Let’s go to Qatar 2022! – World Cup 2022

All you must know about World Cup 2022

What to know about World Cup 2022?

Since I was a kid, I have got so excited when FIFA World Cup is coming soon! I always love the idea of watching different countries competing for the same dream, but at the same time, many flags waving while people shout out to their preferred teams.

You can get into soccer or not, but the truth is, when the World Cup is held, we are into it, no matter what’s happening around. Even tough, 2022 FIFA World Cup has been a little controversial due to the pandemic and the recent lockdowns. What I mean is that everyone was wondering whether the World Cup 2022 would be held.

Now, we know World Cup 2022 will start on November 21st and the final will be held on December 18th. Otherwise, there was expectation about the reasons why FIFA chose Qatar as the World Cup 2022 host. The reason is too simple; according to FIFA authorities, Qatar was selected since FIFA expected to award the competition to the entire Arab World:

“When it decided on Qatar for 2022, FIFA's intention was to award the tournament to the whole Arab World, especially given that Qatar was the only Arab country to bid for the right to host. The price that FIFA was prepared to pay was to hold the World Cup in a country where the temperatures are too high for players to be able to play outdoors”.

On the other hand, many people were thinking about how many teams will play this World Cup 2022. A total of 32 countries will go to Qatar; remember that the expansion of teams will be until 2026 in the World Cup to be played in Canada, the United States and Mexico, as part of the North American coalition where we will see 48 teams on the field for the first time in History.

Currently, thirteen teams have qualified: Qatar, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, England, Netherlands, and Argentina. According to football experts, Brazil, France, England, and Germany are the countries which have the best odds for lifting the World Cup 2022.

However, there are pending qualifying rounds and who knows, maybe a surprise is waiting for all of us! Tough, before checking what teams can qualify this 2022, let’s check out the number of teams per federation qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar:

️⚽️ Asian Football Confederation | 4.5 quotas

️⚽️ African Football Confederation | 5 quotas

️⚽️ North, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation | 3.5 quotas

️⚽️ South American Football Confederation | 4.5 quotas

️⚽️ Oceania Football Confederation | 0.5 quotas

️⚽️ Union of European Football Associations | 13 quotas (six passes left over)

Next teams that can qualify for the World Cup 2022. The qualifying rounds are over for the rest of the year, but in January the road will begin again for several teams. Now, discover what’s next with the World Cup 2022!

Next previous competitions – World Cup 2022

China, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, United States, and many more will participate this January in the qualifying rounds. There will be round robin and group standing matches in January. Round robin games are forms of eliminations where a team can get eliminated after some losses; FIFA and other football associations use this kind of elimination system. Now, find out what the next matches will take place this month, maybe your favorite team is on the list!

️⚽️ January 26th, 2022: Australia vs Vietnam (Group B)

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Lebanon vs Korea (Group A)

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: United Arab Emirates vs Syria (Group A)

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Iran vs Iraq (Group A)

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Japan vs China (Group B)

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022, Saudi Arabia vs Oman (Group B)

️⚽️ January 31st, 2022, Syria vs Korea (Group A)

Group standings schedule

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Ecuador vs Brazil

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Paraguay vs Uruguay

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: China vs Argentina

️⚽️ January 28th, 2022: Colombia vs Peru

️⚽️ January 28th, 2022: Venezuela vs Bolivia

Round Robin schedule

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Jamaica vs Mexico

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: United States vs El Salvador

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Honduras vs Canada

️⚽️ January 27th, 2022: Costa Rica vs Panama

️⚽️ January 30th, 2022: Canada vs United States

️⚽️ January 30th, 2022: Panama vs Jamaica

️⚽️ January 30th, 2022: Mexico vs Costa Rica

️⚽️ January 30th, 2022: El Salvador vs Honduras

What to expect about January matches?

Countries from Asia, Oceania, America, and Latin America will compete to qualify for the next rounds. 29 teams are pending to qualify, and we can start thinking about which ones we will watch on the field this World Cup 2022.

Talking about Asia, some of the strongest teams are Korea, China, Iraq, and Syria since they have performed a great role in recent football matches. Even tough, Australia has a good football record in the recent football games. Now, let’s find out about which Asian countries might get the best odds for this qualifying rounds.

According to diverse football expert media, Iran, Japan, Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, and China are the top football nations in Asia and Oceania, having strong teams which might have the possibility to get great odds for this World Cup 2022.

Now, we will analyze more carefully these teams to be aware about which of them might qualify in the next months. First, it is important to mention that, according to the official ranking, the Asian nations with the best positions are: Qatar (which have already qualified), Korea, Australia, Japan, and Iran. If you are willing to bet, this information can be useful for you. So, keep reading and find out why those Asian nations have got the best odds.

Qatar (the host nation and the 2022 revelation)

We know that Qatar is the defending champion of the Asian Cup 2019, even Qatar team does not have many achievements and had never attended the World Cup before. So, the Asian Cup 2022 was the first remarkable achievement of the team. Even tough, Qatar also won the Western Asia region in 2014, showing its strength and good performance by succeeding in the Asian Cup 2019.

The Qatar national team has shown the first steps of what could be the road to this year's World Cup. During the five matches they have played in the Arab Cup, the national team has received great support from the fans, who have decorated the stadiums and have given them color to the point of overcrowding the Al Thumama stadium against Algeria with nearly 60,000 spectators.

The communion with the public has been total and a great point of support for the national team. In November, Qatar is going to mark their first participation as the host country, expecting the best this 2022.

One of the key players in Quatar is Akram Afif. The talented attacker has kept continuity in the last two years after a period of training and professionalism with many ups and downs. In 2018, he came back to Qatar to play for Al-Sadd.

Afif has played more than 70 matches with his national team, in the Arab Cup he has scored two goals and distributed five assists. Now, Afif is called to lead his country in the important challenge of participating in the first World Cup in History!

South Korea: one of the strongest Asian teams over time

The national soccer team of Korea, also known as the South Korean national team, is the country's representative team in official competitions, and it is organized by the Korea Football Association. South Korea is undoubtedly one of the strongest teams on the Asian continent. It has participated in six World Cups. In these events, South Korea had always played a minor role, until 2002 when it held the event together with Japan.

Under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, the South Korean team advanced to the semifinals, defeating top teams such as Italy and Spain. Despite dubious refereeing, South Korea has demonstrated its soccer progress in recent years, which was reflected in its qualification for Germany 2006.

world cup 2022

Through history, some of the most remarkable players have been: Hong Myung-Bo, Ahn Jung-Hwan, Park Ji-Sung. This 2022, soccer fans in Asia have great expectations about Korea, one of the best teams in Asia.

Experts on soccer say: “In terms of World Cup performance, the Korean National Team has the greatest performance in the top ten strongest national football teams in Asia today. Korea has attended the World Cup 10 times, which makes it one of the best Asian football teams.

Moreover, the team has reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, which is the best accomplishment that an Asian team has ever made. However, Korea has only won twice in the Asian Cup”.

Australia: One of the best ones

Even Australia is not from Asia, the Australian National team changed officially from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation, which is member of the Southeast Asian Football Federation. This makes the battle in the Asian region fiercer since Australia has a great soccer performance and the team have participated in the World Cup for five times.

Conforming to soccer experts, “Australia owns a lot of master players with vast experience in playing in Europe, such as Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer”. It is important to mention that Australia also won the Asian Cup in 2015 and classified in the quarterfinals in the Asian Cup in 2019.

Japan: Do not underestimate the team!

The Japanese Association was founded in 1920 and integrated into FIFA in 1929. Ten years later they would leave for reasons related to World War II and would not rejoin until 1950 and later, the Asian Confederation. The Japanese national team played and lost by a score of 1-2 in its first official match on May 23, 1923, in Osaka, against the Philippine national soccer team during the Far East Games.

Currently, the Japanese national team has become one of the strongest in the AFC, winning the AFC Asian Cup four times and qualifying for six consecutive World Cups: France 1998, South Korea and Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, and Russia 2018.

Their biggest achievements include their performances at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they co-hosted and were runners-up, and their bronze medal at the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.

In their World Cup debut, they lost their first three matches and were eliminated in the first round, finishing second to last of the thirty-two participants. Even tough, in the 2002 edition of Korea and Japan they made history in the first World Cup organized in Asia, by qualifying for the knockout finals as winners of a group that also included the Russian team, the Belgian team and the Tunisian team.

Furthermore, they reached the round of 16, where they lost to Turkey, who finished third in the tournament, by a single goal. In Germany 2006, they lost again in the first round, after winning only one match and finishing in eighteenth place.

Once more, in South Africa 2010, they equaled their best participation at the expense of teams like Denmark and Cameroon. They came close to upsetting the Paraguayan national team in the round of 16, but the South Americans ended up tipping the scales in their favor in the penalty shootout, after the final goalless draw.

Under former coach Takeshi Okada, several young talents announced their arrival on the international scene during Japan's dazzling parade at the last FIFA World Cup. The new generation has continued to progress under Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who took over the reins following their campaign at South Africa 2010.

A string of friendly victories, including a 1-0 win over an Argentina side, was followed by a strong showing at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where they beat Australia in the final to win their fourth continental title. Japan's soccer had long been known for its imaginative, combinative play, which was given a new lease of life with their continental success. Since they have got all those achievements, Korea is considered one of the strongest teams in Asia.

Iran: a big surprise

Iran’s soccer performance is considered one of the best ones in Asia, participating five times in the World Cup and winning the Asian Cup for three times. Experts say Japan, Korea and Australia have got better achievements; however, Iran is the only one in Asia to win the Asian Cup three times in a row. That makes Iran have important winning odds this 2022, comparing to other Asian nations.

Since 2018, Iran team has strengthened so much, but it was eliminated from the Group Stage at the 2018 World Cup. Even tough, it happened since the teams in Iran’s group were too strong (including Spain and Portugal). But later, Iran made a surprise when the team defeated Morocco. “This team was considered a surprise at the 2018 World Cup”, Media reports said then.

Now that you know which the strongest Asian football teams are, you can start having these odds in mind before making your bets just in case you are a soccer bettor. But remember, this World Cup 2022, everything can be possible!