Thousands of fans are expected to gather in Doha, Qatar on Friday, April 1, to witness the 2022 World Cup draw. The draw will be broadcast in English and Spanish on FS1 and Telemundo, and on the official FIFA YouTube channel. The event will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), which has a capacity of 2,000 people. The draw will be conducted at 7 pm local time. The match schedule is not yet finalized, but will be confirmed after the draw.
The 2022 World Cup will begin on November 21, with a group stage from November 21 to December 2. The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout stage. The finals will be held on December 18. The winner of the World Cup will be determined by a draw on December 18.
The World Cup will start in Doha, Qatar. The first team to be drawn will be hosts Qatar. They will be drawn into Group A, with their opening match on November 21. Qatar was drawn into the tournament with Ecuador, who will face Qatar in a curtain raiser on November 21.
The FIFA World Ranking determines seeding. The top eight teams in the world qualify for Pot 1. The remaining seven teams are drawn from Pot 2. Brazil, Spain, England, and France are guaranteed to be in Pot 1. The United States qualified as the CONCACAF group leaders, and are guaranteed to be in Pot 2. However, the United States is barred from the playoffs against Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As the hosts, Qatar will be placed in Pot 1. The hosts will automatically go into Group A. The top seven teams in the World Ranking qualify for Pot 2. Pot 3 contains teams ranked 8-15. The remaining three teams are drawn from Pot 4. Pot 4 contains teams ranked 24-28. This pot is filled with placeholders for playoff winners. The final three playoff entries are delayed to June.
The World Cup will feature 32 teams. Five groups will contain two teams from Europe. No group will have more than two UEFA teams. One team from each pot will be drawn into each group, with the remaining teams drawn in alphabetical order. Each group will consist of eight teams. Each group will move sequentially from Group A to Group H. The knockout stage will begin on December 3.
The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar, which is currently ranked 51st in the FIFA World Ranking. FIFA will use the same software provider that draws the Champions League. In addition to the draw, FIFA will release the schedule for all matches, which will determine kick-off times and optimal live audiences. The 2022 World Cup will be played between November 21 and December 18.
FIFA has also decided to move the 2022 World Cup to November and December to avoid the summer heat. The tournament will take place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, with a capacity of 2,000 people. The 2022 World Cup draw will be held at 7pm local time. The draw will be broadcast on FS1 and Telemundo, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on TSN in Canada.
