The final draw for the 2022 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup in Qatar was Friday, and the U.S was drawn into Group B. Joining the Americans in Group B are England, Iran, and the winner of a European Playoff. Either Scotland or Ukraine will face Wales in the European playoff for a spot in Group B.
Scotland and Ukraine were scheduled to meet on March 24, but FIFA postponed the match until June following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. will play the winner of the European playoff on the tournament’s opening day on November 21. The Americans will then face England on November 25, the Friday after Thanksgiving. The U.S. will close the group stage on November 29 with a match against Iran.
Winning a game in the group stage nets a team three points, while a draw earns both teams one point, and a loser of a match gets zero. The two teams that finish with the most points in each group advance to the Round of 16.
The U.S., coached by Gregg Berhalter, clinched one of the three automatic berths out of the Confederation of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). Berhalter was hired in December 2018, just over a year after the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
“We think it’s a good group — we know every opponent in the World Cup is difficult, but with England, you get an exciting matchup; with Iran, it’s a diverse opponent, and they’ve done well in qualifying. And then we’ll have to wait to see who the third opponent is,” Berhalter told the BBC. “Overall, pleased with the group and excited to get started.”
On paper, Group B appears difficult based on the FIFA World Rankings. The U.S. is currently ranked No.15 in the world, while England is No.5 and considered one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Iran is the No.21 team in the World Rankings, while Wales is No.18, Ukraine is No.27, and Scotland is No.39.
England and the U.S. have history at the FIFA World Cup. In 1950, the U.S. delivered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history when it stunned the heavily favored English 1-0. The two countries were also drawn into the same group in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and played to a 1-1 draw in both teams’ opening matches.
The U.S. and Iran have squared off once previously at a World Cup. The two countries were drawn into the same group in the 1998 World Cup in France, and Iran claimed a memorable 2-1 upset win that eliminated the U.S. from the tournament.
The first-place winner in Group B will face the second-place finisher of Group A in the Round of 16 and vice versa; second place in Group B will play first place in Group A.
Teams were drawn into their groups by being seeded into four pots based on the World Ranking. One team from each of the four pots is drawn into a group, making eight groups of four teams. Teams from the same qualifying region cannot be in the same group, except for European teams, as 13 teams from the continent earn places in the World Cup.
Host Qatar is making its World Cup debut and is the No.51 team in the world. Hosts are automatically placed into Group A. Qatar will play No. 46 Ecuador in the first game on November 21. No.20 Senegal and No.10 Netherlands make up the other two teams in Group A.
Pot 1 included Qatar and the top seven ranked teams in the world, minus one — No.6 Italy was stunned during European qualifying by a loss to North Macedonia and is the highest-ranked team that did not qualify for the tournament. Italy’s elimination moved No.8 Portugal into Pot 1.
Pot 2 included teams ranked from No.9 to No.16, including No.10 Mexico and No.15 U.S. Mexico was drawn into Group C and will face No.26 Poland in its first game. No. 4 Argentina and No. 49 Saudi Arabia make up the other two teams in Group C.
Along with the European Playoff, two more playoff games in June will determine the final spots in the World Cup. One intercontinental playoff will feature Peru, the fifth-place finisher in the South American qualifying region. The winner of a game between Australia and the UAE will face off against Peru for a spot in Group D.
Peru, Australia, or the UAE will play the defending World Cup champions and No.3 ranked France in the opening match of Group D.
No.11 Denmark and No.35 Tunisia were also drawn into Group D.
The second intercontinental playoff will feature the fifth-place finisher in the CONCACAF region, Costa Rica, against the Oceania-region winner, New Zealand.
Costa Rica or New Zealand will be part of Group E and will face No.7 Spain in the group’s opening game. No.12 Germany and No.23 Japan are also in Group E.
The first-place finisher out of the CONCACAF region, Canada, was drawn into a tough group in Group F. Canada is ranked No.38 and making only its second-ever appearance in the World Cup since its debut in 1986. The Canadians will open play against the World’s No.2 team Belgium. No.16 Croatia, who made it to the final in the 2018 World Cup, is also in Group F. No.24 Morocco, out of Africa, is the fourth team in the group.
The world’s No.1 team, Brazil, was drawn into Group G, joined by No.14 Switzerland, No.25 Serbia, and No.37 Cameroon. Group H will feature No.8 Portugal, No.13 Uruguay, No.29 South Korea, and No.60 Ghana.
The group stage of games will conclude on December 2, and the Round of 16 will begin the following day. The championship game will be on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Three million people are expected to travel to Qatar to cheer on their teams, while over 5 billion will watch the games on TV.