The draw for the World Cup preliminary round groups is imminent. The most important questions and answers
When and where will the World Cup draw take place?
The preliminary round groups for the 2022 World Cup will be drawn on 1 April at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar’s capital. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 5pm German time. The 72nd FIFA Congress will also be held there the day before.
Why aren’t all the places in the World Cup draw filled?
At the time of the draw, only 29 of the 32 qualified teams have been determined. Due to the Corona pandemic, the FIFA match calendar had to be adjusted so that the two intercontinental play-offs between the representatives of Asia and South America and North America and Oceania will not take place until June. In addition, one European representative will not yet be determined, as the match between Scotland and Ukraine cannot take place as planned at the end of March due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The play-off match between the winner of that game and the clash between Wales and Austria is currently scheduled to be played in June.
How many pots are there?
As in previous World Cups, there will be four draw pots, each with eight teams.
Who is in pot one?
As hosts, Qatar are already safely seeded in pot one and will be group head of Group A. They will be joined by the seven top-ranked teams in the FIFA World Ranking that have qualified for the tournament. The other pots will also be filled according to their position in the world rankings. The three teams not yet qualified at the time of the draw will be placed in pot four by wild card.
In which draw pot will Germany be placed?
The DFB team is currently eleventh in the FIFA World Ranking. Since a new world ranking will be published on 31 March, i.e. the day before the draw, and two of the teams currently ahead of Germany (Italy and Portugal) have not yet qualified, it is still theoretically possible that Germany will also be seeded as group head. More realistic, however, seems to be a place in pot two.
What order will be drawn?
The draw will be made according to pots. So first all the group heads will be drawn. If pot one is empty, all the teams from pot two are distributed to the groups one after the other and so on.
What are the rules of the World Cup draw?
In principle, two teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn into one group. Iran, for example, cannot meet South Korea in the preliminary round. The only exception is Europe: A maximum of two teams from UEFA may be drawn into a preliminary round group. Thus, five of the eight groups will contain two European teams.
After the World Cup draw, are the match dates already fixed?
No. Unlike at previous tournaments, the draw does not yet determine the final dates and stadiums. As the distances between the stadiums in Qatar are short, FIFA wants to retain the flexibility thus gained and first check “whether better kick-off times or stadiums might be available for TV viewers and fans on site”.
Where will the World Cup draw be broadcast live?
FIFA offers a live stream of the draw on its website. ARD and “Magenta TV” will also broadcast the draw. Wolff Fuss and expert Michael Ballack will commentate for the broadcaster, Thomas Wagner will be on site as a reporter.
