World Cup draw LIVE: England face USA, Iran and possibly Wales or Scotland at Qatar 2022
Follow all the latest updates as the Qatar 2022 World Cup group stage draw completed in Doha
Follow all the latest updates and reaction from Qatar 2022 as the World Cup group stage draw took place in Doha this afternoon.
England were drawn into Group B alongside USA, Iran and the winner of the three teams still alive in the European play-offs - namely Wales, Scotland and Ukraine. If Wales - who are through to the play-off final - or Scotland reach the World Cup, it will set up a tantalising Battle of Britain in Qatar.
Spain and Germany were drawn together in a standout tie in Group E, while hosts Qatar face Netherlands, the Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal and Ecuador in Group A.
Gareth Southgate, who was in attendance at the draw, has been optimistic about England’s chances but insisted they will have to be “close to perfect” to lift the trophy later this year. The tournament will also likely represent the final chance for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to clinch World Cup glory before the end of their careers. Ronaldo’s Portugal are in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea, while Messi’s Argentina face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in Group C.
Follow all the latest updates after the draw below:
World Cup 2022 draw
From the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) five of their potentially six slots at the World Cup have been filled. They are:
Qatar (hosts)
South Korea
Iran
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Australia or the United Arab Emirates will go to inter-confederation play-off and face Peru for the final spot. The two AFC teams will play each other first in June then the winner will take on the team from South America.
World Cup 2022 draw
Four teams from South America have already booked their places in this year’s tourament. The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) are given four or five spots at the World Cup with the potential fifth place being decided by an intercontinental play-off.
The nations already qualified are:
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Uruguay
Peru defeated Paraguay 2-0 to make it into the inter-confederation play-off and they will face either Australia or the United Arab Emirates in June after both countries were third in their respective Asian qualifying groups.
Peru are seeking consecutive World Cup appearances, having defeated New Zealand 2-0 over two legs to reach the 2018 tournament in Russia, ending a 36-year wait to appear at the World Cup again.
World Cup 2022 draw
For now lets start with which teams have already qualified for the draw. From Europe, where Uefa is the governing body, 12 of the 13 spots have been decided. Those teams are:
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Serbia
Spain
Switzerland
The final Uefa spot will go to either Scotland, Ukraine or Wales. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine their planned World Cup play-off match against Scotland has been postponed until June.
Later that month the winner of Scotland vs Ukraine will face Wales in a play-off final and the winner of that match will make it to the World Cup in November.
World Cup 2022 draw
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the 2022 World Cup draw. The World Cup returns this year with the tournament taking place in Qatar across November and December instead of the usual summer months.
That schedule change is due to the intense heat in Qatar during June, July and August with winter temperatures being more suitable for the teams to play in.
England have already secured their place at the tournament, but Wales and Scotland still have World Cup play-off games to complete in June and could potential face each other in a play-off final.
The awarding of the World Cup to Qatar 12 years ago was contentious to say the least and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have raised concerns over the treatment of migrant workers in the country.
Alongside those concerns, teams such as Denmark and Germany recently highlighted human rights abuses after qualifying for the tournament, and England boss, Gareth Southgate, has held talks with his squad about the ongoing issues surrounding this World Cup.
We’ll explore all of that, and more, leading up to the draw itself, which is set to take place around 5pm this afternoon.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments