The 32 teams qualified to the Qatar World Cup 2022 were divided into eight groups of four, and the group stage began with three matches for each team starting November 20. The tournament’s opening phase focused on rapid group play, with teams vying for playoff spots and a place in the knockout rounds. The group pairings for the eight groups were drawn on April 1, establishing the roadmaps for the schedule and competition as the event approached. This phase stretched from November 20 to December 2, 2022, with daily matches arranged to fit a global audience. Four games took the field each day, split between groups, and scheduled across four different time slots to maximize viewing opportunities. The kickoff times were 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm in Spain, a structure designed to accommodate diverse time zones for fans in Europe and beyond. The group stage kept fans active, with teams accumulating points toward the round of 16 while the matches offered a steady stream of performances for curious observers and analysts alike. The tournament schedule left little breathing room, and the transition from group play into the knockout rounds happened without a break.
From December 3 onward, the 16 team knockout phase began and continued through December 6. The quarterfinals followed on December 9 and 10, the semifinals on December 13 and 14, the match for third place on December 17, and the final concluded on December 18, marking the end of a memorable competition in which teams left it all on the pitch. The group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup featured groups, fixtures, calendar, and results that sparked plenty of discussion among fans, pundits, and participants alike. The tournament continued to showcase the ever-shifting dynamics of international football and the intensity of World Cup play. (Goal)
Group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup: groups, fixtures, calendar and results
FIFA
classified teams
The 2022 edition marked a pivotal moment as it was the last World Cup to feature 32 teams in its final phase. After discussions led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino about expanding to 48 teams, the federation confirmed that the 32-team format would remain in use for the foreseeable future. The FIFA Executive Committee maintained the existing distribution of slots and the qualified teams had already been announced to ensure a clear path to the knockout rounds.
The current allocations of places were as follows for the qualifying confederations:
- Host (1): Qatar
- UEFA (13): Germany, Belgium, France, Croatia, Denmark, England, Switzerland, Serbia, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Wales
- Conmebol (4): Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay
- Concacaf (4): Canada, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica
- CAF (Africa 5): Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana and Cameroon
- AFC (Asia 5): Japan, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia
GROUP A
B GROUP
GROUP C
GROUP D
GROUP E
TROS F
GROUP G
GROUP H
Attribution: Goal