The 2022 FIFA World Cup is only a few months away and every berth is accounted for. The group stage matchups are set and we can begin to project who might be in best position to advance from the knockouts.
England landed the USA in Group B, Argentina and Lionel Messi will go up against Mexico in Group C, and it’ll be Luis Suarez and Uruguay looking to spoil a potential final World Cup tournament for Cristiano Ronaldo in Group H.
The tournament kicks off on Monday, Nov. 21 and will be wrapped up in less than a month with the final tabbed for Sunday, Dec. 18. Brazil enter as the No. 1 team in the world and have a manageable group to navigate, while defending champions France are expected to finish top in their group with a chance to build a head of steam in the tournament.
Which teams could surprise? African champions Senegal are one of the stronger teams in Group A, which also features hosts Qatar. In its first participation in 37 years, Canada landed in Group F, where it will like its chances to battle Morocco and Croatia for second place behind Belgium.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H
World Cup 2022 tournament format
The 2022 World Cup tournament will follow along the lines of past editions with a 32-team group stage which whittles the field down to 16 teams — only the top two teams from each group will advance.
Those 16 group-stage survivors will then begin a single-game knockout competition. The winner moves on, the loser goes home. There must be a winner on the day for every knockout round match, and extra time and penalty kicks will be used, if necessary, to determine a victor.
- Group stage: Nov. 21-Dec. 2
- Round of 16: Dec. 3-6
- Quarterfinals: Dec. 9-10
- Semifinals: Dec. 13-14
- Third-place match: Dec. 17
- Final: Dec. 18
When do World Cup matches start in Qatar?
There will be up to four matches daily during the group stage and they will be staggered throughout the day. The only matches that will overlap are the ones played on the final day of the group stage phase and that’s purely for competitive integrity.
Every time zone in the world will get a chance to watch matches at decent times throughout the day. Here’s a breakdown of how the local kickoff times in Qatar translate across regions around the world.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Groups
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia/UAE/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
FIFA World Cup 2022 full schedule, fixtures and India match times
All times are in India Standard Time
Monday, November 21
Senegal vs Netherlands – 3:30 PM IST
England vs Iran – 6:30 PM IST
Qatar vs Ecuador – 9:30 PM IST
Tuesday, November 22
USA vs Wales/Scotland/Ukraine – 12:30 AM IST
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia – 3:30 PM IST
Denmark vs Tunisia – 6:30 PM IST
Mexico vs Poland – 9:30 PM IST
Wednesday, November 23
France vs UAE/Australia/Peru – 12:30 AM IST
Morocco vs Croatia – 3:30 PM IST
Germany vs Japan – 6:30 PM IST
Spain vs Costa Rica/New Zealand – 9:30 PM IST
Thursday, November 24
Belgium vs Canada – 12:30 AM IST
Switzerland vs Cameroon – 3:30 PM IST
Uruguay vs South Korea – 6:30 PM IST
Portugal vs Ghana – 9:30 PM IST
Friday, November 25
Brazil vs Serbia – 12:30 AM IST
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs Iran – 3:30 PM IST
Qatar vs Senegal – 6:30 PM IST
Netherlands vs Ecuador – 9:30 PM IST
Saturday, November 26
England vs USA – 12:30 AM IST
Tunisia vs UAE/Australia/Peru – 3:30 PM IST
Poland vs Saudi Arabia – 6:30 PM IST
France vs Denmark – 9:30 PM IST
Sunday, November 27
Argentina vs Mexico – 12:30 PM IST
Japan vs Costa Rica/New Zealand – 3:30 PM IST
Belgium vs Morocco – 6:30 PM IST
Croatia vs Canada – 9:30 PM IST
Monday, November 28
Spain vs Germany – 12:30 PM IST
Cameroon vs Serbia – 3:30 PM IST
South Korea vs Ghana – 6:30 PM IST
Brazil vs Switzerland – 9:30 PM IST
Tuesday, November 29
Portugal vs Uruguay – 12:30 AM IST
Ecuador vs Senegal – 8:30 PM IST
Netherlands vs Qatar – 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday, November 30
Iran vs USA – 12:30 AM IST
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs England – 12:30 AM IST
Tunisia vs France – 8:30 PM IST
UAE/Australia/Peru vs Denmark – 8:30 PM IST
Thursday, December 1
Poland vs Argentina – 12:30 AM IST
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico – 12:30 AM IST
Canada vs Morocco – 8:30 PM IST
Croatia vs Belgium – 8:30 PM IST
Friday, December 2
Costa Rica/New Zealand vs Germany – 12:30 AM IST
Japan vs Spain – 12:30 AM IST
Ghana vs Uruguay – 8:30 PM IST
South Korea vs Portugal – 8:30 PM IST
Saturday, December 3
Cameroon vs Brazil – 12:30 AM IST
Serbia vs Switzerland – 12:30 AM IST
FIFA World Cup 2022 knockouts full schedule, fixtures and India match times
Saturday, December 3
1A vs 2B – 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 4
1C vs 2D – 12:30 AM IST
1D vs 2C – 8:30 PM IST
Monday, December 5
1B vs 2A – 12:30 AM IST
1E vs 2F – 8:30 PM IST
Tuesday, December 6
1G vs 2H – 12:30 AM IST
1F vs 2E – 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday, December 7
1H vs 2G – 12:30 AM IST
Friday, 09 December 2022
Quarter-final 1 – 8:30 PM IST
Saturday, 10 December 2022
Quarter-final 2 – 12:30 AM IST
Quarter-final 3 – 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 11
Quarter-final 4 – 12:30 AM IST
Wednesday, December 14
Semi-final 1 – 12:30 AM IST
Thursday, December 15
Semi-final 2 – 12:30 AM IST
Sunday, December 18
Bronze final – 12:30 AM IST
Monday, December 19
FIFA World Cup 2022 final – 12:30 AM IST
