2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar. All 55 FIFA-affiliated national teams from UEFA will enter qualification. The qualification will depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than UEFA Euro 2020.

About 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) in brief

Summary 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar. A total of 13 slots in the final tournament are available for UEFA teams. All 55 FIFA-affiliated national teams from UEFA will enter qualification. The qualification will depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than UEFA Euro 2020. The structure will maintain UEFA’s usual ‘group stageplayoff stage’ structure, with only the specific format of the play-offs amended. The UEFA Executive Committee also approved the use of the video assistant referee system for the qualifiers.

The draw for the first round was held in Zürich, Switzerland on 7 December 2020, 18: 00 CET. The teams were drawn into ten groups: five groups of five teams and five group of six teams. The draw started with Pot 1 and completed with Pot 6, from where a team was drawn and assigned to the first available group in alphabetical order. The original schedule of the qualifying group stage, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows. In March 2020, UEFA announced that the two matchdays planned to take place in June 2021 would be moved following the rescheduling of UEFA Euro 2016.