The FIFA 2022 World Cup is set to kick off on 20th November 2022. In what is deemed one of the most prestigious tournaments in football, 32 teams that have successfully gone through the qualifying stages are divided into eight groups to start the competition.
The World Cup is where stars are born, and beyond a reasonable doubt, it’s where players become legends. It’s where a player can become his country’s hero or villain. Dubbed the first world cup hosted by an Arab country, we look at the World Cup schedule, and injury updates as thirty-two countries head to Qatar. Follow Half A Goal for more updated World Cup news and football news.
World Cup Groups
- Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
- Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
- Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
- Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
- Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
- Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
- Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Schedule
The World Cup Kicks off with the group stage. Here, 32 teams have been divided into eight groups of four countries. Each country plays the other three members of the group twice to conclude the group stage.
Two Countries that finish with the highest points in the group stage qualify for the round of 16. The Schedule for the group stage has already been published, and here is how the teams face up.
November 20
Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador
November 21
Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands
Group B: England vs Iran
USA vs Wales
November 22
Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia
Mexico vs Poland
Group D: France vs Australia
Denmark vs Tunisia
November 23
Group F: Belgium vs Canada
Morocco vs Croatia
Group E: Germany vs Japan
Spain vs Costa Rica
November 24
Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon
Brazil vs Serbia
Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea
Portugal vs Ghana
November 25
Group A: Qatar vs Senegal
Netherlands vs Ecuador
Group B: England vs USA
Wales vs Iran
November 26
Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia
Argentina vs Mexico
Group D: Tunisia vs Australia
France vs Denmark
November 27
Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica
Spain vs Germany
Group F: Belgium vs Morocco
Croatia vs Canada
November 28
Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia
South Korea vs Ghana
Group H: Brazil vs Switzerland
Portugal vs Uruguay
November 29
Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar
Ecuador vs Senegal
Group B: Wales vs England
Iran vs USA
November 30
Group D: Australia vs Denmark
Tunisia vs France
Group C: Poland vs Argentina
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
December 1
Group F: Croatia vs Belgium
Canada vs Morocco
Group E: Costa Rica vs Germany
Japan vs Spain
December 2
Group G: South Korea vs Portugal
Ghana vs Uruguay
Group H: Serbia vs Switzerland
Cameroon vs Brazil
Venue And Kick-Off Time
Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium are the eight stadiums where the group games will be played. Now specific stadiums are allocated to particular groups in the following manner;
- Stadiums in Groups A, B, E, and F will play in Al Bayt, Khalifa International, Al Thumama, and Ahmad bin Ali.
- Stadiums in Groups C, D, G, and H will play in Al Janoub Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Stadium 974.
The first two rounds of the group stage take off at 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, and 22:00, and the final round and knockout stage matches simultaneously at 18:00 and 22:00. All times are local, Atlantic Standard Time (AST) (Coordinated Universal Time UTC)+4).
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Important Players Set To Miss The World Cup
- Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands):
Georginio Wijnaldum, a Dutch midfielder for Roma, will not play in this year’s World Cup after he fractured the tibia in his right leg. He isn’t allowed to partake in any intense activity because of the severity of his injury.
- Timo Werner (Germany)
RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner will miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup owing to an ankle injury. In Leipzig’s final UEFA Champions League group match, Werner suffered an injury. According to a statement from the club, examinations revealed that he had unfortunately damaged the syndesmosis ligament in his left ankle, putting him out for the remainder of 2022.
- N’golo Kante & Paul Pogba (France)
The defending champion France is devastated by the news that they will be without their key players in midfield in the 2022 World Cup. Chelsea’s French midfielder Kante was ruled out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament after Chelsea said in October that he would require surgery to repair a hamstring injury and would likely miss four months of action.
Due to a knee injury, Paul Pogba of Juventus, who played with N’Golo Kante in midfield during France’s 2018 world cup run, will not represent his country in Qatar. Months after his comeback from Manchester United, Pogba underwent knee surgery in September. Pogba suffered a setback while rehabilitating an existing knee injury, ultimately preventing him from competing in the world cup.
The World Cup was scheduled for this year, unusually, due to the weather in Qatar. Domestic football competitions have to go on a break to accommodate a winter World Cup. The schedule above covers the group stage where participants are confirmed, and it will proceed as stated. Despite key injuries, we are in for an exciting tournament with nerve-wracking moments and lots of emotions.
