The 2022 World Cup final draw is almost complete. The FIFA World Cup draw took place on April 1 with 29 of the 32 participating teams already determined. These last three places will not be decided until June.
Due to a schedule impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a separate ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the FIFA World Cup qualifying field has yet to be finalized. The two intercontinental qualifiers that usually take place before the World Cup draw have been pushed back to June, as have the final playoffs for the remaining berth available in Europe.
This article will break down everything you need to know about the Intercontinental Qualifiers which have thrown up some incredible games in recent memory, with nations from different regional confederations pushing for a World Cup spot. In the past, the playoffs were played over two legs, but this year the matches are one-time 90-minute affairs played in Qatar, making for potentially more exciting matches.
With five teams from four confederations battling for just two World Cup spots, here’s how the Intercontinental qualifiers will play out.
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Intercontinental playoff schedule
The two intercontinental World Cup play-off matches in June will pit one nation from four regional confederations – Asia (AFC), North America (CONCACAF), South America (CONMEBOL) and Oceania (OFC) – against another in one. one time. Game.
The identity of the participants in the playoffs was known at the end of March, but the AFC representative will not be decided until June 7 with a playoff match between the two Asian nations who finished third in their groups scheduled for that date. The winner will have one week to prepare for an appointment with Peru.
Dated | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
---|---|---|---|
TBD (June 13/14) | Australia Where United Arab Emirates (AFC playoff winner) | vs. | Peru (CONMEBOL 5th place) |
TBD (June 13/14) | Costa Rica (CONCACAF 4th place) | vs. | New Zealand (OFC Champions) |
World Cup group for playoff winners
The World Cup draw on April 1 confirmed the groups into which the two winners of the intercontinental playoffs will be drawn.
South America’s winner against Asia will move into Group D and can expect an opener against France.
Meanwhile, the winner of North America against Oceania (Costa Rica against New Zealand) won’t have it any easier in Group E with the likes of Spain and Germany, and an opener against La Furia Roja.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWN:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H
World Cup Group D table and schedule
Team | pls | generalist | O | I | D | GF | Georgia | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D1: France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D2: AUS/EAU/PER* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D3: Denmark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D4: Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* = Winner of Intercontinental Qualifiers (Peru v Australia/UAE)
Group D match schedule
Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
Tue 22 Nov | Denmark vs Tunisia | 8am | city of education |
Tue 22 Nov | France against AUS/UAE/PER | 2 p.m. | Al Janoub |
Sat 26 Nov | Tunisia against AUS/UAE/PER | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub |
Sat 26 Nov | France against Denmark | 11am | Stadium 974 |
Wed 30 Nov | Tunisia vs France | 10am | city of education |
Wed 30 Nov | AUS/UAE/PER v Denmark | 10am | Al Janoub |
World Cup Group E table and schedule
Team | pls | generalist | O | I | D | GF | Georgia | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E1: Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
E2: CRC/NZ* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
E3: Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
E4: Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* = Winner of the intercontinental qualifiers (Costa Rica against New Zealand)
Group E match schedule
Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
Wed 23 Nov | Germany versus Japan | 8am | Khalifa International Airport |
Wed 23 Nov | Spain v CRC/NZ | 11am | Al Thumama |
Sun 27 Nov | Japan v CRC/NZ | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
Sun 27 Nov | Spain v Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
Thursday, December 1 | Japan vs Spain | 2 p.m. | Khalifa International Airport |
Thursday, December 1 | CRC/NZ v Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWN:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H
Format of the FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Qualifiers
The structure of the FIFA World Cup playoff format has been simplified in recent qualifying cycles to a one-match format.
Based on the number of transcontinental trips, often in the middle of the domestic season for players, objections have been raised with criticism of unfair advantages given to ‘stronger’ confederations.
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FIFA has confirmed that the 2022 Intercontinental Qualifiers will all be played at neutral venues in Qatar. The governing body has also confirmed that since the matches will be played at neutral venues, they will be played over a single 90-minute match rather than two matches played home and away.
The only regional confederations without a place in the intercontinental qualifiers are Europe (UEFA) and Africa (CAF), both of which only offer direct World Cup places through their qualifying setups.
The clashes are redrawn each cycle with a special Intercontinental Qualifiers draw, with the four participating confederations (AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC) all drawn from a pot and played against each other. The draw for this round, which took place in November 2021, pitted the South American entrant against the Asian entrant, while the North American entrant will face the Oceanian winner.
Intercontinental qualifiers for the World Cup qualifiers
The intercontinental structure of the playoffs has offered nations an additional route to the greatest competition in international football.
The majority of teams withdrew in the group stages after reaching the tournament, but a shot at the World Cup allowed fans from nations outside the established elite to take part in the biggest spectacle on Earth.
Year | Qualified Nation | Playoff opponent | Results | world Cup stage reached |
1974 | Chile | Soviet Union | 2-0 overall. | Group stage |
1978 | Hungary | Bolivia | 9-2 overall. | Group stage |
1982 | — | — | — | — |
1986 | Scotland | Australia | 2-0 overall. | Group stage |
1990 | Colombia | Israel | 1-0 overall. | Round of 16 |
1994 | Argentina | Australia | 2-1 overall. | Round of 16 |
1998 | Iran | Australia | 3-3 in total. (away goals) |
Group stage |
2002 | Rep of Ireland Uruguay |
Iran Australia |
2-1 overall. 3-1 overall. |
Round of 16 Group stage |
2006 | Trinidad and Tobago Australia |
Bahrain Uruguay |
2-1 overall. 1-1 overall (4-2 CP) |
Group stage Round of 16 |
2010 | New Zealand Uruguay |
Bahrain Costa Rica |
1-0 overall. 2-1 overall. |
Group stage Semi final |
2014 | Uruguay Mexico |
Jordan New Zealand |
5-0 overall. 9-3 overall. |
Round of 16 Round of 16 |
2018 | Australia Peru |
Honduras New Zealand |
3-1 overall. 2-0 overall. |
Group stage Group stage |
History of FIFA Intercontinental Qualifiers
FIFA included intercontinental qualifiers in World Cup qualification cycles prior to the 1974 tournament in West Germany.
However, the inaugural game was plagued with political controversy after the Soviet Union side refused to travel to Chile for the return leg in Santiago following a coup in the country, the Chileans having been excluded from the competition.
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Since then, the intercontinental playoff structure has always been present in World Cup qualifying, with 1982 being the only exception. The confrontations changed from 1986.
UEFA v CONMEBOL was replaced by UEFA v OFC or CONMEBOL v OFC, before becoming a four-team formation before the 1994 World Cup, only for another temporary switch before France ’98.