| Tourney Name: | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Dates: | 6 June 2019 – 14 June 2022 |
| Num Teams: | 206[1] |
| Confederations: | 6 |
| Top Scorer: | Ali Mabkhout (14 goals) |
| Prevseason: | 2018 |
| Nextseason: | 2026 |
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.[2] Mongolian player Norjmoogiin Tsedenbal netted the first goal, while the last one was scored by Joel Campbell of Costa Rica. In contrast to previous editions, there was no general preliminary draw, with confederations carrying out separate draws due to their differing timelines.[3] The qualification process suffered numerous postponements from March 2020 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Team | data-sort-type="text" | Method of qualification | data-sort-type="date" | Date of qualification | Total times qualified | Last time qualified | Current consecutive appearances | data-sort-type="number" | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-value="a" | Hosts | 2 December 2010 | 1 | – | 1 | data-sort-value="1" | – | ||
| data-sort-value="uefa.j" | UEFA Group J winners | 11 October 2021 | 20 | 18 | data-sort-value="84" | Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.f" | UEFA Group F winners | 12 October 2021 | 6 | 2 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (1998) | |||
| data-sort-value="conmebol1" | CONMEBOL winners | 11 November 2021 | 22 | 22 | data-sort-value="85" | Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.d" | UEFA Group D winners | 13 November 2021 | 16 | 7 | data-sort-value="82" | Winners (1998, 2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.e" | UEFA Group E winners | 13 November 2021 | 14 | 3 | data-sort-value="61" | Third place (2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.a" | UEFA Group A winners | 14 November 2021 | 13 | 2 | data-sort-value="52" | Fourth place (1930, 1962) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.b" | UEFA Group B winners | 14 November 2021 | 16 | 12 | data-sort-value="81" | Winners (2010) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.h" | UEFA Group H winners | 14 November 2021 | 6 | 3 | data-sort-value="71" | Runners-up (2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.c" | UEFA Group C winners | 15 November 2021 | 12 | 5 | data-sort-value="43" | Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.i" | UEFA Group I winners | 15 November 2021 | 16 | 7 | data-sort-value="81" | Winners (1966) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.g" | UEFA Group G winners | 16 November 2021 | 11 | 1 | data-sort-value="73" | Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010) | |||
| data-sort-value="conmebol2" | CONMEBOL runners up | 16 November 2021 | 18 | 13 | data-sort-value="82" | Winners (1978, 1986) | |||
| data-sort-value="afc.a1" | AFC third round group A winners | 27 January 2022 | 6 | 3 | data-sort-value="25" | Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="afc.a2" | AFC third round group A runners-up | 1 February 2022 | 11 | 10 | data-sort-value="51" | Fourth place (2002) | |||
| data-sort-value="afc.b1" | AFC third round group B winners | 24 March 2022 | 6 | 2 | data-sort-value="31" | Round of 16 (1994) | |||
| data-sort-value="afc.b2" | AFC third round group B runners-up | 24 March 2022 | 7 | 7 | data-sort-value="33" | Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="conmebol3" | CONMEBOL third place | 24 March 2022 | 14 | 4 | data-sort-value="82" | Winners (1930, 1950) | |||
| data-sort-value="conmebol4" | CONMEBOL fourth place | 24 March 2022 | 4 | 1 | data-sort-value="31" | Round of 16 (2006) | |||
| data-sort-value="concacaf1" | CONCACAF third round winners | 27 March 2022 | 2 | 1 | data-sort-value="21" | Group stage (1986) | |||
| data-sort-value="caf" | CAF third round winners | 29 March 2022 | 4 | 1 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (2010) | |||
| data-sort-value="caf" | CAF third round winners | 29 March 2022 | 3 | 2 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (2002) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.pb" | UEFA play-offs Path B winners | 29 March 2022 | 9 | 2 | data-sort-value="62" | Third place (1974, 1982) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.pc" | UEFA play-offs Path C winners | 29 March 2022 | 8 | 6 | data-sort-value="61" | Third place (1966) | |||
| data-sort-value="caf" | CAF third round winners | 29 March 2022 | 6 | 2 | data-sort-value="25" | Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018) | |||
| data-sort-value="caf" | CAF third round winners | 29 March 2022 | 6 | 2 | data-sort-value="31" | Round of 16 (1986) | |||
| data-sort-value="caf" | CAF third round winners | 29 March 2022 | 8 | 1 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (1990) | |||
| data-sort-value="concacaf3" | CONCACAF third round third place | 30 March 2022 | 11 | 1 | data-sort-value="61" | Third place (1930) | |||
| data-sort-value="concacaf2" | CONCACAF third round runners-up | 30 March 2022 | 17 | 8 | data-sort-value="42" | Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) | |||
| data-sort-value="uefa.pa" | UEFA play-offs Path A winners | 5 June 2022 | 2 | 1 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (1958) | |||
| data-sort-value="z" | AFC v CONMEBOL play-off winners | 13 June 2022 | 6 | 5 | data-sort-value="31" | Round of 16 (2006) | |||
| data-sort-value="z" | CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners | 14 June 2022 | 6 | 3 | data-sort-value="41" | Quarter-finals (2014) |
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.[4] As Qatar won their group, the fifth-best group runners-up, Lebanon, advanced to the AFC third round instead.[5] 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.[6] The reigning World Cup champions France also participated in qualifying as normal.[7]
The allocation of slots for each confederation was discussed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 30 May 2015 in Zürich after the FIFA Congress.[8] The committee decided that the same allocation used in 2006, 2010, and 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments:[9]
| width=100 | Confederation | width=80 | Available slots | width=80 | Teams started | width=80 | Teams eliminated | width=80 | Teams qualified | width=130 | Qualifying start date | width=130 | Qualifying end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4+1 or 5+1 | 45+1 | 40 | 5+1 | 6 June 2019 | 13 June 2022 | ||||||||
| 5 | 54 | 49 | 5 | 4 September 2019 | 29 March 2022 | ||||||||
| 3 or 4 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 24 March 2021 | 14 June 2022 | ||||||||
| 4 or 5 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 October 2020 | 13 June 2022 | ||||||||
| 0 or 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 March 2022 | 14 June 2022 | ||||||||
| 13 | 55 | 42 | 13 | 24 March 2021 | 5 June 2022 | ||||||||
| Total | 31+1 | 205+1 | 174 | 31+1 | 6 June 2019 | 14 June 2022 | |||||||
North Korea withdrew from the AFC second qualifying round for safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12] An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed,[13] but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban.[14] The CAS ruling also allowed the name "Russia" to be displayed on uniforms if the words "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" had equal prominence.[15] 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.[15] 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,[16] 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).[17] On 28 February, however, in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia.[18] [19] Poland were subsequently given a walkover for their play-off semi-final match scheduled against Russia.[20] The Russian Football Union announced they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[21] Their request for a temporary lift of the ban was rejected on 18 March.[22]
The formats of the qualifying competitions depended on each confederation (see below). Each round was played in either of the following formats:[23]
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.4 and 20.6):[23]
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).[23]
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. The away goals rule was again applied after extra time. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie was decided by penalty shoot-out (regulations Article 20.10).[23]
See main article: 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.[24]
The qualification structure was as follows:[25]
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round.
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round.
See main article: 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.[26]
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round.
See main article: 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.[27] 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."[28] On 27 July, CONCACAF announced a new qualifying format for the World Cup.[29]
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round.
See main article: 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.[31] 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.
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC). Qualifying was expected to begin in September 2020,[32] but the FIFA international window in that month for the OFC was postponed by the pandemic.[33]
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.[34] After continued delays,[35] [36] 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 in March 2022.[37] [38]
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.
See main article: 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).[39] 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.[40] Earlier on 18 June, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the draw regulations for the qualifying group stage.[41] 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.[42] [43] 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.[44] [45]
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round.
See main article: 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 on 13–14 June 2022.[46] [47]
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONMEBOL play-off).
See main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–OFC play-off).
Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations and the inter-confederation play-offs: