Everything you need to know about Qatar 2022

Andy Schooler
14 June 2022

A view of the 2022 World Cup finals draw in Doha

With the full field now confirmed, we've got all the details to the 2022 World Cup in our in-depth guide, including the draw and fixtures.

All 32 teams who will play at the World Cup are now known, so it's time to get excited about Qatar 2022!

Our Andy Schooler brings you all you need to know about the finals, including the full draw, fixtures, kick-off times and format.

2022 World Cup finals draw

The group-stage draw for the 2022 World Cup finals was made in Doha on April 1 and it produced the following outcome:

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

England - and now Wales - will doubtless be pleased to have been drawn alongside Iran and USA.

However, they will be less happy to play on the opening day of the tournament. That means their first game will take place just eight days after some of their players have been involved in Premier League action.

Looking ahead to potential knockout games, were England to win the group they would face the runner-up from Group A in the last 16 - one of Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands.

Were the seedings to play out, they would then face holders France in the quarter-finals before a semi-final meeting with either Belgium or Portugal.

If the top seeds were all to win their groups, England would not be able to meet Argentina, Spain or Brazil until the final.

2022 World Cup fixtures and schedule

The schedule for Qatar 2022 was confirmed by FIFA a few hours after the draw was completed.

The opening game will now be Senegal against the Netherlands, frankly a more attractive game than Qatar v Ecuador which is now the third match of the tournament.

England's opening contest - against Iran - will be the second match of the finals, kicking off at 1pm UK time on the opening day, November 21.

Here is the 2022 World Cup fixture list in full (all times GMT):

Monday November 21

Group A: Senegal v Netherlands - 10am, Al Thumama Stadium (ITV)

Group B: England v Iran - 1pm, Khalifa International Stadium (BBC)

Group A: Qatar v Ecuador - 4pm, Al Bayt Stadium (BBC)

Group B: USA v Wales - 7pm, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (ITV)

Tuesday November 22

Group C: Argentina v Saudi Arabia - 10am, Lusail Stadium (ITV)

Group D: Denmark v Tunisia - 1pm, Education City Stadium (ITV)

Group C: Mexico v Poland - 4pm, Stadium 974 (BBC)

Group D: France v Australia - 7pm, Al Janoub Stadium (BBC)

Wednesday November 23

Group F: Morocco v Croatia - 10am, Al Bayt Stadium (ITV)

Group E: Germany v Japan - 1pm, Khalifa International Stadium (ITV)

Group E: Spain v Costa Rica - 4pm, Al Thumama Stadium (ITV)

Group F: Belgium v Canada - 7pm, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (BBC)

Thursday November 24

Group G: Switzerland v Cameroon - 10am, Al Janoub Stadium (ITV)

Group H: Uruguay v South Korea - 1pm, Education City Stadium (BBC)

Group H: Portugal v Ghana - 4pm, Stadium 974 (ITV)

Group G: Brazil v Serbia - 7pm, Lusail Stadium (BBC)

Friday November 25

Group B: Wales v Iran - 10am, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (BBC)

Group A: Qatar v Senegal - 1pm, Al Thumama Stadium (BBC)

Group A: Netherlands v Ecuador - 4pm, Khalifa International Stadium (ITV)

Group B: England v USA - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium (ITV)

Saturday November 26

Group D: Tunisia v Australia - 10am, Al Janoub Stadium (BBC)

Group C: Poland v Saudi Arabia - 1pm, Education City Stadium (ITV)

Group D: France v Denmark - 4pm, Stadium 974 (ITV)

Group C: Argentina v Mexico - 7pm, Lusail Stadium (ITV)

Sunday November 27

Group E: Japan v Costa Rica - 10am, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (ITV)

Group F: Belgium v Morocco - 1pm, Al Thumama Stadium (BBC)

Group F: Croatia v Canada - 4pm, Khalifa International Stadium (BBC)

Group E: Spain v Germany - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium (BBC)

Monday November 28

Group G: Cameroon v Serbia - 10am, Al Janoub Stadium (ITV)

Group H: South Korea v Ghana - 1pm, Education City Stadium (BBC)

Group G: Brazil v Switzerland - 4pm, Stadium 974 (ITV)

Group H: Portugal v Uruguay - 7pm, Lusail Stadium (ITV)

Tuesday November 29

Group A: Netherlands v Qatar - 3pm, Al Bayt Stadium (ITV)

Group A: Ecuador v Senegal - 3pm, Khalifa International Stadium (ITV)

Group B: Wales v England - 7pm, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (BBC)

Group B: Iran v USA - 7pm, Al Thumama Stadium (BBC)

Wednesday November 30

Group D: Tunisia v France - 3pm, Education City Stadium (BBC)

Group D: Australia v Denmark - 3pm, Al Janoub Stadium (BBC)

Group C: Poland v Argentina - 7pm, Stadium 974 (BBC)

Group C: Saudi Arabia v Mexico - 7pm, Lusail Stadium (BBC)

Thursday December 1

Group F: Croatia v Belgium - 3pm, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (BBC)

Group F: Canada v Morocco - 3pm, Al Thumama Stadium (BBC)

Group E: Japan v Spain - 7pm, Khalifa International Stadium (ITV)

Group E: Costa Rica v Germany - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium (ITV)

Friday December 2

Group H: South Korea v Portugal - 3pm, Education City Stadium (BBC)

Group H: Ghana v Uruguay - 3pm, Al Janoub Stadium (BBC)

Group G: Cameroon v Brazil - 7pm, Lusail Stadium (ITV)

Group G: Serbia v Switzerland - 7pm, Stadium 974 (ITV)

Saturday December 3

Last 16 (match 49): Winner A v Runner-up B - 3pm, Khalifa International Stadium

Last 16 (match 50): Winner C v Runner-up D - 7pm - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium

Sunday December 4

Last 16 (match 52): Winner D v Runner-up C - 3pm, Al Thumama Stadium

Last 16 (match 51): Winner B v Runner-up A - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium

Monday December 5

Last 16 (match 53): Winner E v Runner-up F - 3pm, Al Janoub Stadium

Last 16 (match 54): Winner G v Runner-up H - 7pm, Stadium 974

Tuesday December 6

Last 16 (match 55): Winner F v Runner-up E - 3pm, Education City Stadium

Last 16 (match 56): Winner H v Runner-up G - 7pm, Lusail Stadium

Friday December 9

QF (match 58): Winner 53 v Winner 54 - 3pm, Education City Stadium

QF (match 57): Winner 49 v Winner 50 - 7pm, Lusail Stadium

Saturday December 10

QF (match 60): Winner 55 v Winner 56 - 3pm, Al Thumama Stadium

QF (match 59): Winner 51 v Winner 52 - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium

Tuesday December 13

SF1: Winner 57 v Winner 58 - 7pm, Lusail Stadium

Wednesday December 14

SF2: Winner 59 v Winner 60 - 7pm, Al Bayt Stadium

Saturday December 17

3rd-place play-off: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 - 3pm, Khalifa International Stadium

Sunday December 18

Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 - 3pm, Lusail Stadium

When will the 2022 World Cup take place?

The most notable change to the World Cup for its 2022 edition is the dates.

The controversial decision to choose the Middle Eastern state of Qatar as hosts meant that, due to excessive heat, the tournament had to be moved from its traditional June/July slot.

It will now take place from November 21 to December 18. That is a period of 28 days - a reduction of three from the last World Cup.

The date change will cause havoc with top-level domestic competitions, such as the Premier League, which will need to halt for more than a month in mid-season.

Despite the shortened time period, the format remains the same - eight groups of four with the top two in each progressing to the knockout stage.

Qatar 2022 is due to be the last World Cup to feature 32 teams - FIFA is expanding the tournament to take in 48 teams for its 2026 edition, which will be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Kick-off times for the 2022 World Cup

With Qatar being three hours ahead of the UK, as you can see above there will be some unusual kick-off times for UK-based fans but not dissimilar to those at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

With the tournament length cut by three days, there will be four staggered games on each of the first eight days of the tournament. These will kick-off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm GMT.

For the last round of group matches and the knockout rounds, matches will begin at 3pm and 7pm GMT.

The 2022 World Cup final, on Sunday, December 18, will kick off at 3pm GMT.

Venues for the 2022 World Cup

Eight stadia will host matches at the 2022 World Cup with the final to be staged in the brand-new Lusail Iconic Stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 and sits in Lusail, just north of the capital, Doha.

The others will all be capable of hosting at least 40,000 fans, including the indoor Al Bayt Stadium (it has a rectractable roof) in Al Khor which is where the opening game will take place. It is the second-biggest stadium and holds 60,000.

The other venues are Stadium 974, Al Thumama Stadium (both in Doha), Education City Stadium, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium (all in Al Rayyan) and Al Janoub Stadium (in Al Wakrah).

With only eight stadia and a tighter schedule than usual, each ground will host six matches in just 11 days during the group stage.

With just a single day between matches, groundstaff are likely to have their work cut out even given the expectation of little rainfall during the tournament.

Tickets for the 2022 World Cup

Fans who applied for tickets during the first two general ticket sales earlier this year will by now know whether they were successful or not.

In terms of England games, members of the official England Supporters' Travel Club were eligible to apply for the FA's ticket allocation. The deadline for members to apply has now passed.

The good news for those still seeking tickets is that organisers have promised a 'last-minute sales phase', although details have yet to be revealed.

England fans will welcome the news that their game with the USA will take place at the Al Bayt Stadium which is the second largest venue so getting hold of tickets should be easier.

However, tickets for the other group games will likely be harder to come by given those matches will take place at smaller grounds.

TV coverage of the 2022 World Cup

The 2022 World Cup will be televised live in the UK by the BBC and ITV with matches being shared between the two free-to-air broadcasters.

The above fixture schedule shows which matches each broadcaster has chosen.

What about the build up to the 2022 World Cup?

So, what happens between now and the start of the World Cup in November?

Well, unusually, there will be a competitive lead-in to the tournament for England and the other European qualifiers.

The UEFA Nations League continues in September with the final two group matches taking place. That is the last international window before the World Cup.

England are battling Italy, Germany and Hungary for a place in the Nations League finals - for full details check out our tournament guide.

Usually teams would play one or two friendlies in the lead-in to the World Cup finals but the date change allows little time for those this time around.

The Premier League (and other top European leagues) will only cease a week before the World Cup gets under way, leaving little time to fit in friendlies.

England boss Gareth Southgate has said that it is "really unlikely that teams are going to be able to play a friendly" in that period.