The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup and will be played by the men’s national teams of FIFA’s member associations. The event runs from November 20 to December 18, 2022, in Qatar. The 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan was the second World Cup staged exclusively in Asia. This World Cup is the first to be contested in the Arab world. With 48 teams expected to compete in the 2026 tournament, this one will be the last to include 32 teams.
The tournament’s matches will take place in eight locations spread across five cities. This World Cup is being staged in November and December due to the extreme summer humidity and heat in Qatar. It is being performed over a shorter 29-day period. At Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, the opening game was between Qatar and Ecuador. Qatar fell 2-0 in their first-ever World Cup match, making history as the first host nation to drop their first game. The grand final will take place on December 18, 2022.
2022 FIFA World Cup Schedule
Complete FIFA World Cup schedule
| Date | Team 1 | Match | Team 2 | Group | Time* | Location |
| 20-Nov- 22 | Qatar | 1 | Ecuador | A | 7:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 21-Nov-22 | Senegal | 2 | Netherlands | A | 7:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 21-Nov-22 | England | 3 | Iran | B | 4:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 21-Nov-22 | USA | 4 | Wales | B | 10:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 22-Nov-22 | France | 5 | Australia | D | 10:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 22-Nov-22 | Denmark | 6 | Tunisia | D | 4:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 22-Nov-22 | Mexico | 7 | Poland | C | 7:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 22-Nov-22 | Argentina | 8 | Saudi Arabia | C | 1:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 23-Nov-22 | Belgium | 9 | Canada | F | 10:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 23-Nov-22 | Spain | 10 | Costa Rica | E | 7:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 23-Nov-22 | Germany | 11 | Japan | E | 4:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 23-Nov-22 | Morocco | 12 | Croatia | F | 1:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 24-Nov-22 | Switzerland | 13 | Cameroon | G | 1:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 24-Nov-22 | Uruguay | 14 | South Korea | H | 4:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 24-Nov-22 | Portugal | 15 | Ghana | H | 7:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 24-Nov-22 | Brazil | 16 | Serbia | G | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 25-Nov-22 | Iran | 17 | Wales | B | 1:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 25-Nov-22 | Qatar | 18 | Senegal | A | 4:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 25-Nov-22 | Netherlands | 19 | Ecuador | A | 7:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 25-Nov-22 | England | 20 | USA | B | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 26-Nov-22 | Tunisia | 21 | Australia | D | 1:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 26-Nov-22 | Poland | 22 | Saudi Arabia | C | 4:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 26-Nov-22 | France | 23 | Denmark | D | 7:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 26-Nov-22 | Argentina | 24 | Mexico | C | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 27-Nov-22 | Japan | 25 | Costa Rica | E | 1:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 27-Nov-22 | Belgium | 26 | Morocco | F | 4:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 27-Nov-22 | Croatia | 27 | Canada | F | 7:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 27-Nov-22 | Spain | 28 | Germany | E | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 28-Nov-22 | Serbia | 29 | Cameroon | G | 1:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 28-Nov-22 | South Korea | 30 | Ghana | H | 4:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 28-Nov-22 | Brazil | 31 | Switzerland | G | 7:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 28-Nov-22 | Portugal | 32 | Uruguay | H | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 29-Nov-22 | England | 33 | Wales | B | 10:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 29-Nov-22 | Iran | 34 | USA | B | 10:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 29-Nov-22 | Ecuador | 35 | Senegal | A | 6:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 29-Nov-22 | Netherlands | 36 | Qatar | A | 6:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 30-Nov-22 | Denmark | 37 | Australia | D | 6:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 30-Nov-22 | Tunisia | 38 | France | D | 6:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 30-Nov-22 | Poland | 39 | Argentina | C | 10:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 30-Nov-22 | Saudi Arabia | 40 | Mexico | C | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 1-Dec-22 | Croatia | 41 | Belgium | F | 6:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| 1-Dec-22 | Canada | 42 | Morocco | F | 6:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium |
| 1-Dec-22 | Japan | 43 | Spain | E | 10:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium |
| 1-Dec-22 | Costa Rica | 44 | Germany | E | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 2-Dec-22 | Ghana | 45 | Uruguay | H | 6:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium |
| 2-Dec-22 | South Korea | 46 | Portugal | H | 6:00 PM | Education City Stadium |
| 2-Dec-22 | Serbia | 47 | Switzerland | G | 10:00 PM | Stadium 974 |
| 2-Dec-22 | Brazil | 48 | Cameroon | G | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
| 3-Dec-22 | 1A | 49 | 2B | 6:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium | |
| 3-Dec-22 | 1C | 50 | 2D | 10:00 PM | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium | |
| 4-Dec-22 | 1B | 51 | 2A | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium | |
| 4-Dec-22 | 1D | 52 | 2C | 6:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium | |
| 5-Dec-22 | 1E | 53 | 2F | 6:00 PM | Al Janoub Stadium | |
| 5-Dec-22 | 1G | 54 | 2H | 10:00 PM | Stadium 974 | |
| 6-Dec-22 | 1F | 55 | 2E | 6:00 PM | Education City Stadium | |
| 6-Dec-22 | 1H | 56 | 2G | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium | |
| 9-Dec-22 | W49 | 57 | W50 | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium | |
| 9-Dec-22 | W53 | 58 | W54 | 6:00 PM | Education City Stadium | |
| 10-Dec-22 | W51 | 59 | W52 | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium | |
| 10-Dec-22 | W55 | 60 | W56 | 6:00 PM | Al Thumama Stadium | |
| 13-Dec-22 | W57 | 61 | W58 | 10:00 PM | Lusail Stadium | |
| 14-Dec-22 | W59 | 62 | W60 | 10:00 PM | Al Bayt Stadium | |
| 17-Dec-22 | L61 | 63 | L62 | 6:00 PM | Khalifa International Stadium | |
| 18-Dec-22 | W61 | 64 | W62 | 6:00 PM | Lusail Stadium |
FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers
Before the field is expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup, the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar will be the final one to feature 32 teams. Since France 1998, 32 teams have participated in the FIFA Men’s World Cup.
31 other nations who qualified through regional matches will be competing in the event alongside host nation Qatar. FIFA, the organisation that oversees the World Cup, allocated a specific number of qualification spots to each region:
- (CAF) Africa: 5
- AFC Asia: 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
- UEFA Europe: 13
- Caribbean, North and Central America (CONCACAF): 3 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
- OFC: One playoff qualifier from Oceania
- CONMEBOL South America: 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
What to expect in the FIFA 2022 World Cup?
The World Cup will be more approachable than ever thanks to Qatar’s location; the majority of people on earth can get there in a single day. It can be used by visitors as a starting point for exploring the neighborhood before, during, and after the event. Qatar is a small country, thus spectators will be able to see more than just a game each day. For the length of the competition, they just need to land at one airport and stay in one hotel. Additionally, it allows players to put less emphasis on logistics and more emphasis on preparation and rehabilitation while providing a much-needed vacation from the rigors of travel.