The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be the seventh and final edition featuring 32 nations ahead of the tournament’s expansion from 2026.
Forty-eight teams will be competing in the 2026 edition after Fifa’s council unanimously approved the change back in 2017.
And that means the event in Qatar will be the final World Cup as many have known it, with the number of groups set to double from eight to 16 in four years’ time.
But the finer details of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, USA and Mexico, are for another time.
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Here we are concerned with the controversial Qatar 2022, and the far more routine format where eight group winners are joined by eight group runners-up in making the knockout stages.
Hosts Qatar will open the tournament against Ecuador on Sunday 20 November, having brought that match forward one day to ensure they play first, with three more group games to follow on Monday 21 November.
World Cup 2022 groups
Group A – Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands
Group B – England, Iran, USA and Wales
Group C – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D – France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia
Group E – Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan
Group F – Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia
Group G – Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon
Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea
From then on, there will be a staggering four group games per day from 22 November to 2 December, and that means almost wall-to-wall football from 10am to 9pm (UK time) for seven days before the final round of group games kick off at either 3pm or 7pm on the final four days of group-stage action.
Wales, playing their first World Cup since 1958, join England in Group B, with both nations starting their campaigns on 21 November and then meeting in the final round of group games on 29 November.
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Elsewhere, Spain’s match with Germany in Group E on 27 November is arguably the standout group game, while a Denmark side who have beaten France twice already in the Nations League this year meet the 2018 World Cup winners again on 26 November.
World Cup group stage schedule and dates
All times GMT
Sunday 20 November
- Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
Monday 21 November
- Group B: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium; 1pm)
- Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (Al Thumama Stadium; 4pm)
- Group B: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)
Tuesday 22 November
- Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 10am)
- Group D: Denmark vs Tunisia (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
- Group C: Mexico vs Poland (Stadium 974; 4pm)
- Group D: France vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium; 7pm)
Wednesday 23 November
- Group F: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium; 10am)
- Group E: Germany vs Japan (Khalifa International Stadium; 1pm)
- Group E: Spain vs Costa Rica (Al Thumama Stadium; 4pm)
- Group F: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)
Thursday 24 November
- Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
- Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
- Group H: Portugal vs Ghana (Stadium 974; 4pm)
- Group G: Brazil vs Serbia (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Friday 25 November
- Group B: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 10am)
- Group A: Qatar vs Senegal (Al Thumama Stadium; 1pm)
- Group A: Netherlands vs Ecuador (Khalifa International Stadium; 4pm)
- Group B: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
Saturday 26 November
- Group C: Tunisia vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
- Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
- Group D: France vs Denmark (Stadium 974; 4pm)
- Group C: Argentina vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Sunday 27 November
- Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 10am)
- Group F: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium; 1pm)
- Group F: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium; 4pm)
- Group E: Spain vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
Monday 28 November
- Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
- Group G: South Korea vs Ghana (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
- Group H: Brazil vs Switzerland (Stadium 974; 4pm)
- Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Tuesday 29 November
- Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar (Al Bayt Stadium; 3pm)
- Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (Khalifa International Stadium; 3pm)
- Group B: Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)
- Group B: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium; 7pm)
Wednesday 30 November
- Group D: Australia vs Denmark (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
- Group D: Tunisia vs France (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
- Group C: Poland vs Argentina (Stadium 974; 7pm)
- Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Thursday 1 December
- Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 3pm)
- Group F: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
- Group E: Costa Rica vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
- Group E: Japan vs Spain (Khalifa International Stadium; 7pm)
Friday 2 December
- Group G: South Korea vs Portugal (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
- Group G: Ghana vs Uruguay (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
- Group H: Serbia vs Switzerland (Stadium 974; 7pm)
- Group H: Cameroon vs Brazil (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
With a view to qualifying from Group B, both England and Wales know how their potential knockout run could pan out with the pathway already set.
Group B is fittingly paired with Group A, and so the Netherlands, Qatar, Ecuador or Senegal will await in the last 16.
On paper (although there are always shocks in the World Cup), the Netherlands are favourites to win Group A, and so they would face the runners-up of Group B, while Senegal could potentially face the winners of Group A.
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The winners of Group B could then meet the winners of Group D in the quarter-finals, making France a potential last-eight opponent for England or Wales.
Meanwhile, arguably the standout collision involves Group E and Group F. The former features Spain and Germany, the latter Belgium and Croatia, making for two potential blockbuster meetings at the last-16 stage.
World Cup knockout stage schedule and dates
All times GMT
Round of 16
Saturday 3 December
- 49: Winners of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B (Khalifa International Stadium; 3pm)
- 50: Winners of Group C vs Runners-up of Group D (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)
Sunday 4 December
- 52: Winners of Group D vs Runners-up of Group C (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
- 51: Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
Monday 5 December
- 53: Winners of Group E vs Runners-up of Group F (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
- 54: Winners of Group G vs Runners-up of Group H (Stadium 974; 7pm)
Tuesday 6 December
- 55: Winners of Group F vs Runners-up of Group E (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
- 56: Winners of Group H vs Runners-up of Group G (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Quarter-finals
Friday 9 December
- 58: Winners of 53 vs Winners of 54 (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
- 57: Winners of 49 vs Winners of 50 (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Saturday 10 December
- 60: Winners of 55 vs Winners of 56 (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
- 59: Winners of 51 vs Winners of 52 (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
Semi-finals
Tuesday 13 December
- 61: Winners of 57 vs Winners of 58 (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)
Wednesday 14 December
- 62: Winners of 59 vs Winners of 60 (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
When is the third-place play-off?
Saturday 17 December at Khalifa International Stadium – 3pm kick-off.
When is the World Cup final?
Sunday 18 December at Lusail Iconic Stadium – 3pm kick-off.
When is the Premier League break?
There will be no Premier League matches from 14 November, with Sunday 13 November seeing Brighton take on Aston Villa and Fulham host Manchester United before all top and second-tier clubs press pause on their domestic campaigns.
The Premier League will then resume on Boxing Day, eight days after the World Cup final, and nine after the third-place play-off, meaning all players who reach the semi-finals will have little more than a week before their season resumes.
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