Qatar World Cup 2022 Draw pots and how they currently stand ahead of the group stage draw
The draw for Qatar’s World Cup in 2022 is almost here.
There are only a few qualifying matches left until the FIFA ranking used to decide the draw is released.
In Friday’s draw, one team from each of the four pots will be drawn into eight groups at random.
As the host, Qatar automatically earns a berth in Pot 1, while the rest of the teams—except those who will compete in the playoffs in June—fall based on their FIFA ranking as of March 31.
The draw is unusual in that it will take place with three World Cup spots still up for grabs.
Two intercontinental playoffs and one UEFA playoff (postponed from this window owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) will be held in June, with berths reserved for the three eventual winners in the draw.
Here are some of the possible situations as of now (based on the predicted FIFA ranking statistics computed by We Global Football)
Pot 1
- Qatar
- Brazil
- Belgium
- France
- Argentina
- England
- Spain
- Portugal
The first pot of the draw has been determined as a result of Portugal’s victory on Tuesday.
Many teams will want to be in the Pot 1 grouping, which will be led by host Qatar, with top-ranked nations Brazil, Belgium, and France following.
What is the most notable exclusion from this stacked group? Italy is FIFA’s current No. 6 rated team.
North Macedonia stunned the Azzurri in their UEFA qualification playoff match, and the Azzurri will thus miss their second World Cup in a row.
The country that is second only to Brazil in Cup titles (and the European champion last year) will have to wait another four years to end its drought.
Pot 2
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Uruguay
- Croatia
Still Waiting:
- USA
- Mexico
- Senegal
This is most likely where Concacaf’s two highest-ranked clubs will finish. Except for a six-goal loss by the United States or a large loss by Mexico to El Salvador combined with a big Costa Rica win over the Americans, both sides will qualify without having to play in the intercontinental playoff.
That means they’ll be competing in the second round alongside 2014 champion Germany, 2018 runner-up Croatia, and others.
If either the United States or El Tri fail, Senegal will enter the fray. If not, the highest-ranked African country and reigning Cup of Nations champion will be relegated to Pot 3.
Pot 3
- Iran
- Japan
- Morocco
- Serbia
- Poland
- South Korea
Still Waiting:
- Senegal
- Canada
- Tunisia
- Cameroon
The tale of Concacaf (and perhaps of World Cup qualifying in general), Canada qualified for the first time in 36 years for the men’s World Cup.
Its predicted FIFA ranking indicates it will finish in the third or fourth place, depending on Wednesday’s results.
If Canada falls into Pot 4 and either the United States or Mexico is also sent to the intercontinental playoff, Cameroon will join Tunisia in the third pot.
Pot 4
- Ecuador
- Saudi Arabia
- Ghana
Still Waiting:
- Canada
- Tunisia
- Cameroon
- UEFA Playoff
- CONMEBOL-AFC Playoff winner
- Concacaf-Oceania Playoff winner
There’s a lot going on here, and not everything is set in stone, but the big picture is that this will include the three teams who have already been confirmed, most likely two from Canada, Tunisia, and Cameroon, as well as the winners of the final European playoff and the two intercontinental playoffs.
Wales, despite being seeded No. 20, will enter Pot 4 due to a postponement in the playoff if it defeats the winner of Ukraine and Scotland.
The fourth-place Concacaf team (most likely Costa Rica) will face the winner of the Oceania Football Confederation playoff, which will be either the Solomon Islands or New Zealand, in the intercontinental playoff.
The victor of the Asian Football Confederation playoff (United Arab Emirates vs. Australia) will face the fifth-place team in CONMEBOL (Peru).
Both of those matches’ victors will advance to Qatar in the fourth pot of the draw.
Qatar World Cup 2022 Draw pots and how they currently stand ahead of the group stage draw
