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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification#Tiebreakers

{{short description|none}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Infobox international football competition

| tourney_name = 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

| dates = 6 June 2019 – 14 June 2022

| num_teams = 206Cook Islands and North Korea withdrew after playing some matches, and Russia were suspended after playing some matches. American Samoa, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu withdrew before playing. Qatar was obliged by the AFC to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also acted as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

| confederations = 6

| matches = {{#expr: 229 +158 +118 +89 +11 +258 +2}}

| goals = {{#expr: 676 +361 +345 +223 +37 +781 +1}}

| attendance = {{#expr: 2332162 +1229510 +999020 +1369058 +0 +3044828 +0}}

| top_scorer = {{fbicon|UAE}} Ali Mabkhout
(14 goals)

| updated =

| prevseason = 2018

| nextseason = 2026

|image=FIFA logo without slogan.svg}}

{{2022 FIFA World Cup sidebar}}

The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Parallel tournaments were organised by FIFA's six confederations. Qualification began on 6 June 2019 with several matches of the AFC zone, the first being between Mongolia and Brunei, and ended on 14 June 2022 with an inter-confederation play-off between Costa Rica and New Zealand.At the time a rescheduled match of the CONMEBOL section was still due to be played, but it was ultimately cancelled. Mongolian player Norjmoogiin Tsedenbal netted the first goal.

In contrast to previous editions, there was no general preliminary draw, with confederations carrying out separate draws due to their differing timelines.{{cite news |title=2022 World Cup: How qualifying works around the world |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/3860182/2022-world-cup-how-qualifying-works-around-the-world |work=ESPN FC |publisher=ESPN |date=25 May 2019}}{{better source needed|date=August 2022}} The qualification process suffered numerous postponements from March 2020 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qualified teams

File:2022_world_cup_qualification.svg

{{sticky header}}{{table alignment}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header col3right col4center col5center col6center"
scope="col" |Team

! scope="col" data-sort-type="text"|Method of
qualification

! scope="col" data-sort-type="date"|Date of
qualification

! scope="col" |Total
times
qualified

! scope="col" |Last
time
qualified

! scope="col" |Current
consecutive
appearances

! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"|Previous best
performance

scope="row" |{{fb|QAT}}

|data-sort-value="a"|Hosts ||2 December 2010 ||1 ||—||1 ||align="center" data-sort-value="1"|—

scope="row" |{{fb|GER}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.j"|UEFA Group J winners ||11 October 2021 ||20{{efn|Germany between 1950 and 1990 competed as West Germany, as a separate East German team existed then.}} || 2018 ||18 ||data-sort-value="84"|Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)

scope="row" |{{fb|DEN}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.f"|UEFA Group F winners ||12 October 2021 ||6 ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (1998)

scope="row" |{{fb|BRA}}

|data-sort-value="conmebol1"|CONMEBOL winners ||11 November 2021 ||22 ||2018 ||22 ||data-sort-value="85"|Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

scope="row" |{{fb|FRA}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.d"|UEFA Group D winners ||13 November 2021 ||16 ||2018 ||7 ||data-sort-value="82"|Winners (1998, 2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|BEL}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.e"|UEFA Group E winners ||13 November 2021 ||14 ||2018 ||3 ||data-sort-value="61"|Third place (2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|SRB}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.a"|UEFA Group A winners ||14 November 2021 ||13{{efn|This is the third appearance of Serbia at the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA considers Serbia as the successor team of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, who between them qualified on 10 occasions.}} ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="52"|Fourth place (1930, 1962)

scope="row" |{{fb|ESP}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.b"|UEFA Group B winners ||14 November 2021 ||16 ||2018 ||12 ||data-sort-value="81"|Winners (2010)

scope="row" |{{fb|CRO}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.h"|UEFA Group H winners ||14 November 2021 ||6 ||2018 ||3 ||data-sort-value="71"|Runners-up (2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|CHE}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.c"|UEFA Group C winners ||15 November 2021 ||12 ||2018 ||5 ||data-sort-value="43"|Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)

scope="row" |{{fb|ENG}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.i"|UEFA Group I winners ||15 November 2021 ||16 ||2018 ||7 ||data-sort-value="81"|Winners (1966)

scope="row" |{{fb|NED}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.g"|UEFA Group G winners ||16 November 2021 ||11 ||2014 ||1 ||data-sort-value="73"|Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)

scope="row" |{{fb|ARG}}

|data-sort-value="conmebol2"|CONMEBOL runners up ||16 November 2021 ||18 ||2018 ||13 ||data-sort-value="82"|Winners (1978, 1986)

scope="row" |{{fb|IRN}}

|data-sort-value="afc.a1"|AFC third round group A winners ||27 January 2022 ||6 || 2018 ||3 ||data-sort-value="25"|Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|KOR}}

|data-sort-value="afc.a2"|AFC third round group A runners-up ||1 February 2022 ||11 || 2018 ||10 ||data-sort-value="51"|Fourth place (2002)

scope="row" |{{fb|KSA}}

|data-sort-value="afc.b1"|AFC third round group B winners ||24 March 2022 ||6 || 2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="31"|Round of 16 (1994)

scope="row" |{{fb|JPN}}

|data-sort-value="afc.b2"|AFC third round group B runners-up ||24 March 2022 ||7 || 2018 ||7 ||data-sort-value="33"|Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|URU}}

|data-sort-value="conmebol3"|CONMEBOL third place ||24 March 2022 ||14 ||2018 ||4 ||data-sort-value="82"|Winners (1930, 1950)

scope="row" |{{fb|ECU}}

|data-sort-value="conmebol4"|CONMEBOL fourth place ||24 March 2022 ||4 ||2014 ||1 ||data-sort-value="31"|Round of 16 (2006)

scope="row" |{{fb|CAN}}

|data-sort-value="concacaf1"|CONCACAF third round winners ||27 March 2022 ||2 ||1986 ||1 ||data-sort-value="21"|Group stage (1986)

scope="row" |{{fb|GHA}}

|data-sort-value="caf"|CAF third round winners ||29 March 2022 ||4 ||2014 ||1 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (2010)

scope="row" |{{fb|SEN}}

|data-sort-value="caf"|CAF third round winners ||29 March 2022 ||3 ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (2002)

scope="row" |{{fb|POL}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.pb"|UEFA play-offs Path B winners ||29 March 2022 ||9 ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="62"|Third place (1974, 1982)

scope="row" |{{fb|POR}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.pc"|UEFA play-offs Path C winners ||29 March 2022 ||8 ||2018 ||6 ||data-sort-value="61"|Third place (1966)

scope="row" |{{fb|TUN}}

|data-sort-value="caf"|CAF third round winners ||29 March 2022 ||6 ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="25"|Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018)

scope="row" |{{fb|MAR}}

|data-sort-value="caf"|CAF third round winners ||29 March 2022 ||6 ||2018 ||2 ||data-sort-value="31"|Round of 16 (1986)

scope="row" |{{fb|CMR}}

|data-sort-value="caf"|CAF third round winners ||29 March 2022 ||8 ||2014 ||1 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (1990)

scope="row" |{{fb|USA}}

|data-sort-value="concacaf3"|CONCACAF third round third place || 30 March 2022 ||11 ||2014 ||1 ||data-sort-value="61"|Third place (1930)

scope="row" |{{fb|MEX}}

|data-sort-value="concacaf2"|CONCACAF third round runners-up ||30 March 2022 ||17 ||2018 ||8 ||data-sort-value="42"|Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)

scope="row" |{{fb|WAL}}

|data-sort-value="uefa.pa"|UEFA play-offs Path A winners || 5 June 2022 ||2 ||1958 ||1 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (1958)

scope="row" |{{fb|AUS}}

|data-sort-value="z"|AFC v CONMEBOL play-off winners || 13 June 2022 ||6 ||2018 ||5 ||data-sort-value="31"|Round of 16 (2006)

scope="row" |{{fb|CRC}}

|data-sort-value="z"|CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners || 14 June 2022 ||6 ||2018 ||3 ||data-sort-value="41"|Quarter-finals (2014)

Notes

{{notelist}}

Qualification process

All FIFA member associations, of which there were 211, were eligible to enter qualification. Qatar, as hosts, qualified automatically for the tournament. However, Qatar was obliged by the AFC to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also acted as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.{{cite news |last1=Palmer |first1=Dan |title=Hosts Qatar to compete in qualifying for 2022 World Cup |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1053493/hosts-qatar-to-compete-in-qualifying-for-2022-world-cup |access-date=15 August 2017 |work=inside the games |publisher=Dunsar Media Company |date=31 July 2017}} As Qatar won their group, the fifth-best group runners-up, Lebanon, advanced to the AFC third round instead.{{cite news |title=Groups finalised for Qatar 2022 & China 2023 race |url=http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2019-07/18/content_75003983.htm |work=China.org.cn |date=18 July 2019}} For the first time after the initial two tournaments of 1930 and 1934, the World Cup would be hosted by a country whose national team had never played a finals match before.{{cite news |last=Harding |first=David |date=6 September 2017 |title=World Cup failure puts Qatar back in spotlight |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-failure-puts-qatar-back-spotlight-181903150--sow.html |work=Yahoo Sports |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-date=18 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203912/https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-failure-puts-qatar-back-spotlight-181903150--sow.html |url-status=dead }} The reigning World Cup champions France also participated in qualifying as normal.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/world-cup/news/2022-world-cup-odds-france-favorite-to-repeat-in-qatar-usa-behind-mexico-with-16th-best-odds/ |title=2022 World Cup odds: France favorite to repeat in Qatar; USA behind Mexico with 16th-best odds |work=CBS Sports|date=15 July 2018|access-date=7 September 2018}}

The allocation of slots for each confederation was discussed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 30 May 2015 in Zürich, Switzerland after the FIFA Congress.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/qatar2022/news/y=2015/m=3/news=2022-fifa-world-cup-to-be-played-in-november-december-2568172.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320194337/http://www.fifa.com//worldcup/qatar2022/news/y=2015/m=3/news=2022-fifa-world-cup-to-be-played-in-november-december-2568172.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 March 2015 |title=2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November/December |publisher=FIFA |date=20 March 2015}} The committee decided that the same allocation used in 2006, 2010, and 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments:{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=5/news=current-allocation-of-fifa-world-cuptm-confederation-slots-maintained-2610611.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530211217/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=5/news=current-allocation-of-fifa-world-cuptm-confederation-slots-maintained-2610611.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 May 2015 |title=Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained |publisher=FIFA |date=30 May 2015}}

  • AFC (Asia): 4 or 5
  • CAF (Africa): 5
  • CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean): 3 or 4
  • CONMEBOL (South America): 4 or 5
  • OFC (Oceania): 0 or 1
  • UEFA (Europe): 13
  • Hosts: 1

=Summary of qualification=

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
colspan="9" bgcolor="white" |350px
width=100|Confederation

!width=80|Available slots {{nowrap|in finals}}

!width=80|Teams started

!width=80|Teams eliminated

!width=80|Teams qualified

!width=130|Qualifying start date

!width=130|Qualifying end date

AFC4+1 or 5+145+1405+16 June 201913 June 2022
CAF5544954 September 201929 March 2022
CONCACAF3 or 43430424 March 202114 June 2022
CONMEBOL4 or 510648 October 202013 June 2022
OFC0 or 177017 March 202214 June 2022
UEFA1355421324 March 20215 June 2022
Total||31+1||205+1||174||31+1|| 6 June 2019 || 14 June 2022

{{notelist}}

=Withdrew or suspended=

North Korea withdrew from the AFC second qualifying round for safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |title=South Korea: North Koreans pull out of World Cup qualifying |url=https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-north-korea-world-cup-international-soccer-soccer-fdd6542dd5b1f585b61ca4f3e3fcb167 |work=AP NEWS |date=4 May 2021 |language=en}}

Other smaller island states likewise retracted their participation during the World Cup qualification: Saint Lucia, American Samoa, Samoa, Vanuatu and Cook Islands, while Tonga withdrew after the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.

On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency initially handed Russia a four-year ban from all major international sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/50710598 |title=Russia banned for four years to include 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup |publisher=BBC Sport |date=9 December 2019 |access-date=9 December 2019}} However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applied to the World Cup proper as a world championship. The WADA ruling allowed athletes who were not involved in doping or the coverup to compete, but prohibited the use of the Russian flag and anthem at major international sporting events.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50716196 |title=Can Russia play at the World Cup 2022 and Euro 2020? |publisher=BBC Sport |date=9 December 2019 |access-date=9 December 2019}} An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed,{{cite news |url=https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2020-01/wada-files-official-request-with-court-of-arbitration-for-sport-to-resolve-rusada |title=WADA files official request with Court of Arbitration for Sport to resolve RUSADA dispute |work=World Anti-Doping Agency |date=9 January 2020 |access-date=14 February 2020}} but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban.{{cite news|title=CAS arbitration WADA v. RUSADA: Decision|url=https://www.tas-cas.org/en/general-information/news-detail/article/cas-arbitration-wada-v-rusada-decision.html|access-date=18 December 2020|website=TAS/CAS|date=17 December 2020}} The CAS ruling also allowed the name "Russia" to be displayed on uniforms if the words "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" had equal prominence.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/30538012/russia-banned-using-name-flag-next-2-olympics|title=Russia banned from using its name, flag at next two Olympics|date=17 December 2020|publisher=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|access-date=18 December 2020}} If Russia had qualified for the tournament, its players would not have been able to use their country's name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation's two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports. On 27 February 2022, after the threat of boycotts by the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden (the three teams alongside Russia in the UEFA second qualifying round play-off bracket) amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine,{{cite news |title=Poland to boycott game against Russia |publisher=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60536030 |date=27 February 2022 |access-date=27 February 2022}} FIFA prohibited the Russia national team from playing home matches in Russia; the team would have to play matches behind closed doors at neutral sites. In addition, the team would have been prohibited from competing under the name, flag, or national anthem of Russia, and had to compete under the name "Football Union of Russia" (RFU).{{cite web |date=27 February 2022 |title=Bureau of the FIFA Council takes initial measures with regard to war in Ukraine |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/media-releases/bureau-of-the-fifa-council-takes-initial-measures-with-regard-to-war-in |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association}} On 28 February, however, in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia.{{cite news |title=Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian teams |publisher=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/60560567 |date=28 February 2022 |access-date=28 February 2022}}{{cite press release|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/media-releases/fifa-uefa-suspend-russian-clubs-and-national-teams-from-all-competitions |title=FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions |work=FIFA |date=28 February 2022 |access-date=28 February 2022}} Poland were subsequently given a walkover for their play-off semi-final match scheduled against Russia.{{cite news |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/media-releases/decisions-taken-concerning-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-tm-qualifiers |title=Decisions taken concerning FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers |work=FIFA |date=8 March 2022 |access-date=8 March 2022}} The Russian Football Union announced they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60607645 |title=Ukraine crisis: Russia to appeal against football ban imposed by Fifa and Uefa |publisher=BBC Sport |date=3 March 2022 |access-date=3 March 2022}} Their request for a temporary lift of the ban was rejected on 18 March.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60795131 |title=War in Ukraine: Russia request to suspend Fifa ban for World Cup play-offs rejected |publisher=BBC Sport |date=18 March 2022 |access-date=18 March 2022}}

Format

The formats of the qualifying competitions depended on each confederation (see below). Each round was played in either of the following formats:{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/517ef2ad2bc3665e/original/ytkbpnxyvcghx6bebesv-pdf.pdf |title=Regulations FIFA World Cup 2022 Preliminary Competition: Including COVID-19 Regulations |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=29 November 2021}}

  • League format, in which more than two teams formed groups to play home-and-away round-robin matches, or in exceptions permitted by the FIFA Organising Committee, single round-robin matches hosted by one of the participating teams or on neutral territory.
  • Knockout format, in which two teams played home-and-away two-legged matches or single-legged matches.

=Tiebreakers=

In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.4 and 20.6):

  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
  9. * first yellow card: minus 1 point
  10. * indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
  11. * direct red card: minus 4 points
  12. * yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  13. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

In cases when teams finishing in the same position across different groups were compared to determine which teams advanced to the next stage, the criteria depended on the competition format and required the approval of FIFA (regulations Article 20.8).

In knockout format, the team that had the higher aggregate score over the two legs progressed to the next round. If aggregate scores finish level, then the away goals rule was applied.{{efn|The team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses. If away goals were also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time were played, divided into two 15-minute halves.}} The away goals rule was again applied after extra time.{{efn|If there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team qualified by virtue of more away goals scored.}} If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie was decided by penalty shoot-out (regulations Article 20.10).

{{notelist}}

Confederation qualification

=AFC=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)}}

The opening two rounds of qualifying also served as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Therefore, Qatar, the 2022 FIFA World Cup host, only participated in the first two rounds of qualifying.{{cite news|last1=Palmer|first1=Dan|title=Hosts Qatar to compete in qualifying for 2022 World Cup|url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1053493/hosts-qatar-to-compete-in-qualifying-for-2022-world-cup|access-date=20 August 2017|work=inside the games|date=31 July 2017}}

The qualification structure was as follows:{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1471045/pakistan-to-learn-world-cup-asian-cup-qualifying-fate-on-april-17|title=Pakistan to learn World Cup, Asian Cup qualifying fate on April 17|work=Dawn.com|date=22 March 2019}}

  • First round: Twelve teams (ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: Forty teams (ranked 1–34, including Qatar as the host, and the six winners from the first round) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The eight group winners and the four best group runners-up were set to advance to the third round and AFC Asian Cup. As Qatar won their group, the fifth-best runner-up advanced in their stead.
  • Third round: Twelve teams that had advanced from the second round were divided into two groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the World Cup, and the two third-placed teams advanced to the fourth round.
  • Fourth round: One third-placed team in each third round group played against each other in a single match, the winners advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

==Final positions (third round)==

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round}}

valign=top

!align="center"|Group A

!align="center"|Group B

valign=top

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group A|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group B|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

==Fourth round==

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}

{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}

=CAF=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)}}

CAF announced on 10 July 2019 a reversion to the format used for its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification competition.{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/54/337773/Sports/Africa/CAF-reverts-to-previous-format-for--African-World-.aspx|title=CAF reverts to previous format for 2022 African World Cup qualifiers|work=Ahram Online|date=10 July 2019}}

  • First round: Twenty-eight teams (ranked 27–54) played home-and-away over two legs. The fourteen winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: Forty teams (teams ranked 1–26 and fourteen first-round winners) were divided into ten groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The ten group winners advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: Ten teams that had advanced from the second round played home-and-away over two legs. The five winners qualified for the World Cup, and no teams advance to the intercontinental playoffs.

==Third round==

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round}}

{{#lst:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round}}

=CONCACAF=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)}}

CONCACAF initially announced on 10 July 2019 a restructured format for the qualifiers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.{{cite web|url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/concacaf-announces-format-for-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-confederation-qualifiers|title=Concacaf Announces Format for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Confederation Qualifiers|date=8 February 2021|publisher=CONCACAF}} However, on 25 June 2020, following FIFA's decision to postpone the September international window because of the pandemic, CONCACAF noted that "the challenges presented by postponements to the football calendar, and the incomplete FIFA rankings cycle in our confederation, means our current World Cup qualifying process has been compromised and will be changed."{{cite web |title=CONCACAF confirms 2022 World Cup qualifying will change |website=TSN |access-date=30 June 2020 |url = https://www.tsn.ca/concacaf-confirms-that-2022-world-cup-qualifying-is-to-change-but-no-details-yet-1.1489562 |agency=Canadian Press |date=25 June 2020}} On 27 July, CONCACAF announced a new qualifying format for the World Cup.{{cite news |title=New Concacaf Qualifiers announced for regional qualification to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 |url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/article/new-concacaf-qualifiers-announced-for-regional-qualification-to-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022 |publisher=CONCACAF |access-date=27 July 2020 |date=27 July 2020}}

  • First round: Thirty CONCACAF teams, ranked 6 to 35 based on the FIFA rankings of July 2020, were drawn into six groups of five and played single round-robin matches (two home and two away), the six group winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: Six first round group winners played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The three winners advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: Eight teams, three second-round winners and the top five CONCACAF teams (Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Honduras){{cite web |title=USMNT learns World Cup qualifying road including Mexico dates |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/usmnt-learns-world-cup-qualifying-175750089.html |website=Yahoo! Sports |last1=Mendola |first1=Nicholas |via=NBC Sports |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=20 August 2020 |archive-date=13 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913094456/https://sports.yahoo.com/usmnt-learns-world-cup-qualifying-175750089.html |url-status=dead }} also based on those FIFA rankings, played home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group. The top three teams qualified for the World Cup and the fourth-placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

==Final positions (third round)==

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round}}

{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

=CONMEBOL=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)}}

The CONMEBOL Council decided on 24 January 2019 to maintain the same qualification structure used for the previous six tournaments.{{cite web|url=http://www.conmebol.com/es/clasificatorio-sudamericano-al-mundial-de-qatar-arrancara-en-marzo-del-2020|title=Clasificatorio sudamericano al Mundial de Qatar arrancará en marzo del 2020|publisher=CONMEBOL|date=24 January 2019|language=es}} From October 2020 to March 2022 (previously scheduled for March 2020 to November 2021, but later postponed by the pandemic), all ten CONMEBOL teams played in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams qualified for the World Cup and the fifth-placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

==Final positions==

{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|only_pld_pts=yes|show_matches=no}}

=OFC=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)}}

Qualifying was expected to begin in September 2020,{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/118487762/new-zealand-football-successful-with-bid-to-host-the-2020-ofc-nations-cup|title=New Zealand Football successful with bid to host the 2020 OFC Nations Cup|last1=Voerman|first1=Andrew|website=Stuff|date=10 January 2020|access-date=16 January 2020}} but the FIFA international window in that month for the OFC was postponed by the pandemic.{{cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/fifa-council-unanimously-approves-covid-19-relief-plan|title=FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan|publisher=FIFA|date=25 June 2020}}

Earlier in July that year, the OFC submitted a proposal to FIFA for the qualifiers in response to the pandemic, intending to organise a group stage in March and June 2021 followed by semi-finals and a final in September and October of that year.{{cite web|url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-tournaments-update/|title=OFC tournaments update|publisher=Oceania Football Confederation|date=28 July 2020}} After continued delays,{{cite web|url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-announces-schedule-changes-for-early-2021/|title=OFC announces schedule changes for early 2021|publisher=Oceania Football Confederation|date=5 November 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-confirms-schedule-changes/|title=OFC confirms schedule changes|publisher=Oceania Football Confederation|date=4 March 2021}} by September 2021 the OFC felt it was "not possible at this time to organise a qualifying competition within the Oceania region" and it was instead staged in Qatar (host country of the World Cup) in March 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-update-on-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-oceania-qualifiers/|title=OFC update on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Oceania Qualifiers|author=Savannah Tafau-Levy|publisher=Oceania Football Confederation|date=16 September 2021|access-date=17 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/media-releases/update-on-fifa-club-world-cup-and-ofc-preliminary-competition-for-qatar-2022|title=Update on FIFA Club World Cup and OFC preliminary competition for Qatar 2022|date=29 November 2021|publisher=FIFA}}

The qualifying stage was to be a single match on 13 March 2022 between the two lowest-ranked participating OFC nations in the FIFA World Rankings, with the winner advancing to the group stage. Then eight remaining teams were drawn into two groups of four, playing single leg round-robin. The top two teams from each group advanced to a single leg knockout stage. The final winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

==Final stage==

{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)|transcludesection=Final stage}}

=UEFA=

{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)}}

The draw for the first round (group stage) was held in Zürich, Switzerland, on 7 December 2020, 18:00 CET (UTC+1).{{cite news |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/news/road-to-qatar-2022-mapped-out-for-europe |title=Road to Qatar 2022 mapped out for Europe |work=FIFA |date=7 December 2020 |access-date=8 December 2020}} However, because of the pandemic, the draw was held as a virtual event without any representatives of member associations present. It was originally planned to be held on 29 November.{{cite news |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/025a-0e9f7b39b454-6d693e2923b4-1000--2020-european-football-calendar/ |title=2020 European football calendar |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=1 January 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123150520/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/news/newsid=2633814.html |archive-date=23 January 2020}} Earlier on 18 June, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the draw regulations for the qualifying group stage.{{cite news |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/025e-0fb60fd017ba-82857c2a2217-1000--temporary-emergency-measures-for-financial-fair-play/ |title=Temporary emergency measures for Financial Fair Play |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=18 June 2020 |access-date=24 October 2020}} The 55 teams were seeded into six pots based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings of November 2020, after the league phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, on 4 December 2019.{{cite news |url=https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/mediaservices/mediareleases/newsid=2634046.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605101823/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/mediaservices/mediareleases/newsid=2634046.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 June 2020 |title=UEFA Executive Committee agenda for Nyon meeting |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=27 November 2019 |access-date=28 November 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://documents.uefa.com/v/u/kR6ThiGf9hdVYMlldxMAMw |title=Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2020/21 |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |format=PDF |date=13 October 2019 |access-date=13 October 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116082336/https://documents.uefa.com/internal/api/webapp/documents/jJTWTpzi2KN9D8VRYz~Bpg/content |archive-date=16 November 2020}} The qualification depended, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than UEFA Euro 2020. The structure maintained UEFA's usual 'group stage/playoff stage' structure, with only the specific format of the play-offs amended.{{cite news |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0258-0f8e72d16d81-dbec7fd2f2cf-1000--game-changer-group-stage-for-uefa-women-s-champions-league/ |title=Game changer: group stage for UEFA Women's Champions League |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=4 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/205b8634751aa743/original/teq6xtba5j54gogrcemo-pdf.pdf |title=Regulatory articles for the 2020–2022 European qualifiers play-offs |work=FIFA |date=22 October 2020 |access-date=22 October 2020}}

  • First round (group stage): Ten groups of either five or six teams with group winners qualifying for the World Cup finals. The four teams in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals (France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain) were put into the smaller groups.
  • Second round (play-off stage): Twelve teams (ten group runners-up and the best two Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group) were drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams to host, followed by finals, with the home teams to be drawn), with the three path winners qualifying for the World Cup.

==Final positions (first round)==

valign=top

!align="center"|Group A

!align="center"|Group B

!align="center"|Group C

valign=top

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

valign=top

!align="center"|Group D

!align="center"|Group E

!align="center"|Group F

valign=top

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

valign=top

!align="center"|Group G

!align="center"|Group H

!align="center"|Group I

valign=top

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

valign=top

!align="center"|Group J

valign=top

|align="left"|{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group J|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

==Second round==

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round}}

{{#section:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round|Bracket A}}

{{#section:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round|Bracket B}}

{{#section:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round|Bracket C}}

Inter-confederation play-offs

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)}}

There were two inter-confederation play-offs to determine the final two qualification spots for the finals. They were played in Qatar (host country of the World Cup) on 13–14 June 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/media-releases/draw-date-set-for-new-look-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-tm-intercontinental|title=Draw date set for new-look FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 intercontinental play-offs|publisher=FIFA|date=19 November 2021}}{{cite news |url=https://en.as.com/en/2021/11/26/soccer/1637955253_226019.html |title=2022 World Cup inter-confederation play-off draw: fixtures and format |last=Allen |first=William |work=as.com |date=26 November 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021}}

=AFC v CONMEBOL=

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONMEBOL play-off)}}

{{#lst:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff1}}

=CONCACAF v OFC=

{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–OFC play-off)}}

{{#lst:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff2}}

Top goalscorers

{{Goalscorers

|goals=2424 |matches=865

|14 goals=

|13 goals=

|12 goals=

|10 goals=

|9 goals=

|8 goals=

}}

Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations and the inter-confederation play-offs:

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • {{Official website|https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers|Official FIFA World Cup website}}

{{2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}

{{2022 FIFA World Cup}}

{{FIFA World Cup qualification}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2022 Fifa World Cup Qualification}}

Qualification

Category:FIFA World Cup qualification

Category:Sports events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

Fifa