With less than a year left before the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, 13 countries have already qualified. However, a total of 32 teams will be present at the tournament, meaning that more than half of the places are still vacant. Continue reading to learn more about the teams that still have a chance to qualify.
Which teams have qualified for the World Cup?
Even though Qatar participated in the qualification process due to the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) rules, the team has already been guaranteed entry as the hosts. Apart from the host country, a total of 12 teams have managed to qualify early. The 10 European teams are the UEFA group winners in the World Cup qualification tournament. Brazil and Argentina hold the first and second places in the South American section.
- Germany
- Denmark
- France
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Spain
- Serbia
- England
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Brazil
- Argentina
With that being said, let’s talk about the national teams who still have a chance to qualify.
Teams still able to qualify
UEFA Qualifiers
European national teams have 13 places in the upcoming World Cup. As mentioned above, 10 spots are already taken. The remaining three teams will qualify via the playoff stage. The 10 runners-up qualified for the playoffs. They’re joined by the two best-ranked group winners of the UEFA Nations League. Austria and the Czech Republic qualified based on their UEFA Nations League performance
Three out of these 12 European teams will reach the final stage of the World Cup. The teams were divided into three paths. The winners of each path will qualify.
Path A
Wales, Austria, Scotland, Ukraine
Path B
Russia, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic
Path C
Portugal, Turkey, Italy, North Macedonia
The possible clash between Robert Lewandowski’s Poland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden is probably one of the most intriguing matches of the playoffs. Yet the two countries have to defeat their current opponents first.
Portugal failed to win the group, finishing second to Serbia. But the team still has a chance to qualify by defeating Turkey and Italy, who are the favorites to reach the final in Path C. Will Cristiano Ronaldo help Portugal reach the World Cup? We’ll find out in March.
AFC Qualifiers
Apart from the hosts, no Asian country has qualified yet. Two rounds of the Asian qualifiers have already finished; teams are now getting ready for the third round. A total of 12 countries advanced to this round and they were drawn into two groups:
Group A:
Iran, Lebanon, South Korea, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Syria
Group B:
Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman, Vietnam
The group winners and runners-up will automatically qualify for the World Cup. But the AFC has 4.5 spots, meaning that one more team will have a chance to qualify. The third-placed teams will proceed to a two-legged playoff and the winning team will advance to an inter-continental playoff against a South American team.
It’s worth noting that the current top scorer of the qualification process plays for the United Arab Emirates national team. Ali Mabkhout has scored an astonishing number of 14 goals so far. So, the fans may witness a delightful third round.
CONMEBOL Qualifiers
Like the AFC, South America has 4.5 places (4 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off) at the World Cup. 10 South American teams face each other twice during the qualifying competition. The top four will qualify, while the fifth-placed team will advance to an inter-continental playoff. The 10 participating countries include:
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Colombia
- Peru
- Chile
- Uruguay
- Bolivia
- Paraguay
- Venezuela
Both Brazil and Argentina have already managed to qualify. So, only two direct spots remain. However, each team still has a chance to qualify as there are just enough matches left.
CONCACAF Qualifiers
Eight teams are present in the final round of the CONCACAF Qualifiers: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, United States, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and Jamaica. The teams will face each other twice. The top three will directly qualify for the finals, while the fourth team will go through to the inter-continental playoff.
CAF Qualifiers
10 national teams have advanced to the final stage of African qualifiers. The teams will be drawn into five ties. The five winners will qualify.
These are the teams hoping to earn a place at the World Cup: Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, DR Congo.
OFC Qualifiers
There are 11 FIFA-affiliated nations in Oceania, and nine of them are taking part in the qualification process. The process consists of three rounds to be played in March.
Round one: Tonga and Cook Islands will play a single match. The winning team will then proceed to the second round.
Round two: Teams are split into two groups. Solomon Islands, Tahiti, and Vanuatu are placed in Group A. The three teams will be joined by the winner between Tonga and Cook Islands.
New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji are in Group B. Each team will face the other three group members once. The winners and runners-up will proceed to the third round.
Round three: The four teams will play semi finals and then a final. Oceania doesn’t have a direct place at the World Cup, so the winning team will enter an inter-continental playoff.
Final Thoughts about the World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is among the most important events in sports. As Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, stated, the 2022 World Cup will be played in stadiums full of fans. So if you wish to join one of the most significant events in the sports world, get ready for November 2022. Until then, you can visit sports betting websites to win while enjoying sports.
