With just a year left for Fifa World Cup in Qatar 2022, the field is half set. Every team is meticulously working towards earning qualifications. The September and October qualifying windows paved the way for some intense clashes in November, and this led several European teams to fix their positions for Qatar. Thirteen countries have already booked their places for the tournament, which opens in Qatar next year, on November 21.
From Asia, Qatar is the first Arab nation to have qualified for the 2022 World Cup finals by automatic qualification as a host nation. It will be Qatar’s maiden appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals. Being the very first Arab nation to host the tournament, the crowd is looking forward to the regular dose of excitement.
Since the day Qatar was announced as the host, it became a hotbed of speculations and scandal riddled with concern. Currently, only 13 countries have managed to seal their spot out of the 32 spots.
The Qualified Countries Are As Follows:
- Germany
- Denmark
- Croatia
- Belgium
- England
- Serbia
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- France
- Qatar
- Spain
- Brazil
- Argentina
Hansi Flick’s, having a reputable name as a German professional football coach and former player, has managed to earn a position in sports. His side has remained unbeaten in the qualifiers, and earning 27 points from a possible 30 and qualifying for the finals with a very smooth and comfortable win. At the same time, Kylian Mbappe became the first France player since Just Fontaine at the 1958 FIFA World Cup to score four times in one game as France slid its name into the finale list.
Occupying the first South American country, Brazil, to qualify for Qatar 2022 so far, it has shown exceptional performance. Brazil has remained undefeated in its qualifying campaign, with only one draw in 12 games. The five-time FIFA World Cup winner has managed to qualify for every single World Cup edition till now.
However, the qualifiers had some major problems with Euro 2020 winner Italy, which went into playoffs with a draw against Switzerland. This time, it will try to refrain from the 2018 World Cup qualifying embarrassment.
Fulham Striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was a thorn in Portugal’s road to the finals. His late goal against Portugal pushed Cristiano Ronaldo’s side into the playoffs.
Still, two big names are missing from the team list: Portugal and Italy. It is vital for both of them to go through the strain of playoffs in order to claim one of Europe’s final three spaces.
How do the European Playoffs Work?
Three more European qualification seats are vacant for the best ones to grab. The six seeded teams will face off in single-leg semifinal matches. Prior to another round of three single-leg playoff finals, it is still time to decide the three qualified teams.
When is the World Cup 2022 playoff draw?
The draw for the UEFA and the intercontinental 2022 Fifa World Cup Qatar playoffs will be held on Friday, November 26, 2021. Draw proceedings start at 4 pm GMT (11 am ET) and will be held at FIFA World Cup headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
How did Qatar qualify as a host nation?
The swirl of controversy has had a tenacious grip on the tournament ever since a small Gulf country was announced as a host nation. FIFA World Cup Qatar, a tiny Gulf state in 2010, has been granted to become the host nation. This golden opportunity has automatically granted Qatar a direct route into a competition. It has rarely come close to reaching on merit.
What can we expect in 2022?
Coach Félix Sánchez’s team has been beaten comprehensively by Serbia, Portugal, and Ireland over the few months. The high chances reflect that FIFA World Cup Qatar is unlikely to survive the group stage, but do not expect it to be embarrassing. Whereas on the other hand, Sánchez is a smart, capable coach, and his team — bolstered by several nationalized Qataris — is organized and technically proficient.
