The FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to begin on 21st November 2022, with the finals scheduled to take place on 18th December 2022. The FIFA World Cup is normally played between the June-July period but due to the climatic conditions in Qatar, it was decided that the November-December period would be more suited for this year's World Cup.
Qatar was appointed as the host for the 2022 World Cup on 2nd December 2010 after a successful bid by Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the then Emir of Qatar. The games are set to be played in eight stadiums across five different cities in Qatar.
The final draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 groups took place on 1st April 2022 but the 32nd and final team of the World Cup was decided just a few days when Costa Rica beat New Zealand by a score line of 1-0 in the intercontinental playoff on 14th June 2022. The FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage is now decided and set in the following order:
GROUP A
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Qatar(H) |
| 2 | Ecuador |
| 3 | Senegal |
| 4 | Netherlands |
The host country Qatar is placed in Group A, but that means they will have to face some formidable opponents. Netherlands, who are currently ranked 10th in the FIFA rankings, as well as Senegal, who won the African Cup Of Nations this year are both in Group A as well, which will make it difficult for Qatar to make it out of the group stages.
GROUP B
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | England |
| 2 | Iran |
| 3 | United States |
| 4 | Wales |
England are expected to top this group after reaching the Semi-Finals of the 2018 World Cup and the Finals of the EURO 2020 competition (finals played on 12th July, 2021). England seems to have lost their footing in recent times though, with their last 4 matches yielding 2 loses against Hungary and draws against both Germany and Italy.
GROUP C
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Argentina |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia |
| 3 | Mexico |
| 4 | Poland |
Argentina are most likely to top this group, having both amazing quality as well as good form. They seem to have continued their good run since winning the 2021 Copa America trophy. The 2nd spot in the group however could be anyone's game and it will be exciting to see who secures the 2nd spot in Group C.
GROUP D
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | France |
| 2 | Australia |
| 3 | Denmark |
| 4 | Tunisia |
France are backed by many to win both this group as well as the World Cup, and it is very likely they will take the 1st position in this group. Denmark are in good form and even managed to beat France on 4th June 2022, in a UEFA Nations League match. They will be gunning to finish at least 2nd in the group and may even fight France for the top spot.
GROUP E
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Spain |
| 2 | Costa Rica |
| 3 | Germany |
| 4 | Japan |
Group E already has two European giants with Spain and Germany being drawn in the same group, but it will not be a very easy 1-2 finish for them. Japan has also been drawn into Group E and they are certainly a team to be wary of. Japan made it out of their group in the 2018 World Cup and gave Belgium a tough fight in their Round of 16 faceoff. An upset is very much possible in this group.
GROUP F
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Belgium |
| 2 | Canada |
| 3 | Morocco |
| 4 | Croatia |
Group F consists of both the Runner Up and the 3rd Placed team of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This will be an interesting group with Canada added to the mix. This is Canada’s first World Cup appearance since 1986, but they topped their group in the World Cup qualifiers and will try and cause an upset to make it out of the group stages.
GROUP G
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Brazil |
| 2 | Serbia |
| 3 | Switzerland |
| 4 | Cameroon |
Group G has one of the strongest competitors in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Brazil has one of the best squads this year, with many of its players rising to the occasion for their individual clubs. Brazil also reached the 2021 Copa America finals. They are expected to have a strong start and will most likely finish at the top of their group.
GROUP H
| Pos | Team |
| 1 | Portugal |
| 2 | Ghana |
| 3 | Uruguay |
| 4 | South Korea |
Group H, the final group, has Portugal as the most likely winner. Portugal have a good squad and will look to do well and go far in this year’s World Cup. They are tipped to win their group but the other qualification spot can go to anyone, which will make this group an exciting to watch in this tournament.
