2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).[1] A total of 13 slots in the final tournament were available for UEFA teams.[2]

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Tournament details
Dates24 March 2021 – 5 June 2022
Teams55 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played258
Goals scored781 (3.03 per match)
Attendance3,036,083 (11,768 per match)
Top scorer(s)England Harry Kane
Netherlands Memphis Depay
(12 goals each)
2018
2026

Entrants

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All 55 FIFA-affiliated national teams from UEFA entered qualification.

Status of Russia

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On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency initially handed Russia a four-year ban from all major international sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.[3] However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applies to the World Cup proper as a world championship. The WADA ruling allowed athletes who were not involved in doping or the coverup to compete, but prohibited the use of the Russian flag and anthem at major international sporting events.[4] An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed,[5] but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban.[6] The CAS ruling also allowed the name "Russia" to be displayed on uniforms if the words "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" have equal prominence.[7] If Russia had qualified for the tournament, its players would not have been able to use their country's name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation's two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports.[7]

On 27 February 2022, after the threat of boycotts by the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[8] FIFA prohibited the Russia national football team from playing home matches in Russia; the team would have to play matches behind closed doors at neutral sites. In addition, the team would have been prohibited from competing under the name, flag, or national anthem of Russia, and had to compete under the name "Football Union of Russia" (RFU).[9] On 28 February, however, following a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia.[10][11][12] Poland were subsequently given a walkover for their play-off semi-final match scheduled against Russia.[13] The Russian Football Union announced they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[14] Their request for a temporary lift of the ban was rejected on 18 March.[15]

Format

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The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, on 4 December 2019.[16][17] The qualification would depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League had on qualification for UEFA Euro 2020. The structure maintained UEFA's usual 'group stage/play-off stage' structure, with only the specific format of the play-offs amended.[18][19][20]

  • Group stage: Five groups of five teams and five groups of six. Group winners qualified for the World Cup finals.
  • Play-off stage: 12 teams (ten group runners-up and two best Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group) were drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams to host, followed by finals, with the home teams to be drawn). The three path winners qualified for the World Cup finals.

On 4 December 2019, the UEFA Executive Committee initially approved the use of the video assistant referee system for the qualifiers.[18] However, VAR was not implemented at the start of qualification due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operational and logistical capabilities.[21] On 5 August 2021, UEFA announced that the VAR system would be used for the remainder of qualification, starting from September 2021.[22]

Schedule

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Below is the schedule of the European qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[17]

In March 2020, UEFA announced that the two matchdays planned to take place in June 2021 would be moved following the rescheduling of UEFA Euro 2020 to June and July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] To allow for the completion of the qualifying group stage in November 2021 as scheduled, UEFA announced on 24 September 2020 that the March and September 2021 windows in the FIFA International Match Calendar were expanded from two to three matchdays.[24][25] The changes to the International Match Calendar for March and September 2021, which extended each window by one day, were approved by the FIFA Council on 4 December 2020.[26]

Round Matchday Dates
First round
(group stage)
Matchday 1 24–25 March 2021
Matchday 2 27–28 March 2021
Matchday 3 30–31 March 2021
Matchday 4 1–2 September 2021
Matchday 5 4–5 September 2021
Matchday 6 7–8 September 2021
Matchday 7 8–9 October 2021
Matchday 8 11–12 October 2021
Matchday 9 11–13 November 2021
Matchday 10 14–16 November 2021
Second round
(play-offs)
Semi-finals 24 March & 1 June 2022[note 1]
Finals 29 March & 5 June 2022[note 1]

The original schedule of the qualifying group stage, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows.[17]

Original group stage schedule
Matchday Dates
Matchday 1 25–27 March 2021
Matchday 2 28–30 March 2021
Matchday 3 4–5 June 2021
Matchday 4 7–8 June 2021
Matchday 5 2–4 September 2021
Matchday 6 5–7 September 2021
Matchday 7 7–9 October 2021
Matchday 8 10–12 October 2021
Matchday 9 11–13 November 2021
Matchday 10 14–16 November 2021

First round

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Seeding

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The draw for the first round (group stage) was held in Zürich, Switzerland, on 7 December 2020, 18:00 CET (UTC+1).[27][28][29][30][31][32] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the draw occurred as a virtual event without any representatives of member associations present. It was originally planned to be held on 29 November 2020.[33] On 18 June 2020, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the draw regulations for the qualifying group stage.[34] The draw was presented by Spanish journalist Cristina Gullón and conducted by FIFA's acting director of competitions, Jaime Yarza.[35] He was assisted by former footballers Daniele De Rossi and Rafael van der Vaart, who drew the balls from the pots.[36]

The 55 teams were seeded into six pots based on the November 2020 FIFA World Rankings, after the conclusion of the league phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. Pots 1 to 5 contained ten teams, while Pot 6 contained five teams. The teams were drawn into ten groups: five groups of five teams (Groups A–E) and five groups of six teams (Groups F–J). The draw started with Pot 1 and was completed with Pot 6, from where a team was drawn and assigned to the first available group in alphabetical order. Therefore, each six-team group contains one team from each of the six pots, while each five-team group contains one team from each of the first five pots.[37]

The following restrictions were applied with computer assistance:[25][38][39]

  • Nations League finalists: The four teams participating in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals (Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain) were guaranteed to be drawn into groups with only five teams (Groups A–E). A group could contain a maximum of one Nations League finalist (this condition was fulfilled automatically since all four teams were in the same pot).
  • Prohibited clashes: For political reasons, matches between following pairs of teams were considered prohibited clashes, unable to be drawn into the same group: Kosovo–Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo–Serbia, Kosovo–Russia, Russia–Ukraine. (Additionally, Armenia–Azerbaijan and Gibraltar–Spain were identified as prohibited clashes, but the teams in the former pair were in the same pot for the draw, while the teams in the latter pair were restricted to different-sized groups based on draw pots and conditions.)
  • Winter venues: A maximum of two teams whose venues are identified as having high or medium risk of severe winter conditions could be placed in each group: Belarus, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Ukraine.
    • The two "hard winter venues" (Faroe Islands and Iceland) generally cannot host games in March or November, and therefore could not be drawn together; the others shall play as few home matches as possible in March and November.
  • Excessive travel: A maximum of one pair of teams identified with excessive travel distance in relation to other countries could be placed in each group:
    • Azerbaijan: with Iceland, Gibraltar, Portugal.
    • Iceland: with Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel.
    • Kazakhstan: with England, France, Gibraltar, Iceland, Malta, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Wales. (Andorra and Faroe Islands were also identified with Kazakhstan for excessive travel distance, but the teams were in the same pot for the draw.)

Teams were allocated to seeding pots as follows (November 2020 FIFA Rankings shown in second column).[40][41]

Pot 1
Team Rank
  Belgium 1
  France 2
  England 4
  Portugal 5
  Spain 6
  Italy 10
  Croatia 11
  Denmark 12
  Germany 13
  Netherlands 14
Pot 2
Team Rank
   Switzerland 16
  Wales 18
  Poland 19
  Sweden 20
  Austria 23
  Ukraine 24
  Serbia 30
  Turkey 32
  Slovakia 33
  Romania 37
Pot 3
Team Rank
  Russia 39
  Hungary 40
  Republic of Ireland 42
  Czech Republic 43
  Norway 44
  Northern Ireland 45
  Iceland 46
  Scotland 48
  Greece 53
  Finland 54
Pot 4
Team Rank
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 55
  Slovenia 62
  Montenegro 63
  North Macedonia 65
  Albania 66
  Bulgaria 68
  Israel 87
  Belarus 88
  Georgia 89
  Luxembourg 98
Pot 5
Team Rank
  Armenia 99
  Cyprus 100
  Faroe Islands 107
  Azerbaijan 109
  Estonia 109
  Kosovo 117
  Kazakhstan 122
  Lithuania 129
  Latvia 136
  Andorra 151
Pot 6
Team Rank
  Malta 176
  Moldova 177
  Liechtenstein 181
  Gibraltar 195
  San Marino 210

Summary

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  Winner of each group qualified directly for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
  Runner-up of each group and best two Nations League group winners advanced to the second round (play-offs)
  Other teams were eliminated after the first round
  Advanced to the second round (play-offs) as a group runner-up, later suspended
Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Group I Group J
 
Serbia
 
Spain
 
Switzerland
 
France
 
Belgium
 
Denmark
 
Netherlands
 
Croatia
 
England
 
Germany
 
Portugal
 
Sweden
 
Italy
 
Ukraine
 
Wales
 
Scotland
 
Turkey
 
Russia
 
Poland
 
North Macedonia
 
Republic of Ireland
 
Greece
 
Northern Ireland
 
Finland
 
Czech Republic
 
Israel
 
Norway
 
Slovakia
 
Albania
 
Romania
 
Luxembourg
 
Georgia
 
Bulgaria
 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
 
Estonia
 
Austria
 
Montenegro
 
Slovenia
 
Hungary
 
Armenia
 
Azerbaijan
 
Kosovo
 
Lithuania
 
Kazakhstan
 
Belarus
 
Faroe Islands
 
Latvia
 
Cyprus
 
Andorra
 
Iceland
 
Moldova
 
Gibraltar
 
Malta
 
San Marino
 
Liechtenstein

Groups

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The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 8 December 2020, the day following the draw.[42][43][44] Qatar were partnered with the five-team Group A, which enabled the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts to play centralised friendlies against these countries on their "spare" match dates. However, these friendlies did not count in the qualifying group standings.[45][46]

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1   Serbia 8 6 2 0 18 9 +9 20 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 2–2 3–2 4–1 3–1
2   Portugal 8 5 2 1 17 6 +11 17 Advance to play-offs 1–2 2–1 5–0 1–0
3   Republic of Ireland 8 2 3 3 11 8 +3 9 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–1
4   Luxembourg 8 3 0 5 8 18 −10 9 0–1 1–3 0–3 2–1
5   Azerbaijan 8 0 1 7 5 18 −13 1 1–2 0–3 0–3 1–3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1   Spain 8 6 1 1 15 5 +10 19 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 1–0 1–1 4–0 3–1
2   Sweden 8 5 0 3 12 6 +6 15 Advance to play-offs 2–1 2–0 1–0 3–0
3   Greece 8 2 4 2 8 8 0 10 0–1 2–1 1–1 1–1
4   Georgia 8 2 1 5 6 12 −6 7 1–2 2–0 0–2 0–1
5   Kosovo 8 1 2 5 5 15 −10 5 0–2 0–3 1–1 1–2
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1    Switzerland 8 5 3 0 15 2 +13 18 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 0–0 2–0 4–0 1–0
2   Italy 8 4 4 0 13 2 +11 16 Advance to play-offs 1–1 2–0 1–1 5–0
3   Northern Ireland 8 2 3 3 6 7 −1 9 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0
4   Bulgaria 8 2 2 4 6 14 −8 8 1–3 0–2 2–1 1–0
5   Lithuania 8 1 0 7 4 19 −15 3 0–4 0–2 1–4 3–1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1   France 8 5 3 0 18 3 +15 18 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 1–1 2–0 1–1 8–0
2   Ukraine 8 2 6 0 11 8 +3 12 Advance to play-offs 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1
3   Finland 8 3 2 3 10 10 0 11 0–2 1–2 2–2 1–0
4   Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 1 4 3 9 12 −3 7 0–1 0–2 1–3 2–2
5   Kazakhstan 8 0 3 5 5 20 −15 3 0–2 2–2 0–2 0–2
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1   Belgium 8 6 2 0 25 6 +19 20 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 3–1 3–0 3–1 8–0
2   Wales 8 4 3 1 14 9 +5 15 Advance to play-offs 1–1 1–0 0–0 5–1
3   Czech Republic 8 4 2 2 14 9 +5 14 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–0
4   Estonia 8 1 1 6 9 21 −12 4 2–5 0–1 2–6 2–0
5   Belarus 8 1 0 7 7 24 −17 3 0–1 2–3 0–2 4–2
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   Denmark 10 9 0 1 30 3 +27 27 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 2–0 5–0 1–0 3–1 8–0
2   Scotland 10 7 2 1 17 7 +10 23 Advance to play-offs 2–0 3–2 2–2 4–0 1–0
3   Israel 10 5 1 4 23 21 +2 16 0–2 1–1 5–2 3–2 2–1
4   Austria 10 5 1 4 19 17 +2 16 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 0–4 0–1 4–2 3–1 4–1
5   Faroe Islands 10 1 1 8 7 23 −16 4 0–1 0–1 0–4 0–2 2–1
6   Moldova 10 0 1 9 5 30 −25 1 0–4 0–2 1–4 0–2 1–1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   Netherlands 10 7 2 1 33 8 +25 23 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 6–1 2–0 4–0 2–0 6–0
2   Turkey 10 6 3 1 27 16 +11 21 Advance to play-offs 4–2 1–1 2–2 3–3 6–0
3   Norway 10 5 3 2 15 8 +7 18 1–1 0–3 2–0 0–0 5–1
4   Montenegro 10 3 3 4 14 15 −1 12 2–2 1–2 0–1 0–0 4–1
5   Latvia 10 2 3 5 11 14 −3 9 0–1 1–2 0–2 1–2 3–1
6   Gibraltar 10 0 0 10 4 43 −39 0 0–7 0–3 0–3 0–3 1–3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   Croatia 10 7 2 1 21 4 +17 23 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 1–0 2–2 3–0 1–0 3–0
2   Russia[a] 10 7 1 2 19 6 +13 22 Advance to play-offs 0–0 1–0 2–1 6–0 2–0
3   Slovakia 10 3 5 2 17 10 +7 14 0–1 2–1 2–2 2–0 2–2
4   Slovenia 10 4 2 4 13 12 +1 14 1–0 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–0
5   Cyprus 10 1 2 7 4 21 −17 5 0–3 0–2 0–0 1–0 2–2
6   Malta 10 1 2 7 9 30 −21 5 1–7 1–3 0–6 0–4 3–0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ On 28 February 2022, FIFA suspended Russia from international competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[11]

Group I

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   England 10 8 2 0 39 3 +36 26 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 2–1 5–0 1–1 4–0 5–0
2   Poland 10 6 2 2 30 11 +19 20 Advance to play-offs 1–1 4–1 1–2 3–0 5–0
3   Albania 10 6 0 4 12 12 0 18 0–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 5–0
4   Hungary 10 5 2 3 19 13 +6 17 0–4 3–3 0–1 2–1 4–0
5   Andorra 10 2 0 8 8 24 −16 6 0–5 1–4 0–1 1–4 2–0
6   San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 46 −45 0 0–10 1–7 0–2 0–3 0–3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group J

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   Germany 10 9 0 1 36 4 +32 27 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 1–2 2–1 6–0 3–0 9–0
2   North Macedonia 10 5 3 2 23 11 +12 18 Advance to play-offs 0–4 0–0 0–0 3–1 5–0
3   Romania 10 5 2 3 13 8 +5 17 0–1 3–2 1–0 0–0 2–0
4   Armenia 10 3 3 4 9 20 −11 12 1–4 0–5 3–2 2–0 1–1
5   Iceland 10 2 3 5 12 18 −6 9 0–4 2–2 0–2 1–1 4–0
6   Liechtenstein 10 0 1 9 2 34 −32 1 0–2 0–4 0–2 0–1 1–4
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Second round

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The second round (play-offs) was contested by the ten group runners-up and the best two Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking,[47] who finished outside the top two of their qualifying group. They were separated into three play-off paths, with each path featuring two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The semi-finals were hosted by the six best-ranked runners-up of the qualifying group stage, while the host of the final was determined by a draw.[48] The semi-finals were played on 24 March and 1 June, and the finals on 29 March and 5 June 2022. The winners of each path qualified for the World Cup.

Team selection and seeding

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Second-placed teams

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The ten runners-up from the first round advanced to the play-offs. Based on the results from the qualifying group stage, the six best-ranked teams were seeded, while the bottom four were unseeded in the semi-final draw.

Seed Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Seeding
1 A   Portugal 8 5 2 1 17 6 +11 17 Seeded in semi-final draw
2 F   Scotland 8 5 2 1 14 7 +7 17
3 C   Italy 8 4 4 0 13 2 +11 16
4 H   Russia 8 5 1 2 14 5 +9 16
5 B   Sweden 8 5 0 3 12 6 +6 15
6 E   Wales 8 4 3 1 14 9 +5 15
7 G   Turkey 8 4 3 1 18 16 +2 15 Unseeded in semi-final draw
8 I   Poland 8 4 2 2 18 10 +8 14
9 J   North Macedonia 8 3 3 2 14 11 +3 12
10 D   Ukraine 8 2 6 0 11 8 +3 12
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1. Points; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Away goals scored; 5. Wins; 6. Away wins; 7. Lower disciplinary points total; 8. Position in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.[48]

Nations League group winners

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The best two Nations League group winners that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group advanced to the play-offs and were unseeded in the semi-final draw.

UNL Rank UNL group winner Qualifying
group
A 1   France & D
2   Spain & B
3   Italy C
4   Belgium & E
B 17   Wales E
18   Austria F
19   Czech Republic E
20   Hungary I
C 33   Slovenia H
34   Montenegro G
35   Albania I
36   Armenia J
D 49   Gibraltar G
50   Faroe Islands F

Key

  •  &  Team qualified directly for World Cup as qualifying group winner
  •  †  Team advanced to the play-offs as qualifying group runner-up
  •  ‡  Team (in bold) advanced to the play-offs as one of the best two Nations League group winners outside top two of their qualifying group

Draw

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Following the completion of the UEFA first round, the twelve teams that advanced to the play-offs were drawn into three paths of four teams on 26 November 2021, 17:00 CET, in Zürich, Switzerland.[49][50][51][52][53] The following procedure was applied in the draw:[48][54]

  • The six seeded teams were allocated to semi-finals 1 to 6 as the host team in the order drawn.
  • The six unseeded teams were allocated to semi-finals 1 to 6 as the away team in the order drawn.
  • Play-off Path A was formed by semi-finals 1 and 2, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final A.
  • Play-off Path B was formed by semi-finals 3 and 4, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final B.
  • Play-off Path C was formed by semi-finals 5 and 6, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final C.
  • The semi-final winners that host play-off finals A, B and C were decided by a draw.

For political reasons related to the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia and Ukraine could not be drawn into the same play-off path.[55]

The six runners-up with the best group stage performance were seeded in the semi-final draw, while the remaining four runners-up and two teams advancing via the Nations League were unseeded. The seedings were as follows:

Pot 1 (seeded)
Team Rank
  Portugal 1
  Scotland 2
  Italy 3
  Russia 4
  Sweden 5
  Wales 6
Pot 2 (unseeded)
Team Rank
  Turkey 7
  Poland 8
  North Macedonia 9
  Ukraine 10
  Austria NL–18
  Czech Republic NL–19

Path A

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Home team  Score  Away team
Semi-finals
Scotland   1–3   Ukraine
Wales   2–1   Austria
Final
Wales   1–0   Ukraine

Path B

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Home team  Score  Away team
Semi-finals
Russia   w/o[note 2]   Poland
Sweden   1–0 (a.e.t.)   Czech Republic
Final
Poland   2–0   Sweden

Path C

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Home team  Score  Away team
Semi-finals
Italy   0–1   North Macedonia
Portugal   3–1   Turkey
Final
Portugal   2–0   North Macedonia

Qualified teams

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Status of UEFA countries with respect to the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
  Team has qualified for World Cup
  Team failed to qualify
  Team suspended
  Country not a UEFA member

The following 13 teams from UEFA qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1
  Germany Group J winners 11 October 2021 19 (1934, 1938, 19542, 19582, 19622, 19662, 19702, 19742, 19782, 19822, 19862, 19902, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
  Denmark Group F winners 12 October 2021 5 (1986, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2018)
  France Group D winners 13 November 2021 15 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
  Belgium Group E winners 13 November 2021 13 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2018)
  Croatia Group H winners 14 November 2021 5 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018)
  Spain Group B winners 14 November 2021 15 (1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
  Serbia Group A winners 14 November 2021 12 (19303, 19503, 19543, 19583, 19623, 19743, 19823, 19903, 19983, 20063, 2010, 2018)
  England Group I winners 15 November 2021 15 (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
   Switzerland Group C winners 15 November 2021 11 (1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
  Netherlands Group G winners 16 November 2021 10 (1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014)
  Portugal Play-offs Path C winners 29 March 2022 7 (1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
  Poland Play-offs Path B winners 29 March 2022 8 (1938, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2018)
  Wales Play-offs Path A winners 5 June 2022 1 (1958)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
2 Competed as West Germany. A separate team for East Germany also participated in qualifications during this time, having only qualified in 1974.
3 From 1930 to 1998, Serbia competed as Yugoslavia, while in 2006 as Serbia and Montenegro.

Top goalscorers

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There were 781 goals scored in 258 matches, for an average of 3.03 goals per match.

12 goals

9 goals

8 goals

6 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for all groups and the play-off rounds:

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Due to postponements in Path A of the second round, one semi-final and one final match were played in June 2022.
  2. ^ Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia were suspended,[11] and Poland advanced to the final on a walkover.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Regulations FIFA World Cup 2022 Preliminary Competition: Including COVID-19 Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Russia banned for four years to include 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup". BBC. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Can Russia play at the World Cup 2022 and Euro 2020?". BBC. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  5. ^ "WADA files official request with Court of Arbitration for Sport to resolve RUSADA dispute". World Anti-Doping Agency. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  6. ^ "CAS arbitration WADA v. RUSADA: Decision". TAS/CAS. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Russia banned from using its name, flag at next two Olympics". ESPN. Associated Press. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Poland to boycott game against Russia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Bureau of the FIFA Council takes initial measures with regard to war in Ukraine". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian teams". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
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