France were winners of the 2018 World Cup

Kylian Mbappe and France will be looking to defend their crown in Qatar

FIFA World Cup 2022: Groups, schedule, dates, TV and kick-off times, all you need to know

By Sporting Life

Football

Sun December 18, 2022 · 2y ago

We have all you need to know for Qatar 2022, including odds, fixtures, venues and TV information.

When and where is the World Cup being held?

The 2022 World Cup runs from November 20 to December 18 at eight different stadiums in the Gulf state of Qatar - the first time the tournament has been held both in the Middle East and in European winter.

The opening match will be staged at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20, with the final taking place at Lusail Stadium in Lusail on December 18.

When are the World Cup matches and what are the kick-off times?

We have listed every fixture below, including the kick-off time and location.

What is the route to the final?

As the tournament progresses we will remove the location and kick-off details of matches that have taken place and fill int he scorelines to map out a route to the final.

CLICK HERE for our World Cup wallchart

Sunday November 20

Group A: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador

Monday November 21

Group B: England 6-2 Iran
Group A: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
Group B: USA 1-1 Wales

Tuesday November 22

Group C: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
Group D: Denmark 0-0 Tunisia
Group C: Mexico 0-0 Poland
Group D: France 4-1 Australia

Wednesday November 23

Group F: Morocco 0-0 Croatia
Group E: Germany 1-2 Japan
Group E: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica
Group F: Belgium 1-0 Canada

Thursday November 24

Group G: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon
Group H: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea
Group H: Portugal 3-2 Ghana
Group G: Brazil 2-0 Serbia

Friday November 25

Group B: Wales 0-2 Iran
Group A: Qatar 1-2 Senegal
Group A: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador
Group B: England 0-0 USA

Saturday November 26

Group C: Tunisia 0-1 Australia
Group C: Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia
Group D: France 2-1 Denmark
Group C: Argentina 2-0 Mexico

Sunday November 27

Group E: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica
Group F: Belgium 0-2 Morocco
Group F: Croatia 4-1 Canada
Group E: Spain 1-1 Germany

Monday November 28

Group G: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia
Group G: South Korea 2-3 Ghana
Group H: Brazil 1-0 Switzerland
Group H: Portugal 2-0 Uruguay

Tuesday November 29

Group A: Netherlands 1-2 Qatar
Group A: Ecuador 2-0 Senegal
Group B: Wales 0-3 England
Group B: Iran 0-1 USA

Wednesday November 30

Group D: Australia 1-0 Denmark
Group D: Tunisia 1-0 France
Group C: Poland 0-2 Argentina
Group C: Saudi Arabia 1-2 Mexico

Thursday December 1

Group F: Croatia 0-0 Belgium
Group F: Canada 1-2 Morocco
Group E: Costa Rica 2-4 Germany
Group E: Japan 2-1 Spain

Friday, December 2

Group G: South Korea 2-1 Portugal
Group G: Ghana 0-2 Uruguay
Group H: Serbia 2-3 Switzerland
Group H: Cameroon 1-0 Brazil

Round of 16

Saturday December 3
Netherlands 3-1 USA
Argentina 2-1 Australia

Sunday December 4
France 3-1 Poland
England 3-0 Senegal

Monday December 5
Japan 1-1 Croatia
Croatia win 3-1 on penalties
Brazil 4-1 South Korea

Tuesday December 6
Morocco 0-0 Spain
Morocco win 3-0 on penalties
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland

Quarter-finals

Friday December 9
Croatia 1-1 Brazil
Croatia win 4-2 on penalties
Netherlands 2-2 Argentina
Netherlands win 4-3 on penalties

Saturday December 10
Morocco 1-0 Portugal
England 1-2 France

Semi-finals

Tuesday December 13
Argentina 3-0 Croatia

Wednesday December 14
France 2-0 Morocco

Saturday December 17
Croatia 2-1 Morocco

Final

Sunday December 18
Argentina v France (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 3pm)

How many teams take part and what is the format?

The format is the same as for World Cup 2018, with 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the round of 16, with four single-legged knockout rounds ultimately deciding the winner.

Which teams qualified for the World Cup and what are the groups?

All 32 spaces were filled following a lengthy qualifying campaign. Qatar qualified automatically as hosts for what is their first World Cup appearance.

Several high-ranking countries failed to make the cut, however, with Euro 2020 winners Italy not in attendance for the second World Cup running after losing to North Macedonia in the first stage of UEFA's play-offs. Chile and Colombia missed out from CONMEBOL.

Canada are competing for the first time since 1986, while Iran might be the most surprising qualifier from the AFC sector.

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

Who has won the World Cup previously?

Brazil have won the World Cup more than any other team, lifting the trophy on five separate occasions. They are also the only nation to have played in every edition of the tournament.

Germany and Italy (both four wins) are their nearest rivals in the charts, followed by a trio of two-time winners - Argentina, holders France and Uruguay, who won the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

England, who were famously crowned champions at Wembley in 1966, and Spain make up the list with one title each.

5 - Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
4 - Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) | Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
2 - Argentina (1978, 1986) | France (1998, 2018) | Uruguay (1930, 1950)
1 - England (1966) | Spain (2010)

Who are the World Cup host cities and how big are the stadiums?

There are eight host stadiums across five cities in the tiny state of Qatar - for context, it is smaller in area than Yorkshire (11,437 to 11,897 km²).

The area of Qatar that is inhabited by its population of just 1.69 million is, however, far smaller, with much of the state vacant desert.

All of the stadiums are within a 35-mile radius of the capital Doha.

Lusail

Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium
Capacity: 80,000

Al Khor

Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium
Capacity: 60,000

Doha

Stadium: Stadium 974
Capacity: 40,000

Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Capacity: 40,000

Stadium: Education City Stadium
Capacity: 45,350

Al Rayyan

Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Capacity: 40,000

Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Capacity: 44,740

Al Wakrah

Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Capacity: 40,000

How can I watch the World Cup on TV?

TV coverage in the UK will be shared between the BBC and ITV.

It is believed the TV rights for the entire tournament netted FIFA a total of around $1.9bn.

Who are the favourites to win the World Cup Golden Boot?

Personal glory is the order of the day in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, a prize that will be pursued by the world's very best this winter.

Tottenham Hotspur striker and England captain Harry Kane, who won the award in Russia in 2018, heads the market.

The 29-year-old has now scored 51 goals in 75 international appearances for the Three Lions, and has started the domestic season in good goalscoring form.

Harry Kane was on the scoresheet from the spot in England's final game before the World Cup

Kane will face stiff competition for the crown of top tournament scorer, though.

French duo Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema are prominent in the betting, with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s leading goalscorer in international football history, splitting the pair.

In what is likely to be the 37-year-old's final chance at winning the World Cup or a Golden Boot, Ronaldo will certainly be looking to add to his 117-goal Portugal tally (191 caps).

The same could perhaps be said for Argentina legend Lionel Messi, who has been in scintillating form at club level and enters calculations for this award.

Lionel Messi will hope to add another accolade this winter after helping Argentina win Copa America in 2021

World Cup 2022 Golden Boot Award (odds via Sky Bet)

Harry Kane - 7/1
Kylian Mbappe - 8/1
Cristiano Ronaldo - 12/1
Karim Benzema - 14/1
Lionel Messi - 14/1
Romelu Lukaku - 16/1
Neymar - 18/1
Raheem Sterling - 20/1
25/1 bar

Who are the favourites to win the World Cup Golden Ball?

Introduced by FIFA in 1982, the Golden Ball award is presented to the best player at each World Cup.

A shortlist of the best players in the tournament is drawn up by the FIFA technical committee before a winner is voted for by media representatives.

As you would imagine, the contenders for the Golden Ball are very similar to the Golden Boot favourites.

There is precedent for a different name to be in the running, however. Luka Modrić won the award in 2018, a personal consolation after his Croatia side were beaten 4-2 by France in the final.

Mbappe was named young player of the tournament in Russia, and another strong run for France could see him step up to the top prize.

Who are the favourites to win the World Cup?

CLICK HERE for our World Cup outright preview

Brazil have consistently been the bookmakers' favourites to lift the trophy in Qatar.

Despite losing the Copa America final to rivals Argentina last year, the five-time world champions enter the tournament with an excellent chance.

The bookies consider Brazil the favourites to win in Qatar

Holders France have been slotted in as second favourites with most bookies, seeking to become the third country in World Cup history to retain the crown.

Will England win the World Cup?

A string of uninspiring performances has seen England pushed out recently, but they remain one of the likelier contenders according to the odds.

While they showed signs of life by fighting back from 2-0 down to ultimately draw 3-3 against Germany in their final game before the World Cup, Gareth Southgate's men are now on the worst run of any England men's team since 1993, without a win in six matches.

England boss Gareth Southgate is under pressure heading into Qatar 2022 despite recent major tournament success

Before Luke Shaw reduced the deficit in that Nations League fixture at Wembley they hadn't scored from open play for a staggering 565 minutes.

What cannot be ignored, however, is the simple fact that England reached the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 and the final of Euro 2020.