The countdown continues. In about eight months, the World Cup will open in Qatar, the largest and most important sporting event in the world. So far, 15 teams have secured their place in the World Cup, with 14 more joining in the coming week, with decisions on all continents. The final draw of the home stage of the final tournament will take place on April 1, with the last three tickets to be determined only in June. Here is a snapshot:
Advanced to the World Cup: Qatar (host), Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Argentina, Iran and South Korea.
Europe (13 delegations)
10 teams secured their place several months ago with the end of the qualifiers, with 3 teams left. The playoff semi-finals will take place on Thursday (24.3), when the Czech Republic will meet Sweden and the winner (in a one-game method) will play in the final for the World Cup ticket against Poland which automatically went up following the sanctions against Russia. Another ticket will be determined after the final between the winner between Turkey and Portugal and between Italy and northern Macedonia. Austria and Wales will meet for another semi-final, with the winner meeting Ukraine or Scotland in June, a match postponed following the fighting. The first two playoff finals will take place on March 29th.
Asia (4.5 delegations)
Two Asians have already booked for Qatar, this is Iran and South Korea from the Final A. The first two teams from each house are coming up. The team that finishes third – the United Arab Emirates (9 points), Lebanon (6) or Iraq (5) will meet the third from House B, which could be Saudi Arabia (19 points), Japan (18) or Australia (15). The winner of the domestic playoffs (3rd place vs. 3rd place) will meet the fifth in South America in the intercontinental playoffs in June.
The remaining games (24.3): South Korea – Iran, Iraq – United Arab Emirates, Lebanon – Syria. 29.3, Final Round: Iran – Lebanon, United Arab Emirates – South Korea, Syria – Iraq.
South America (4.5 delegations)
Two teams have already qualified for Qatar, Brazil and Argentina of course, with two more rounds left to finish the qualifiers. Ecuador (25 points) has the best chances of finishing in third or fourth place, while Uruguay (22), Peru (21), Chile (19) and Colombia (17) can still move up from fourth place or through the playoffs. The team that finishes in fifth place will qualify for the intercontinental playoffs against the fifth in Asia, in a game to be held in June.
The remaining games (March 17, 24): Uruguay – Peru, Colombia – Bolivia, Brazil – Chile, Paraguay – Ecuador, Argentina – Venezuela. Final round (March 29): Peru – Paraguay, Venezuela – Colombia, Bolivia – Brazil, Chile – Uruguay, Ecuador – Argentina. Completion game (undated): Brazil – Argentina.
Africa (5 national teams)
In the Black Continent the situation is very clear. Five home games have qualified for the continental playoffs, with the winner of each meeting automatically qualifying for Qatar. The African Senegalese champion will host Egypt her runner-up on March 25 and the rematch will take place on the 29th. Other games: Cameroon vs. Algeria, Ghana vs. Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo vs. Morocco while Mali will face Tunisia.
North Central America (3.5 places)
Canada is expected to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, when it needs two points from the last three games in the final. The U.S. and Mexico with 21 points in common are also favorites to advance from the top three. The real battle is likely to be in the playoffs, where Panama (17 points) and Costa Rica (16) have the best chances. El Salvador (9) has a theoretical chance, though The fourth-ranked team will advance to the playoffs against the representative of Oceania.
Oceania (1 representative)
On the weakest continent, two finals take place, with the two winners from each house advancing to the semi-finals. The winner of the final tournament will meet the fourth from North and Central America in the intercontinental playoffs to be held in June. The favorite to do so is of course New Zealand. Other participants: Tahiti, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. New Caledonia ousted.
