Having been a world cup hopeful since 1990, Russia has had its fair share of World Cups, but is currently barred from participating in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Russia has not played a World Cup in almost two decades, but has qualified for two previous tournaments, in 2014 and 2006.
The most important thing to know about the 2022 World Cup is that it is the first time the World Cup will be held in the Middle East. It will take place in Qatar from November 21, 2022 to December 18, 2022. The host country will automatically qualify for the tournament, although other nations will have to qualify through intercontinental play-offs. The other nations to qualify through the intercontinental play-offs are Australia, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.
The most exciting aspect of the World Cup qualifiers is the fact that only eight teams missed out on the chance to play in the 2022 tournament. The remaining teams were divided into eight groups of four. Each group was composed of one team from each of the six confederations. The first team in each group advanced to a single leg knock-out stage. The top two teams in each group advanced to a final single leg knock-out stage. The winner of the final qualifying match advanced to the group stage.
There are a few other notable entrants to the World Cup qualifiers, such as the Netherlands and Uruguay. However, only a few of these countries will be present for the World Cup in Qatar, while other established footballing nations are still sweating over their respective places. In addition to the World Cup, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Germany have also qualified for the tournament.
It has also been revealed that there will be a tie-breaker between the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates to determine who will play in the last two berths in the 2022 World Cup. The Netherlands and Tunisia both won their group matches, while the other teams won one game apiece.
The World Cup qualifiers will also see a number of teams qualify for the first time, such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Switzerland and Portugal. In addition, the United States and Canada will make their World Cup debuts. However, there are still plenty of qualifying opportunities, as a number of nations have yet to reach the tournament.
The most exciting matchup of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers may not take place until 2022. Nigeria is currently top of Group C, and will play in the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos. The Super Eagles have a perfect record in their group, and will aim to maintain that record when they face off against Cape Verde. Nigeria is a favourite to win the group, but they will need a draw to qualify for the play-offs.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup draw took place in Doha, Qatar, on April 1st. Each confederation has been given a separate draw, based on their own timetables. The draws were meant to be done in the same order as the qualifying rounds, but some confederations did not have the time or resources to carry out the necessary preparations. The draw also coincided with the FIFA World Cup finals, but not all of the qualifying rounds were able to be played.
