup?
CAF: Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cameroon
AFC: Qatar (hosts), Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia
CONCACAF: Canada, Mexico, USA
CONMEBEOL: Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay
OFC: None
UEFA: Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal
Intercontinental playoffs
June 7 - AFC fourth round playoff
UAE vs Australia
June 13/14
Costa Rica vs New Zealand
UAE/Australia vs Peru
Pots for World Cup draw
Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal
Pot 2: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Croatia
Pot 3: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia
Pot 4: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana + 2 intercontinental playoff winners, winner of Wales vs Scotland/Ukraine
2022 World Cup draw live, schedule, start time dates
When: Friday, April 1, 2022
Location: Doha, Qatar
Start time: Scheduled to start at 12pm ET
TV channel: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
Live updates, analysis: ProSoccerTalk live show on YouTube + Here on NBCSports.com
🤞 ⚽ - @FIFAWorldCup ✍️
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 31, 2022
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