Earlier this year we witnessed the draw for the group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although three teams were missing and have yet to qualify for the showpiece tournament, due to commence towards the end of November this year. Those remaining qualifiers will be held in June and July, resulting in the final confirmation of all 32 participating teams.
As expected, the level of enthusiasm ahead of the World Cup is growing daily in Qatar, as the Arabian country gets ready to host fans from around the globe. Despite being the smallest country ever to host the biggest international football tournament, huge investments have been made to guarantee stadiums and infrastructure will be ready in time.
Likewise, while gambling might be frowned upon in many of the Gulf states, sports betting in Qatar continues to remain popular, which is why Arabian Betting has produced an extensive guide. This covers everything punters need to know about safe and secure betting options, accompanied by detailed reviews for trusted international sites, highlighting where the best range of markets and promotions can be found.
But as we begin to ponder which teams are likely to succeed at the World Cup, let’s take a look at the qualifiers that will decide the final three teams to compete at the tournament.
AFC vs. COMNEBOL
By virtue of their finishing in fifth place during the South American section of qualifying, Peru will represent COMNEBOL, although they have yet to discover which team they will face from the AFC. This will be decided by a fourth round play-off between United Arab Emirates and Australia, due to take place in Qatar on Tuesday 7 June, kick-off at 22:00 local time.
During the AFC qualification phase, United Arab Emirates finished third in Group A behind Iran and South Korea, while Australia were third in Group B, behind Saudi Arabia and Japan. Once their clash is resolved, the winner will get to face Peru on Monday 13 July, kick-off at 21:00 local time. This game will also be held at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, which is also one of the eight World Cup tournament venues.
CONCACAF vs OFC
Just one day after the AFC vs COMNEBOL qualifier is decided, Qatar will host another intercontinental qualification contest. Costa Rica will represent the CONCACAF region, under the confederation which covers North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. As the winners of the OFC qualification phase, covering the Oceania region in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand earned the right to reach this final qualification stage.
Costa Rica has frequently participated at World Cup tournament over the last few decades, making their first appearance at the Italy 1990 World Cup. They also featured at Japan and South Korea 2002, Germany 2006, Brazil 2014, and Russia 2018. By comparison, New Zealand has only featured at the World Cup on two previous occasions, qualifying for Spain 1982 and South Africa 2010. Costa Rica and New Zealand will meet at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, on Tuesday 14 July, kick-off at 21:00 local time.
UEFA Path A
European confederation UEFA typically provides the biggest number of World Cup qualifiers, contributing 13 of the 32 participating teams. UEFA also has perhaps the most convoluted qualification system, whereby 10 teams qualify automatically for the World Cup following the First Round group stage. The Second Round features 12 teams, with 10 group runners-up joined by 2 of the highest ranked teams from the UEFA Nations League competition.
Via this pathway, Poland and Portugal have already sealed their qualification for the 2022 World Cup. However, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, matches involving Ukraine were delayed for obvious reasons. The semi-final match between Scotland and Ukraine will now take place on Wednesday 1 June, at Hampden Park in Glasgow. The winner of that match will then take on Wales, in the final match to decide the last European qualifier for the World Cup. This game will be held at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Sunday 1 June.
