Nicholas Mendoza, NBC Sports
World Cup qualifying. Drink it in, it sometimes goes down smooth.
Qatar. That’s currently the lone team set for the 2022 World Cup, because it’s hosting the 2022 World Cup in what has been totally devoid of controversy. None at all.
The 2022 World Cup will be contested from Nov. 21 to December 18 by 32 teams.
Here’s how the 31 other nations to compete for the world’s most celebrated international trophy will be determined, as well as the current odds for who could win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Qualified nations for 2022 World Cup
CAF: None
AFC: Qatar (hosts)
CONCACAF: None
CONMEBEOL: None
OFC: None
UEFA: None
African (CAF) World Cup qualifying schedule
Africa will put five teams in the 2022 World Cup.
The first round has already been staged, and the second round will not begin until May 31, 2021. It will run through Oct. 12, 2021.
The second round groups have been drawn but game dates have not been finalized.
Ten winners from the second round will be drawn into five home-and-away third round ties.
The winners of those five ties, staged Nov. 8-16, 2021, will head to Qatar.
Group A: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Djibouti
Group B: Tunisia, Zambia, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea
Group C: Nigeria, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Liberia
Group D: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Malawi
Group E: Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Group F: Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Angola
Group G: Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
Group H: Senegal, Rep of Congo, Namibia, Togo
Group I: Morocco, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
Group J: Dem Rep of Congo, Benin, Madagascar, Tanzania
Asian (AFC) World Cup qualifying schedule
Currently in the second round of qualifying, the first-place teams from eight groups will make the third round along with four second-place teams (a fifth if hosts Qatar are among the aforementioned 12).
The third round has two groups of six teams. The first two teams in each group make the World Cup.
The two third-place teams play home-and-away on March 24 and 29, 2022, with the winner making the inter-confederation playoffs, scheduled for June 2022.
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying schedule
North and Central America’s first round of qualifying begins in March, with select winners joining the USMNT, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Jamaica in the second stage Octagonal.
That would start until after the 2021 Gold Cup (July 10 – Aug. 1).
Four of the eight teams will qualify for the World Cup, with a fifth team making an inter-confederation playoff, scheduled for June 2022.
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying schedule
Each of 10 teams plays the other nine home-and-away. The top four teams make the World Cup and the fifth-place team goes to the inter-confederation playoffs, scheduled for June 2022.
Matchday 1
Uruguay 2-1 Chile
Paraguay 2-2 Peru
Argentina 1-0 Ecuador
Colombia v Venezuela — FridayBrazil v Bolivia — Friday
Matchday 2
Bolivia v Argentina — Tuesday
Ecuador v Uruguay — Tuesday
Venezuela v Paraguay — Tuesday
Peru v Brazil — Tuesday
Chile v Colombia — Tuesday
Matchday 3
Colombia v Uruguay — Nov. 12
Brazil v Venezuela — Nov. 12
Bolivia v Ecuador — Nov. 12
Argentina v Paraguay — Nov. 12
Chile v Peru — Nov. 12
Matchday 4
Uruguay v Brazil — Nov. 17
Peru v Argentina — Nov. 17
Venezuela v Chile — Nov. 17
Paraguay v Bolivia — Nov. 17
Ecuador v Colombia — Nov. 17
Matchday 5
Colombia v Brazil — March 25, 2021
Venezuela v Ecuador — March 25, 2021
Bolivia v Peru — March 25, 2021
Argentina v Uruguay — March 25, 2021
Chile v Paraguay — March 25, 2021
Matchday 6
Uruguay v Bolivia — March 30, 2021
Peru v Venezuela — March 30, 2021
Brazil v Argentina — March 30, 2021
Paraguay v Colombia — March 30, 2021
Ecuador v Chile — March 30, 2021
Matchday 7
Uruguay v Paraguay — June 3, 2021
Peru v Colombia — June 3, 2021
Brazil v Ecuador — June 3, 2021
Bolivia v Venezuela — June 3, 2021
Argentina v Chile — June 3, 2021
Matchday 8
Colombia v Argentina — June 8, 2021
Venezuela v Uruguay — June 8, 2021
Paraguay v Brazil — June 8, 2021
Chile v Bolivia — June 8, 2021
Ecuador v Peru — June 8, 2021
Matchday 9
Peru v Uruguay — Sept. 2, 2021
Venezuela v Argentina — Sept. 2, 2021
Bolivia v Colombia — Sept. 2, 2021
Chile v Brazil — Sept. 2, 2021
Ecuador v Paraguay — Sept. 2, 2021
Matchday 10
Uruguay v Ecuador — Sept. 7, 2021
Colombia v Chile — Sept. 7, 2021
Brazil v Peru — Sept. 7, 2021
Paraguay v Venezuela — Sept. 7, 2021
Argentina v Bolivia — Sept. 7, 2021
Matchday 11
Uruguay v Colombia — Oct. 7, 2021
Peru v Chile — Oct. 7, 2021
Venezuela v Brazil — Oct. 7, 2021
Paraguay v Argentina — Oct. 7, 2021
Ecuador v Bolivia — Oct. 7, 2021
Matchday 12
Colombia v Ecuador — Oct. 12, 2021
Brazil v Uruguay — Oct. 12, 2021
Bolivia v Paraguay — Oct. 12, 2021
Argentina v Peru — Oct. 12, 2021
Chile v Venezuela — Oct. 12, 2021
Matchday 13
Uruguay v Argentina — Nov. 11, 2021
Peru v Bolivia — Nov. 11, 2021
Brazil v Colombia — Nov. 11, 2021
Paraguay v Chile — Nov. 11, 2021
Ecuador v Venezuela — Nov. 11, 2021
Matchday 14
Colombia v Paraguay — Nov. 16, 2021
Venezuela v Peru — Nov. 16, 2021
Bolivia v Uruguay — Nov. 16, 2021
Argentina v Brazil — Nov. 16, 2021
Chile v Ecuador — Nov. 16, 2021
Matchday 15
Colombia v Peru — Jan. 27, 2022
Venezuela v Bolivia — Jan. 27, 2022
Paraguay v Uruguay — Jan. 27, 2022
Chile v Argentina — Jan. 27, 2022
Ecuador v Brazil — Jan. 27, 2022
Matchday 16
Uruguay v Venezuela — Feb. 1, 2022
Peru v Ecuador — Feb. 1, 2022
Brazil v Paraguay — Feb. 1, 2022
Bolivia v Chile — Feb. 1, 2022
Argentina v Colombia — Feb. 1, 2022
Matchday 17
Uruguay v Peru — March 24, 2022
Colombia v Bolivia — March 24, 2022
Brazil v Chile — March 24, 2022
Paraguay v Ecuador — March 24, 2022
Argentina v Venezuela — March 24, 2022
Matchday 18
Peru v Paraguay — March 29, 2022
Venezuela v Colombia — March 29, 2022
Bolivia v Brazil — March 29, 2022
Chile v Uruguay — March 29, 2022
Ecuador v Argentina — March 29, 2022
Oceanic (OFC) World Cup qualifying schedule
The 11 nations of Oceania compete for one spot in the inter-confederations playoffs in March 2022.
Yet to be drawn, the first round sees the 11 teams split into two groups. The group members will play each other once with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinal round on Aug. 30 and Sept. 7, 2021.
The final will be a two-legged affair on Oct. 4 and 12. New Zealand has advanced to the last three inter-confederation playoffs. Australia is no longer in OFC but advanced to eight of the other nine playoffs, with Israel winning OFC in 1990 after competing in the confederation for political reasons.
Only four times has an OFC team gone to World Cup, Australia in 1974 and 2006 and New Zealand in 1982 and 2010.
UEFA World Cup qualifying schedule
Thirteen European nations get spots in the 2022 World Cup.
The draw for UEFA World Cup qualifying is set for December, with 10 groups of either five or six teams drawn. The winners of the home-and-away round-robin group stage, held March to November, 2021, go to the World Cup.
Ten runners-up will be joined by the best two Nations League group winners that did not finish in the top two of their qualifying group. The 12 teams will be separated into three groups of four, who will play semifinals and finals to determine the three remaining World Cup participants from UEFA.
The playoff semifinals will be held March 24-25, 2022, and the finals will be held March 28-29.
Odds to win the 2022 World Cup (full odds by PointsBet)
Brazil +550
France +600
Spain +700
Germany +800
England +900
Argentina +1200
Belgium +1200
Italy +1600
Netherlands +1600
Portugal +2500
Croatia +3300
Colombia +4000
Uruguay +4000
Chile +5000
Mexico +8000
Denmark +10000
Sweden +10000
USMNT +10000
Serbia +10000
Turkey +10000
Russia +12500
Ukraine +12500
Switzerland +15000
Austria +15000
Bosnia and Herzegovina +15000
Czech Republic +15000
Paraguay +15000
Poland +15000
Qatar +15000
Wales +15000
Cameroon +20000
Ghana +20000
Ivory Coast +20000
Norway +20000
Romania +20000
Australia +25000
Greece +25000
Algeria +25000
Bulgaria +25000
China +25000
Ecuador +25000
Egypt +25000
Iceland +25000
Japan +25000
Montenegro +25000
Morocco +25000
Nigeria +25000
Peru +25000
Republic of Ireland +25000
Senegal +25000
Slovakia +25000
Slovenia +25000
Costa Rica +50000
Iran +50000
Israel +50000
Northern Ireland +50000
Scotland +50000
South Korea +50000
Tunisia +50000
Albania +100000
Canada +100000
Cyprus +100000
Finland +100000
Georgia +100000
Honduras +100000
Hungary +100000
Kosovo +100000
New Zealand +100000
Panama +100000
Saudi Arabia +100000
South Africa +100000
Iraq +100000
India +200000
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2022 World Cup qualifying: Format, schedule, oddsoriginally appeared on NBCSports.com
