The group stage draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has officially been completed.
With almost all of the qualifying games for the tournament in Qatar now concluded, football fans around the world were eagerly anticipating how the competing nations would be organised.
After all, there are no knockout round draws a la the Champions League or third-place shenanigans like in the Euros, so this week’s draw really did decide the roadmap for the entire competition.
2022 World Cup draw
Sure, it’s impossible to know who will place where in each and every group, but it allows supporters to get a reasonably good idea of how their nation might plot their route to the final.
As such, it’s easy to see why millions, if not billions, of fans were anxious to find out how the World Cup groups would be postured with proceedings taking place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on Friday.
At the time of the ceremony, 29 of the 32 nations had been confirmed as having qualified with the remaining countries still to play qualifying games having been placed in pot four.
How did the pots line up?
So, before we unveil the full results on what proved to be an exciting afternoon in Qatar, be sure to check out the state of play in each of the pots before the balls were pulled from the bowls.
Pot one: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal
Pot two: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, United States and Croatia
Pot three: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Tunisia
Pot four: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales or Scotland or Ukraine, Costa Rica or New Zealand and United Arab Emirates or Australia or Peru
Even before the ceremony got underway, it was clear to see that there was plenty of quality swashing around in those all-important pots.
The main rules were that a maximum of two European nations could be drawn in each group with countries from any other continent unable to be drawn alongside another team from the same federation.
The final draw confirmed
Got it? Right then, well, let’s sink our teeth into the final results and check out the groups for the 2022 World Cup to see how football’s biggest tournament will be shaping up in November and December.
Group A
- Qatar
2. Ecuador
3. Senegal
4. Netherlands
Group B
- England
2. Iran
3. United States of America
4. Wales or Scotland or Ukraine
Group C
- Argentina
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Mexico
4. Poland
Group D
- France
2. United Arab Emirates or Australia or Peru
3. Denmark
4. Tunisia
Group E
- Spain
2. Costa Rica or New Zealand
3. Germany
4. Japan
Group F
- Belgium
2. Canada
3. Morocco
4. Croatia
Group G
- Brazil
2. Serbia
3. Switzerland
4. Cameroon
Group H
- Portugal
2. Ghana
3. Uruguay
4. South Korea
Exciting games lay ahead
If that doesn’t get you excited for one of sport’s biggest events, then we don’t know what will.
Obviously, the main takeaway is that England have been handed an incredibly favourable draw with clashes against the USA and Iran confirmed, while either Wales or Scotland could take the final position.
It would certainly be a fairytale situation if Wales and Scotland’s first World Cup appearance of the 21st century were to see them locking horns with their island neighbours.
Elsewhere, the opening game of the tournament will see hosts Qatar lock horns with Ecuador, while Spain and Germany sharing Group E probably has the strongest claim as the ‘Group of Death’.
We can also look forward to clashes between Portugal and Uruguay, Croatia and Belgium, Poland and Argentina as well as countless other buzzing games to get you excited for November and December to roll around.
Bring. It. On.
