2022 World Cup: Dates, fixtures, times, and venue for Qatar 2022 World Cup

The 2022 World cup tournament to be held in Qatar is near. Here is information on the tournament fixtures, dates, times and venues.

Image of the FIFA World Cup trophy next to a ball

We have seen many people become confused about the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, and we are here to answer your questions and help you get a clear picture of the beautiful tournament that is coming up.

After receiving numerous inquiries about when the next World Cup will be held, when will the World Cup start? And the list of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and fixtures. We created a concise piece to help you follow and stay informed about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Let me start by saying that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be the first time a single Asian country hosts the prestigious tournament since Japan and South Korea co-hosted in 2002.

Since its inception in 1930, 18 different countries, including Japan and South Korea, have hosted the World Cup tournament seventeen times. Eight European countries, six Americans, one African country, and three Asian countries have anchored the World Cup tournament since its inception.

Let us answer some of your questions about the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

When will the 2022 World Cup start?

Unlike previous World Cups, the 2022 Qatar World Cup tournament will start on November 21st and end in mid-December because of Qatar's intense summer heat, making it the first time the competition will be held outside May, June, or July.

The World Cup ending in December means the tournament will be played in less than a month for the first time relatively in 28 days, effectively pausing the Premier League and many other European competitions.

The 2022 Qatar World Cup will begin on November 21st at Al Thumama Stadium, where 2021 African Champions Senegal will face the Netherlands in Group A.

The first game will feature two of Liverpool's key players: Sadio Mane, and Virgil van Dijk, who is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

Following the opening match of the 2022 World Cup tournament, host Qatar will face Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Group A.

On the same day, England will face Iran in Group B, while the United States will face Wales after the European country defeated Ukraine 1-0 on the last day of the qualification to earn a spot in the World Cup for the first time in 64 years.

How many teams are in the 2022 Qatar World Cup?

The World Cup group stage is usually played by 32 teams that qualified from their respective continents, with the World Cup draw consisting of eight groups of four different national teams each.

The World Cup group stage draw is carried out in accordance with FIFA's guidelines.

How is the World Cup group stage carried out?

The World Cup group stage draw is conducted using FIFA updated rankings, with the first best ranked eight teams that qualified for the tournament placed in pot 1, the next best eight teams placed in pot 2, and the same procedure repeated in pot 3.

The next ranking and outstanding team still fighting to qualify for the tournament is placed in Pot 4. The exception to this rule is the host, who will be placed in pot 1. Qatar, in the 2022 World Cup, was placed in pot 1 during the group stage draw.

Group stage draw: Which countries qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup?

The following is the group stage draw for the Qatar 2022 World Cup:

Groups

Countries

Group A

Qatar

Ecuador

Senegal

Netherlands

Group B

England

Iran

USA

Wales

Group C

Argentina

Saudi Arabia

Mexico

Poland

Group D

France

Australia/UAE/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

What is the 2022 World Cup schedule and time?

Below are the schedule and times for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

World Cup 2022 schedule and times

Date

Matches

Group

Monday, November 21

Senegal vs Netherlands

Group A

England vs Iran

Group B

Qatar vs Ecuador

Group A

USA vs Wales

Group B

Tuesday, November 22

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia

Group C

Denmark vs Tunisia

Group D

Mexico vs Poland

Group C

France vs UAE/Australia/Peru

Group D

Wednesday, November 23

Morocco vs Croatia

Group F

Germany vs Japan

Goup E

Spain vs Costa Rica/New Zealand

Group E

Belgium vs Canada

Group F

Thursday, November 24

Switzerland vs Cameroon

Group G

Uruguay vs South Korea

Group H

Portugal vs Ghana

Group H

Brazil vs Serbia

Group G

Friday, November 25

Wales vs Iran

Group B

Qatar vs Senegal

Group A

Netherlands vs Ecuador

Group A

England vs USA

Group B

Saturday, November 26

Tunisia vs UAE/Australia/Peru

Group C

Poland vs Saudi Arabia

Group C

France vs Denmark

Group D

Argentina vs Mexico

Group C

Sunday, November 27

Japan vs Costa Rica/New Zealand

Group E

Belgium vs Morocco

Group F

Croatia vs Canada

Group F

Spain vs Germany

Group E

Monday, November 28

Cameroon vs Serbia

Group G

South Korea vs Ghana

Group G

Brazil vs Switzerland

Group H

Portugal vs Uruguay

Group H

Tuesday, November 29

Netherlands vs Qatar

Group A

Ecuador vs Senegal

Group A

Wales vs England

Group B

Iran vs USA

Group B

Wednesday, November 30

UAE/Australia/Peru vs Denmark

Group D

Tunisia vs France

Group D

Poland vs Argentina

Group C

Saudi Arabia vs Mexico

Group C

Thursday, December 1

Croatia vs Belgium

Canada vs Morocco

Group F

Costa Rica/New Zealand vs Germany

Group E

Japan vs Spain

Group E

Friday, December 2

South Korea vs Portugal

Group G

Ghana vs Uruguay

Group G

Serbia vs Switzerland

Group H

Cameroon vs Brazil

Group H