28 days, 64 matches, and one World Cup champion will be crowned in Qatar this November. Friday saw the FIFA World Cup draw take place as teams learned which pools they would be playing out of in the fall.
| Group A | Qatar | Ecuador | Senegal | Netherlands |
| Group B | England | Iran | USA | WAL/UKR/SCO |
| Group C | Argentina | Saudi Arabia | Mexico | Poland |
| Group D | France | AUS/UAE/PER | Denmark | Tunisia |
| Group E | Spain | CR/NZ | Germany | Japan |
| Group F | Belgium | Canada | Morocco | Croatia |
| Group G | Brazil | Serbia | Switzerland | Cameroon |
| Group H | Portugal | Ghana | Uruguay | South Korea |
This year’s event features a truly balanced field, with no evident “group of death” as fans have seen in past instalments of the event. While Group A appears to be the weakest of the 8 divisions on paper, they feature the host nation Qatar, 10th ranked Netherlands, as well as some frisky squads in Ecuador and Senegal.
The 2022 edition of the World Cup kicks off on November 21st, and concludes on December 18th. It marks the first time the event has taken place in an Arab nation, and will also mark the final time 32 teams participate. The 2026 tournament is scheduled to expand the field to 48 teams.
Typically held in May, June or July, this year’s tournament was moved to the late fall to avoid the scorching summer temperatures that Qatar sees regularly. It will also be played in a condensed time frame (28 days) so as to avoid running through the holiday season.