The World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet and the upcoming tournament will be held in Qatar in 2022.
Many of the best international teams will be taking part, meaning that some of the game's biggest names will be strutting their stuff on a global stage.
Before it all happens, the group stage draw must take place. So when is it and how can you watch it? GOAL has all the details.
When is the World Cup 2022 draw? Date & start time
The group stage draw for World Cup 2022 will be held on April 1, 2022. It will start at 5pm BST (12 noon ET).
With the tournament beginning on November 21, that means teams will have just over seven months to get ready for their opponents and to fine-tune their preparations.
How to watch the World Cup 2022 group stage draw
FIFA will be live streaming the World Cup 2022 group stage draw on all its platforms, including its official website, YouTube and social media channels.
GOAL will bring you live coverage of the draw as it happens and you will be able to follow on our website, YouTube and through the GOAL app.
World Cup draw live updates on GOAL
The World Cup group stage draw will be one of the most anticipated events in the football calendar, so it will be covered on all major sports news TV channels. BBC will broadcast the draw in the UK.
Where will the World Cup 2022 draw take place?
The draw will be held in Doha, Qatar and it will coincide with the 72nd FIFA Congress, which is taking place in the city a day beforehand.
Doha is the capital city of Qatar and has a population of just over two million people. It will host a number of World Cup games and is no stranger to staging football events, having hosted the World Youth Championship in 1995, along with the Asia Cup in 1988 and 2011.
Which teams are in the World Cup 2022 draw?
A total of 32 teams will be in the hat for the World Cup 2022 group stage draw.
At the time of the draw, 29 teams will be confirmed, with the remaining three - winners of the intercontinental play-offs and one outstanding UEFA play-off final - being finalised afterwards.
Qatar qualified automatically as tournament hosts, while European teams Germany and Denmark were among the first to book their place at the competition. Brazil were the first South American qualifier.
You can see the qualified teams here.
Team | Association | Date qualified |
|---|---|---|
Qatar | AFC | December 2, 2010 |
Germany | UEFA | October 11, 2021 |
Denmark | UEFA | October 12, 2021 |
Brazil | CONMEBOL | November 11, 2021 |
Belgium | UEFA | November 13, 2021 |
France | UEFA | November 13, 2021 |
Croatia | UEFA | November 14, 2021 |
Spain | UEFA | November 14, 2021 |
Serbia | UEFA | November 14, 2021 |
England | UEFA | November 15, 2021 |
Switzerland | UEFA | November 15, 2021 |
Netherlands | UEFA | November 16, 2021 |
Argentina | CONMEBOL | November 16, 2021 |
Iran | AFC | January 27, 2022 |
South Korea | AFC | February 1, 2022 |
Japan | AFC | March 24, 2022 |
Saudi Arabia | AFC | March 24, 2022 |
Ecuador | CONMEBOL | March 24, 2022 |
Uruguay | CONMEBOL | March 24, 2022 |
Canada | CONCACAF | March 27, 2022 |
Ghana | CAF | March 29, 2022 |
Senegal | CAF | March 29, 2022 |
Portugal | UEFA | March 29, 2022 |
Poland | UEFA | March 29, 2022 |
Tunisia | CAF | March 29, 2022 |
Cameroon | CAF | March 29, 2022 |
Morocco | CAF | March 29, 2022 |
Mexico | CONCACAF | March 30, 2022 |
United States | CONCACAF | March 30, 2022 |
World Cup 2022 draw seeding
Teams are divided into four seeding pots, with the positions based on the FIFA ranking that is published on March 31.
The confirmed seeding pots for the World Cup draw can be seen below.
Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Qatar | Mexico | Senegal | Cameroon |
Brazil | Netherlands | Iran | Canada |
Belgium | Denmark | Japan | Ecuador |
France | Germany | Morocco | Saudi Arabia |
Argentina | Uruguay | Serbia | Ghana |
England | Switzerland | Poland | Costa Rica / New Zealand |
Spain | USMNT | South Korea | Peru or Australia / UAE |
Portugal | Croatia | Tunisia | Wales or Scotland / Ukraine |
Qatar will occupy position A1 in Pot 1 as tournament hosts, with the seven highest-ranked qualified teams taking the remaining places in the pot.
Pot 2 is made up of the qualified teams ranked eight to 15.
Pot 3 is made up of the best-ranked qualifiers 16 to 23.
Pot 4 features the teams that are ranked 24 to 28 plus two inter-continental qualifiers and the last UEFA play-off qualifier.
When does World Cup 2022 start?
World Cup 2022 starts on November 21, 2022 and will conclude on December 18, 2022.
It is the first World Cup to take place in winter, meaning there are accomodations being made across the calendars of many of the world's biggest leagues.