World Cup 2022 qualifiers

[Lineker]

 

Quote

Ten years on from Sepp Blatter calling the 2022 World Cup race for Qatar, European qualifying is about to take shape. Fifa say the event, live from Fifa HQ in Zurich on Monday, will be an “exciting virtual ceremony”.

What time will it start?

It will start at 6pm local time, or 5pm GMT.

What will it involve?

55 nations being drawn into ten groups to compete for the 13 European spots available in Qatar. 

What is the format?

There are six pots: 10 nations in each of pots 1-5 and five in pot 6. They will be drawn into 10 groups: five groups of five (A-E) and five of six (F to J). Teams will play each other home and away between March and November next year. The 10 group winners qualify for Qatar, 10 runners-up go into the play-offs.

How do the play-offs work?

Those 10 runners-up, plus the two best-ranked but otherwise unqualified sides in the Nations League, will be split into three play-off paths in March 2022 to settle the final three places.

Who is in which pot?

As determined by the latest world rankings, the top sides are in pot 1, the next best 10 in pot 2, and so on. The five minnows are in pot 6.

Pot 1: Belgium, France, England, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands
Pot 2: Switzerland, Wales, Poland, Sweden, Austria, Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, Slovakia, Romania
Pot 3: Russia, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic, Norway, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Finland
Pot 4: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Israel, Belarus, Georgia, Luxembourg
Pot 5: Armenia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Andorra
Pot 6: Malta, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, San Marino

How will the draw work?

Pot by pot – so pot 1 will be emptied, then it’s on to pot 2. As each nation is drawn it is allocated to a group in alphabetical order, from Group A to Group J. There are complications though: predefined constraints to keep certain sides apart to avoid political clashes, too much long haul travel or bad winter weather in one group, and fixture congestion. Full details, for purists, on fifa.com.

Once the draw is made what happens then?

All teams within a group will play each other twice, home and away, between March and November 2021. The ten group winners will qualify automatically for Qatar 2022, with the ten runners-up advancing to the play-offs. 

Besides the ten runners-up from the group stage, the play-offs will also include the two best group winners from the UEFA Nations League 2020-2021 overall ranking that did not qualify directly for the World Cup 2022 and did not enter the play-offs as runners-up. 

The 12 teams will be split into three play-off paths, which will feature single-leg knockout matches in March 2022 to determine the last three European nations to book a place in Qatar.

Will the show be exciting?

The pandemic has taken the edge off: expect a lower-key event than usual, with no national representatives. Daniele De Rossi and Rafael van der Vaart will pick the balls, Fifa’s acting director of competitions, Jaime Yarza, will host.

How can I watch the draw?

The draw will be streamed live on the Uefa website.

When does the tournament start?

The hosts kick off the first match on 21^st November 2022 at the new €770m Al Bayt Stadium, where 100 workers went unpaid for seven months this year, according to Amnesty. Organisers say the stadium will prove to be “a unique place… and a shining example for the future”.

 

[Szumi]

Alright guys, whose ready for England to cruise through qualifying, getting people hype that "football's coming home"!!!...? 😛

[Adam]

"Will the show be exciting?"

I mean, it never has been before...

[Bobfoc]

I'm always frustrated when they don't just get on with the draw. It's what everyone watches it for, not musical performances.

[Colly]

I don't think I've ever watched a draw for qualifying. It sounds very dull.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I know it's because it's easier with 10 groups but I'm annoyed they've made a sixth pot of five teams rather than just putting an extra team in each pot.

[Gazz]

I feel like Wales and Ireland will get drawn together again for the 46th straight time.

[METALMAN]

Oh my god Scotland could actually qualify for this one.

And we’re drawn with Israel yet again. A small country riven with religious sectarianism that doesn’t get on with its neighbours ... and Israel.

[Colly]

Ireland have got a reasonable shout too.

[Bobfoc]

I love all the similar flags in Group H.

Poland ought to be tough opposition for England, and Hungary could be awkward. The six-team group means that they're against two minnows in Andorra and San Marino, which is mildly interesting.

I don't think Scotland could have hoped for a much better draw than that, but they'll still do well to qualify. Open groups like that are always intriguing.

I think Wales and Northern Ireland have been unlucky. Italy and Belgium have both been looking good this year, while Switzerland and Czech Republic are two of the toughest sides in their respective pots.

In past years, I might have fancied Republic of Ireland to challenge for the playoffs, but they've been really poor lately. I'm not sure how much of that has been down to injuries, mismanagement and a lack of quality, but it'll have to turn around or I can't see them making it. If they can avoid dropping points against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, which they really should, I suppose they could treat the Serbia games as their cup finals.

[stokeriño]

It feels like there must be some legal requirement for England to be grouped with Poland and/or San Marino in these things.

[Bobfoc]

It seems so. This is the eighth time England have been in a qualifying group with Poland.

[Matt]

4 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

It seems so. This is the eighth time England have been in a qualifying group with Poland.

And yet I cannot recall a single fixture. 

 

Although I can only remember about 3 England matches outside of major tournaments tbf.

[Adam]

I feel like we very rarely play San Marino, maybe only two or three qualification group drawings ever?

Poland, on the other hand. It's because when you are consistently in the same pot and there's a lot of other teams who are too, you inevitably draw a lot of the same teams.

[Lineker]

Quote

Ryan Giggs will not take charge of Wales this month, casting further doubt over his long-term future and whether he will lead his country at the European Championship this summer. The Football Association of Wales held urgent discussions after Giggs’s bail following his arrest last year was extended until May, six weeks before the start of the tournament, and the matter has been complicated by a vote of no confidence in the outgoing FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford.

Giggs was arrested on suspicion of assault and actual bodily harm in November, leading him to stand aside for three matches. The Crown Prosecution Service are deciding whether there is a case to answer. Giggs denies the allegations. Robert Page, who led the team in Giggs’s absence last year, has again been placed in caretaker charge for another triple header, including World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and Czech Republic. The Wales squad is set to be announced next week and will join up in Cardiff across the weekend of 20 March.

“The Football Association of Wales [FAW] and Ryan Giggs have mutually agreed that he will not be involved in the upcoming international camp. Robert Page will take charge for the next three matches against Belgium, Mexico and the Czech Republic and will be supported by Albert Stuivenberg as was the case during the last international window in November,” read an FAW statement issued on Wednesday morning. “The FAW will not be making any further comment at this current time.”

In a statement last month, Greater Manchester Police said: “A 46-year-old man [now aged 47] arrested on suspicion of section 39 common assault and section 47 assault in November 2020 has had his bail extended until Saturday 1 May 2021. This relates to an incident reported to police at 10.05pm on Sunday 1 November on Chatsworth Road, Worsley. A file remains with the CPS and a decision is expected in due course.”

The FAW was thrown into turmoil when the allegations against Giggs surfaced but have since had to contend with the uncertainty surrounding Ford, who it was announced on Tuesday will depart at the end of the month after 11 years in the post. Meanwhile, the FAW are searching for a new women’s manager with Jayne Ludlow stepping down after six years last month.

The FAW are not expected to make a decision on Giggs’s long-term future until after the March camp. Giggs’s four-year contract expires after the 2022 World Cup. Wales’ European Championship campaign is scheduled to begin on 12 June in Group A against Switzerland in Baku.

 

[Lineker]

I believe that Sky Sports are streaming a whole bunch of tonight's games on their Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.

[Cymbols]

Wales vs Belgium is free to air on S4C too. Don’t anticipate it being pretty though.

[Gorka]

Performance-wise, it wasn't too bad. 

Like, Belgium are the number one team in the world at the moment and the goals conceded were a De Brunye hit, a slip and a stupid penalty. I think Wales are able to hold their own in the reverse fixture.

[DFF]

England to win between 4 and 6 nil and it be proclaimed a "strong performance". That's my prediction for tonight. 

[Lineker]

Kane not playing, excellent news.