The 22nd FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2022. This page contains information about the World Cup 2022, including dates, times, groups, fixtures, venues, and historical statistics.
Qatar 2022 will be the first time that the FIFA World Cup will not be played during the summer due to weather conditions in the host country, which will take place from 21 November to 18 December. It will be the first World Cup held in the Middle East and just the second to be staged in Asia.
Below you will find the key information regarding the world’s biggest football event, including venues, teams, fixtures, and game locations.
The qualification tournament involves 210 teams in total. When they arrive in Qatar, only 32 teams will be remaining.
World Cup 2022 Dates
Opening game: The FIFA World Cup 2022 opens in the Al Thumama Stadium on 21 November 2022, 13:00 local time with the first match played between the Netherlands vs Senegal.
The other opening matches on the first day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament are: England vs Iran (16:00 local time), Qatar vs Ecuador (19:00 local time), and USA vs Euro Play-off Qualifier (22:00 local time)
Group stage dates: The group stage matches are played between November 21st to 2nd December.
Group knockout phase dates: The knockout phase stage is played between December 3 to 18 between the 16 teams that progress.
The World Cup 2022 Final date: The FIFA World Cup final is played on Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 18:00 local time. The final will be played in front of 80,000 spectators at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Qatar Soccer Stadiums
In total, 8 soccer stadiums will be used in the World Cup 2022 tournament over five cities.
They are:
- Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail (capacity: 80,000)
- Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor (capacity: 60,000)
- Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan (capacity: 45,350)
- Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan (capacity: 44,740)
- Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan (capacity: 40,000)
- Stadium 974, Doha (capacity: 40,000)
- Al Thumama Stadium, Doha (capacity: 40,000)
- Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah (capacity: 40,000)
The average seat capacity at this year’s World Cup is 47,500 seats. All stadiums can be accessed via modern public transportation and are within 1 hour of Doha.
The most used stadium will be Lusail Iconic Stadium. It will host 5x Group Matches, 1x Round of 16, 1x Quarter-Final, 1x Semi-Final, and the World Cup soccer final. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia all play in the stadium twice in the group matches.
The Al Bayt Stadium (Capacity 60,000) will host the other semi-final. Over the FIFA World Cup tournament, the Al Bayt stadium will host 5 group matches, 1 x round of 16 matches, 1 x quarter-final, and the semi-final. Qatar and Germany will play twice in this stadium during the group matches.
When Are The Group Matches Scheduled To Begin
During the group stage, which will last 12 days, four matches will be played each day, with the winning team and runners-up proceeding to the round of 16.
There will be four kick-off times for the opening of two rounds of matches: 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm.
The final round of group matches and knockout round matches will begin at 6 pm and 10 pm local time.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 final will begin at 6 pm local time.
2022 World Cup Qualified Teams
| Country | Qualified As | Last Time They Qualified | Total Times Qualified For World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Host Nation | – | 1 |
| Argentina | CONMEBOL runners-up | 2018 | 18 |
| Australia | AFC v CONMEBOL play-off winner | 2018 | 6 |
| Belgium | UEFA Group E winners | 2018 | 14 |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL winners | 2018 | 22 |
| Cameroon | CAF Third Round winner | 2014 | 8 |
| Canada | CONCACAF Third Round winners | 1986 | 2 |
| Costa Rica | CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners | 2018 | 3 |
| Croatia | UEFA Group H winners | 2018 | 6 |
| Denmark | UEFA Group F winners | 2018 | 6 |
| Ecuador | CONMEBOL fourth place | 2014 | 4 |
| England | UEFA Group I winners | 2018 | 16 |
| France | UEFA Group D winners | 2018 | 16 |
| Germany | UEFA Group J winners | 2018 | 20 |
| Ghana | CAF Third Round winner | 2014 | 4 |
| Iran | AFC Third Round Group A winners | 2018 | 6 |
| Japan | AFC Third Round Group B runners-up | 2018 | 7 |
| Mexico | CONCACAF Third Round runners-up | 2018 | 17 |
| Morocco | CAF Third Round winner | 2018 | 6 |
| Netherlands | UEFA Group G winners | 2014 | 11 |
| Poland | UEFA Second Round winner | 2018 | 9 |
| Portugal | UEFA Second Round winner | 2018 | 8 |
| Saudi Arabia | AFC Third Round Group B winners | 2018 | 6 |
| Senegal | CAF Third Round winner | 2018 | 3 |
| Serbia | UEFA Group A winners | 2018 | 13 |
| South Korea | AFC Third Round Group A runners-up | 2018 | 11 |
| Spain | UEFA Group B winners | 2018 | 16 |
| Switzerland | UEFA Group C winners | 2018 | 12 |
| Tunisia | CAF Third Round winner | 2018 | 6 |
| United States | CONCACAF Third Round third place | 2014 | 11 |
| Uruguay | CONMEBOL third place | 2018 | 14 |
| Wales | UEFA play-off winner | 1958 | 2 |
The Group Stage
The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round.
The teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be divided among five continents and will also include the directly qualified host nation:
- Asia: 5
- Africa: 5
- Europe: 13
- Host: 1
- North America, Central America, and the Caribbean: 4
- South America: 4
World Cup 2022 Group Draw
A total of 32 teams will compete in eight groups of four at the 2022 World Cup:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland
Group D: France Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
Group E: Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
FIFA World Cup Qatar Fixtures
During the competition, 64 matches are played. The final draw has confirmed that 48 of the matches will be played in the group matches.
Group Stage Games
21 November:
Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (13:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group B: England vs Iran, (16:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador (19:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
Group B: USA vs Wales (22:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
22 November:
Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (13:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
Group D: Denmark vs Tunisia (16:00, Education City Stadium)
Group C: Mexico vs Poland (19:00, Stadium 974)
Group D: France vs Australia (22:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
23 November:
Group F: Morocco vs Croatia (13:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
Group E: Germany vs Japan (16:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group E: Spain vs Costa Rica (19:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group F: Belgium vs Canada (22:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
24 November:
Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon (13:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea (16:00, Education City Stadium)
Group H: Portugal vs Ghana (19:00, Stadium 974)
Group G: Brazil vs Serbia (22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
25 November:
Group B: Iran vs Wales (13:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
Group A: Qatar vs Senegal (16:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group A: Netherlands vs Ecuador (19:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group B: USA vs England (22:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
26 November:
Group D: Tunisia vs Australia (13:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia (16:00, Education City Stadium)
Group D: France vs Denmark (19:00, Stadium 974)
Group C: Argentina vs Mexico (22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
27 November:
Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica (13:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
Group F: Belgium vs Morocco (16:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group F: Croatia vs Canada (19:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group E: Spain vs Germany (22:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
28 November:
Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (13:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
Group H: South Korea vs Ghana (16:00, Education City Stadium)
Group G: Brazil vs Switzerland (19:00, Stadium 974)
Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay 22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
29 November:
Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (18:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group A: Qatar vs Netherlands (18:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
Group B: Iran vs USA (22:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group B: England vs Wales (22:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
30 November:
Group D: Tunisia vs France (18:00, Education City Stadium)
Group D: Denmark vs Australia (18:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
Group C: Poland vs Argentina (22:00, Stadium 974)
Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
1 December:
Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (18:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
Group F: Canada vs Morocco (18:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Group E: Japan vs Spain (22:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Group E: Germany vs Costa Rica (22:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
2 December:
Group H: South Korea vs Portugal (18:00, Education City Stadium)
Group H: Ghana vs Uruguay (18:00, Al Janoub Stadium)
Group G: Serbia vs Switzerland (22:00, Stadium 974)
Group G: Brazil vs Cameroon (22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
Round Of 16 (Head To Head Knock Out)
December 3:
Game 49: Winners of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B (18:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
Game 50: Winners of Group C vs Runners-up of Group D (22:00, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
December 4:
Game 51: Winners of Group D vs Runners-up of Group C (18:00 Al Thumama Stadium)
Game 52: Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A (22:00 Al Bayt Stadium)
December 5:
Game 53: Winners of Group E vs Runners-up of Group F (18:00 Al Janoub Stadium)
Game 54: Winners of Group G vs. Runners-up of Group H (22:00 Stadium 974)
December 6:
Game 55: Winners of Group F vs Runners-up of Group E (18:00 Education City Stadium)
Game 56: Winners of Group H vs Runners-up of Group G (22:00 Lusail Iconic Stadium)
Quarter-Finals
December 9:
Game 58: Winners of Game 53 vs Winners of Game 54 (18:00 Education City Stadium)
Game 59: Winners of Game 49 vs Winners of Game 50 (22:00 Lusail Iconic Stadium)
December 10:
Game 60: Winners of Game 55 vs Winners of Game 56 (18:00, Al Thumama Stadium)
Game 61: Winners of Game 51 vs Winners of Game 52 (22:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
Semi-Finals
December 13:
Game 61: Winners of Game 57 vs Winners of Game 58 (22:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
December 14:
Game 62: Winners of Game 59 vs Winners of Game 60 (22:00, Al Bayt Stadium)
Third Place Playoff
December 17:
Game 63: Losers of Game 61 vs Losers of Game 62: (18:00, Khalifa International Stadium)
World Cup 2022 Final
December 18:
Game 64: Winners of Game 61 vs Winners of Game 62 (18:00, Lusail Iconic Stadium)
2022 World Cup Facts About Qatar
Qatar is the smallest nation ever to host the World Cup in terms of population and land area. Qatar has a population of only 2.6 million, which makes it the smallest nation to host an event of this magnitude.
This will be the second time an Asian country has hosted the event, following South Korea & Japan in 2002. Qatar will be the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup. In any case, Qatar will be the first Arab or Muslim nation to host the full event.
More than $220 billion is expected to be spent by Qatar on hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. For comparison, Brazil spent $20 billion on the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Russia invested $15 billion in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Organizers expect the tournament to boost Qatar’s economy by $20 billion.
A new airport, metro, and roads were built in Qatar for the finals, as well as seven stadiums. A new stadium, that also hosts nine other matches, will host the 2022 World Cup Final, which is the centerpiece of a new city.
A country’s economic prosperity will be boosted by the construction of infrastructure to host and accommodate visitors. Qatar has predicted that hosting the FIFA World Cup will create 1.5 million new jobs in industries including construction, real estate, and hospitality.
Temperatures in Qatar can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius during the period of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It will be the first time a World Cup will be held in fully air-conditioned stadiums.
There will be air conditioning in all eight venues, allowing fans to enjoy a comfortable viewing experience, while players can play in good conditions. The FIFA World Cup Qatar Football Association pledges to equip stadiums with air conditioning systems that maintain temperatures below 27 degrees celsius.
In Qatar during the construction of the infrastructure projects for the 2022 World Cup, more than 6,500 migrant workers died, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
FIFA has revealed a list of the women referees for the 2022 World Cup. This will mark the first time there will be female referees at a men’s World Cup final. There are 36 match referees with France’s Stephanie Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga, and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita among them.
Several allegations of bribery have been made between the Qatar bid committee and FIFA executives and members. Theo Zwanziger and Sepp Blatter have both said the decision to award the 2002 World Cup tournament to Qatar was a mistake.
The History Of Soccer team will be attending the FIFA World Cup Qatar to report on the World Cup history. Let us know if you’re attending.
Current World Cup Odds
In the months leading up to the 2022 World Cup, defending champions France trails the most successful nation Brazil. England is the third favorite. Below are the latest World Cup odds.
| Country | Current Odds |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 9/2 |
| France | 11/2 |
| England | 11/2 |
| Spain | 8/1 |
| Argentina | 9/1 |
| Germany | 11/1 |
| Belgium | 12/1 |
| Portugal | 12/1 |
| Netherlands | 12/1 |
| Denmark | 28/1 |
| Croatia | 50/1 |
| Switzerland | 80/1 |
| Senegal | 80/1 |
| USA | 100/1 |
| Poland | 125/1 |
| Serbia | 150/1 |
| Mexico | 150/1 |
| Canada | 150/1 |
| Cameroon | 200/1 |
| All Others | 500/1 |
Rhett is an Australian-born, globe trotter who is a UEFA ‘A’ Licence Soccer Coach. With his family, he has traveled and coached soccer in more than 30 countries, while attending World Cups, European Championships, and some of the biggest local derbies in the world!