With FIFA World Cup 2022 preliminary-competition action already
under way in Africa, Asia and South America, UEFA’s 55 member associations are
eagerly looking ahead to the start of their own race to reach Qatar 2022, with
13 berths available. Their anticipation will be heightened on 7 December, when
the preliminary draw will take place at 18:00 CET in Zurich.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, the ceremony
will be held as a virtual event without the presence of member associations’
representatives.
Europe’s road to the FIFA World Cup 2022 will feature a group stage
comprising five groups of six teams and five groups of five teams. All teams
within a group will play each other twice in a home-and-away format between
March and November 2021. The ten group winners will qualify directly for Qatar
2022, with the ten runners-up advancing to the play-offs.
Besides the ten runners-up from the group stage, the play-offs will
also include the two best group winners from the UEFA Nations League 2020-2021
overall ranking that did not qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and
did not enter the play-offs as runners-up. The 12 teams will be split into
three play-off paths, which will feature single-leg knockout matches in March
2022 to determine the last three European nations to book a place in Qatar.
Seudyq
May 04, 2021 23:42 [IST]