FIFA World Cup 2022 which is going to be held in Qatar is only eight months away now. It’s time for the FIFA World 2022 Draw right now that’ll decide the group stage matches and venues. Find out how does the FIFA World Cup Draw works, which teams are in contention, when does it start, and how to watch it live.
29 Countries have already confirmed their spot to play in the World Cup in Qatar, whereas, three spots are still up for contention via continental and intercontinental playoffs that will take place in June.
The 32 nations in the final stage will be split up into four Pots based on the FIFA World Rankings as of March 31, 2022. The top seeds will go into Pot 1 alongside the hosts, while the lower seeds will move into Pot 4. After that, groups A to H will be filled in an orderly manner by picking up names from each pot.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw Date and Start Time
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw will take place on Friday, April 1, 2022, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar. The live coverage will start at 7 PM Local Time/ 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT/ 4:00 PM GMT.
The Draw will divide the 32 teams from Pot 1 to Pot 4 into eight groups that will be Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G, and Group H.
The first team chosen from each Pot will go into Group A, the second goes into Group B, and this continues until each qualified team gets a group.
All 32 Teams in Contention by Region
Here are all the 32 teams including the 29 confirmed ones and 3 contenders according to different regions:
Africa
- Cameroon
- Ghana
- Senegal
- Morocco
- Tunisia
Asia
- Iran
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- Japan
- Australia/United Arab Emirates will play in an Inter-Confederation playoff match in June
Europe
- England
- Spain
- Netherlands
- France
- Germany
- Denmark
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Switzerland
- Poland
- Portugal
- Scotland/Ukraine or Wales
Host Nation
- Qatar
North America
- Canada
- Mexico
- USA
- Costa Rica will play in an Inter-Confederation playoff match in June
Oceania
- New Zealand will play in an Inter-Confederation playoff match in June
South America
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Uruguay
- Peru will play in an Inter-Confederation playoff match in June
How does the FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw Work?
The FIFA World Cup Draw can be perplexing for anyone who isn’t aware of the format. We’ll try to explain it in the simplest manner. The Draw first divides the 32 qualified teams into four pots each containing eight teams based on the FIFA World Rankings.
Next, teams are drawn from each Pot and allocated into eight groups. Pot 1 is emptied first, followed by Pot 2, then Pot 3, and so on. You will see a ball drawn from the team Pot which will be then allocated to one of the eight groups from A to H.
Regulations for the Draw
FIFA follows these regulations while drawing the teams from Pots into Groups:
The host nation, which is Qatar for this year, is always put into Pot 1 alongside the top seven teams in the World. Qatar will be represented by a different color ball and will be allocated to the A1 position, as per FIFA’s rules.
After that, the remaining seven top seeds are drawn into Groups B to H. FIFA’s general rule is to not include multiple teams from each qualification zone in a single group. That’s why you rarely find neighboring nations competing in group stage matches.
However, this rule doesn’t apply to Europe as there are 13 teams from there, and you may find multiple teams from the UEFA qualifiers playing against each other. Each group must have at least one but not more than two European teams.
💥 The intercontinental play-offs for places at the 2022 #WorldCup have been drawn 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/jhcTyTaeMv
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 26, 2021
The Inter-Continental play-offs taking place in June 2022 will feature an AFC team vs CONMEBOL team and a CONCACAF team vs an OFC team. After that, the complete match schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be available.
Seeded Teams in Pots 1 to 4
There are four seeding categories named Pot 1 to Pot 4 based on the FIFA world rankings published on March 31, 2022. Pot 1 includes the top seven teams alongside the hosts Qatar, Pot 2 includes the next eight highest-ranked qualifiers, and Pot 3 includes the next eight highest-ranked qualified teams.
Pot 4 includes the five highest-ranked qualified teams alongside the placeholders for the two Inter-Continental play-off winners and the last UEFA play-off winner.
Here are the four Pots along with their Teams for the FIFA World Cup 2022:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Mexico | Senegal | Cameroon |
| Brazil | Netherlands | Iran | Canada |
| Belgium | Denmark | Japan | Ecuador |
| France | Germany | Morocco | Saudi Arabia |
| Argentina | Uruguay | Serbia | Ghana |
| England | Switzerland | Poland | Costa Rica / New Zealand |
| Spain | USMNT | South Korea | Peru or Australia / UAE |
| Portugal | Croatia | Tunisia | Wales or Scotland / Ukraine |
The group stage matches will feature these teams, and the groups of teams decide the venues they will be playing in.
How to Watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw Live?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw will be available to watch live in every region of the world. The viewers in the US can watch it live on FS1 (English coverage), Telemundo, and Universo (Spanish coverage), while the live streaming will be available on Peacock and fuboTV.
The @USMNT and Mexico join the list of qualified teams for the 2022 FIFA World Cup 👏👏
Up next: The FIFA 2022 World Cup draw Friday at 11:30am ET on FS1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fXSXTqLy2a
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 31, 2022
Viewers in the UK can watch the FIFA World Cup Draw on BBC One and live streaming will be available via BBC iPlayer for subscribers while the viewers in Canada can watch it live on TSN with live streaming available on TSN Go.
Viewers in India can watch the FIFA World Cup Draw live on History TV18 HD and the live streaming will be available on the Voot app.
FIFA will also provide a live broadcast of the World Cup 2022 Draw for international viewers on FIFA.com and its official YouTube channel. You can also catch the coverage live on FIFA’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Who will lead the FIFA World Cup Draw this time?
The US national team’s legend Carli Lloyd will lead the FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw ceremony this year alongside the former England international player
The formal draw ceremony will be led by U.S. national team legend Carli Lloyd, along with former England international player Jermaine Jenas and TV presenter Samantha Johnson.
Former stars and coaches including Cafu, Tim Cahill, Ali Daei, Rabah Madjer, Adel Ahmed MalAllah, Lothar Matthaus, Bora Milutinovic, and Jay-Jay Okocha.
FIFA has also revealed that there will be over 2,000 guests in attendance to watch the World Cup 2022 Draw in person while millions will tune in live via broadcasting channels.
