World Cup draw: what it is and how to watch

The 2022 FIFA World Cup draw takes place today. 32 teams will learn their initial opponents in the world’s biggest sporting event ahead of the November 2022 tournament, a competition which has been marred by corruption and human rights violations.

On Friday, April 1, the soccer world will converge on Doha, Qatar, where the initial eight groups will be chosen at random, setting up the opening round of the competition.

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The teams

29 teams have already qualified for Qatar, with the final three spots still to be decided via playoffs. The teams are sorted into four pots, based on primarily on FIFA’s world rankings.

Pot 1

  • Brazil 🇧🇷 (1) – CONMEBOL winners
  • Belgium 🇧🇪 (2) – UEFA Group E winners
  • France 🇫🇷 (3) – UEFA Group D winners
  • Argentina 🇦🇷 (4) – CONMEBOL runners up
  • England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (5) – UEFA Group I winners
  • Spain 🇪🇸 (7) – UEFA Group B winners
  • Portugal 🇵🇹 (8) – UEFA Second Round winner
  • Qatar 🇶🇦 (51) – Host nation

Pot 2

  • Mexico 🇲🇽 (9) – Concacaf Third Round runners up
  • Netherlands 🇳🇱 (10) – UEFA Group G winners
  • Denmark 🇩🇰 (11) – UEFA Group F winners
  • Germany 🇩🇪 (12) – UEFA Group J winners
  • Uruguay 🇺🇾 (13) – CONMEBOL third place
  • Switzerland 🇨🇭 (14) – UEFA Group C winners
  • United States 🇺🇸 (15) – Concacaf Third Round third place
  • Croatia 🇭🇷 (16) – UEFA Group H winners

Pot 3

  • Senegal 🇸🇳 (20) – CAF Third Round winners
  • Iran 🇮🇷 (21) – AFC Third Round Group A winners
  • Japan 🇯🇵 (23) – AFC Third Round Group B runners up
  • Morocco 🇲🇦 (24) – CAF Third Round winners
  • Serbia 🇷🇸 (25) – UEFA Group A winners
  • Poland 🇵🇱 (26) – UEFA Second Round winners
  • South Korea 🇰🇷 (29) – AFC Third Round Group A runners up
  • Tunisia 🇹🇳 (35) – CAF Third Round winners

Pot 4

  • Cameroon 🇨🇲 (37) – CAF Third Round winners
  • Canada 🇨🇦 (38) – Concacaf Third Round winners
  • Ecuador 🇪🇨 (46) – CONMEBOL fourth place
  • Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 (49) – AFC Third Round Group B winners
  • Ghana 🇬🇭 (60) – CAF Third Round winners
  • Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (18), Ukraine 🇺🇦 (27) or Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (39) – UEFA Path A winners
  • Peru 🇵🇪 (22), Australia 🇦🇺 (42) or United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 (68) – AFC vs CONMEBOL playoff winner
  • Costa Rica 🇨🇷 (31) or New Zealand 🇳🇿 (101) – Concacaf vs OFC playoff winner

The draw

The draw will take place in Doha, Qatar on April 1. The draw will be broadcast live at 11 am CT on FS1, Telemundo and Universo.

We’ll have live coverage of the draft on Twitter, and will also speak with USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, forward Christian Pulisic, midfielders Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, and defender Walker Zimmerman later in the afternoon.

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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