FIFA World Cup 2022 Schedule & Preview

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar promises to be one of the most thrilling international football tournaments ever staged.

Several teams have a genuine chance of lifting the prestigious trophy including Brazil, France, Argentina, Germany and Spain.

Read on as we look at the schedule for the 2022 World Cup before offering our thoughts on which team will emerge victorious on December 18.

World Cup 2022 Schedule

Here are the key dates for the World Cup in Qatar:

• November 20 – World Cup begins.
• December 2 – Last group stage fixtures.
• December 3-6 – Round of 16.
• December 9-10 – Quarter-finals.
• December 13-14 – Semi-finals.
• December 17 – Third place play-off.
• December 18 – Final.

The top two teams in each group progress to the round of 16. The competition then becomes a straight knockout through to the final.

World Cup 2022 Group Stage

The World Cup starts with 32 teams in eight groups of four:

• Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.
• Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales.
• Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.
• Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia.
• Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan.
• Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.
• Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.
• Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.

World Cup 2022 Preview

Brazil head into the tournament in Qatar aiming to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2002.

The World Cup draw handed the Samba Kings a testing opening group, but they should progress to the knockout stage.

While the five-time winners are undoubtedly capable of going all the way, plenty of other teams could stop them in their tracks.

Argentina fall into that category, having beaten Brazil to claim the 2021 Copa America title.

With a solid defence and plenty of attacking flair at their disposal, the South American team will be tight to beat in Qatar.

Reigning champions France should also be competitive, although no team has retained the World Cup since Brazil achieved the feat 60 years ago.

Germany, Spain and Belgium are other teams who should reach the latter stages of the tournament, while Portugal and Netherlands should not be underestimated.

However, we think this could be Argentina’s year to give star forward Lionel Messi his first World Cup winners medal.

Don’t miss a moment of the action! Check out our football live streams page to follow the 2022 World Cup.