the FIFA World Cup 2022 is a forthcoming men’s international association football championship contested by the senior national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup competition. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. This will be the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world,^[1] and the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.^[a] The tournament is to be the last with a 32-team field; the field is to increase to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. the FIFA World Cup 2022 

Because of Qatar’s intense summer heat and humidity, this World Cup will be held in the winter, the first tournament not to be held in May, June, or July and to take place in the northern autumn; it will be played in a reduced timeframe of 29 days.^[2] The opening match will be between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. The final is to be held on 18 December 2022, Qatar National Day. The reigning World Cup champions are France, who defeated Croatia 4–2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. the FIFA World Cup 2022

England will face USA and Wales in Group B, Argentina and Lionel Messi will go up against Mexico and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland in Group C, and it’ll be Luis Suarez and Uruguay looking to spoil a potential final World Cup tournament for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Group H.

The tournament kicks off on Sunday, November 20 with an opening ceremony and the inaugural match between Qatar and Ecuador. It will wrap up less than a month later with the final set to be played on Sunday, December 18.

Brazil enter the tournament as the most successful nation in World Cup history with five titles, and they have a manageable group to navigate, while defending champions France are expected to finish top in their group and have a good chance to build up a head of steam into the knockout rounds.

Which teams could surprise? African champions Senegal are one of the stronger teams in Group A, which also features hosts Qatar. Making a first participation in 37 years, Canada landed in Group F, where the battles with Morocco and Croatia will likely determine second place behind Belgium.

WORLD CUP GROUP BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H

World Cup 2022 tournament format

The 2022 World Cup will follow along the lines of recent editions, with a 32-team group stage to whittle the field down to 16 teams — only the top two teams from each of the eight groups survive.

Those 16 group-stage teams will advance to the single-game knockout stages — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final — where the winner moves on and the loser goes home. There must be a winner on the day for every knockout-round match, and extra time and penalty kicks will be used, if necessary, to determine the victor.

• Group stage: Nov. 20-Dec. 2
• Round of 16: Dec. 3-6
• Quarterfinals: Dec. 9-10
• Semifinals: Dec. 13-14
• Third-place match: Dec. 17
• Final: Dec. 18

MORE: Why the 2022 World Cup is being played in Qatar

When do World Cup games start in Qatar?

There will be up to four matches daily during the group stage and they will be staggered throughout the day. The only matches that will overlap are the ones played on the final day of the group-stage phase, and that’s purely for competitive integrity.

Every time zone in the world will get a chance to watch matches at decent times throughout their day. Here’s a breakdown of how the local kickoff times in Qatar translate across various regions around the world.

World Cup 2022 kickoff times

Stage(s)	Local (Qatar)	USA & Canada (ET)	UK (GMT)	Australia (AEDT)	India (IST)
Group stage only	1 p.m.	5 a.m.	10 a.m.	9 p.m.	3:30 p.m.
Group stage only	4 p.m.	8 a.m.	1 p.m.	12 a.m.	6:30 p.m.
Knockouts only	6 p.m.	10 a.m.	3 p.m.	2 a.m.	8:30 p.m.
Group stage only	7 p.m.	11 a.m.	4 p.m.	3 a.m.	9:30 p.m.
Group/Knockouts	10 p.m.	2 p.m.	7 p.m.	6 a.m.	12:30 a.m.

MORE WORLD CUP 2022:
Full draw results | TV schedule | Latest news

Complete World Cup 2022 match schedule

World Cup Group A table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
A1: Qatar	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A2: Ecuador	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A3: Senegal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A4: Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group A match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Sun, Nov. 20	Qatar vs. Ecuador	11 a.m.	Al Bayt
Mon, Nov. 21	Senegal vs. Netherlands	11 a.m.	Al Thumama
Fri, Nov. 25	Qatar vs. Senegal	8 a.m.	Al Thumama
Fri, Nov. 25	Netherlands vs. Ecuador	11 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Tues, Nov. 29	Netherlands vs. Qatar	10 a.m.	Al Bayt
Tues, Nov. 29	Ecuador vs. Senegal	10 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l

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World Cup Group B table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
B1: England	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
B2: Iran	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
B3: USA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
B4: Wales	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group B match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Mon, Nov. 21	England vs. Iran	8 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Mon, Nov. 21	USA vs. Wales	2 p.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Fri, Nov. 25	Wales vs. Iran	5 a.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Fri, Nov. 25	England vs. USA	2 p.m.	Al Bayt
Tues, Nov. 29	Wales vs. England	2 p.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Tues, Nov. 29	Iran vs. USA	2 p.m.	Al Thumama

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World Cup Group C table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
C1: Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C2: Saudi Arabia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C3: Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C4: Poland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group C match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Tues, Nov. 22	Argentina vs. S. Arabia	5 a.m.	Lusail
Tues, Nov. 22	Mexico vs. Poland	11 a.m.	Stadium 974
Sat, Nov. 26	Poland vs. S. Arabia	8 a.m.	Education City
Sat, Nov. 26	Argentina vs. Mexico	2 p.m.	Lusail
Wed, Nov. 30	Poland vs. Argentina	2 p.m.	Stadium 974
Wed, Nov. 30	S. Arabia vs. Mexico	2 p.m.	Lusail

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World Cup Group D table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
D1: France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D2: Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D3: Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D4: Tunisia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group D match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Tue, Nov. 22	Denmark vs. Tunisia	8 a.m.	Education City
Tue, Nov. 22	France vs. Australia	2 p.m.	Al Janoub
Sat, Nov. 26	Tunisia vs. Australia	5 a.m.	Al Janoub
Sat, Nov. 26	France vs. Denmark	11 a.m.	Stadium 974
Wed, Nov. 30	Tunisia vs. France	10 a.m.	Education City
Wed, Nov. 30	Australia vs. Denmark	10 a.m.	Al Janoub

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World Cup Group E table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
E1: Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
E2: Costa Rica	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
E3: Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
E4: Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group E match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Wed, Nov. 23	Germany vs. Japan	8 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Wed, Nov. 23	Spain vs. Costa Rica	11 a.m.	Al Thumama
Sun, Nov. 27	Japan vs. Costa Rica	5 a.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Sun, Nov. 27	Spain vs. Germany	2 p.m.	Al Bayt
Thurs, Dec. 1	Japan vs. Spain	2 p.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Thurs, Dec. 1	Costa Rica vs. Germany	2 p.m.	Al Bayt

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World Cup Group F table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
F1: Belgium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
F2: Canada	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
F3: Morocco	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
F4: Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group F match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Wed, Nov. 23	Morocco vs. Croatia	5 a.m.	Al Bayt
Wed, Nov. 23	Belgium vs. Canada	2 p.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Sun, Nov. 27	Belgium vs. Morocco	8 a.m.	Al Thumama
Sun, Nov. 27	Croatia vs. Canada	11 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Thurs, Dec. 1	Croatia vs. Belgium	10 a.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Thurs, Dec. 1	Canada vs. Morocco	10 a.m.	Al Thumama

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World Cup Group G table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
G1: Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
G2: Serbia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
G3: Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
G4: Cameroon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group G match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Thurs, Nov. 24	Switzerland vs. Cameroon	5 a.m.	Al Janoub
Thurs, Nov. 24	Brazil vs. Serbia	2 p.m.	Lusail
Mon, Nov. 28	Cameroon vs. Serbia	5 a.m.	Al Janoub
Mon, Nov. 28	Brazil vs. Switzerland	11 a.m.	Stadium 974
Fri, Dec. 2	Cameroon vs. Brazil	2 p.m.	Lusail
Fri, Dec. 2	Serbia vs. Switzerland	2 p.m.	Stadium 974

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World Cup Group H table & fixtures

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
H1: Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
H2: Ghana	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
H3: Uruguay	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
H4: South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group H match schedule

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Thurs, Nov. 24	Uruguay vs. South Korea	8 a.m.	Education City
Thurs, Nov. 24	Portugal vs. Ghana	11 a.m.	Stadium 974
Mon, Nov. 28	South Korea vs. Ghana	8 a.m.	Education City
Mon, Nov. 28	Portugal vs. Uruguay	2 p.m.	Lusail
Fri, Dec. 2	South Korea vs. Portugal	10 a.m.	Education City
Fri, Dec. 2	Ghana vs. Uruguay	10 a.m.	Al Janoub

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World Cup Round of 16

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Sat, Dec. 3	1A vs. 2B	10 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l
Sat, Dec. 3	1C vs. 2D	2 p.m.	Ahmad Bin Ali
Sun, Dec. 4	1D vs. 2C	10 a.m.	Al Thumama
Sun, Dec. 4	1B vs. 2A	2 p.m.	Al Bayt
Mon, Dec. 5	1E vs. 2F	10 a.m.	Al Janoub
Mon, Dec. 5	1G vs. 2H	2 p.m.	Stadium 974
Tues, Dec. 6	1F vs. 2E	10 a.m.	Education City
Tues, Dec. 6	1H vs. 2G	2 p.m.	Lusail

World Cup Quarterfinals

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Fri, Dec. 9	QF1: 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H	10 a.m.	Education City
Fri, Dec. 9	QF2: 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D	2 p.m.	Lusail
Sat, Dec. 10	QF3: 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G	10 a.m.	Al Thumama
Sat, Dec. 10	QF4: 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C	2 p.m.	Al Bayt

World Cup Semifinals

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Tues, Dec. 13	QF2 vs. QF1	2 p.m.	Lusail
Wed, Dec. 14	QF4 vs. QF3	2 p.m.	Al Bayt

World Cup 3rd Place

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Sat, Dec. 17	Semifinal losers	10 a.m.	Khalifa Int’l

World Cup Final

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Stadium
Sun, Dec. 18	Semifinal winners	10 a.m.	Lusail

Some Important Questions.