There are still a few spots left in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Earlier this year, Argentina and Brazil qualified directly through CONMEBOL, while Uruguay and Ecuador qualified through the intercontinental play-offs. Argentina and Brazil need a win or a draw in their final fixtures to qualify for the finals. The other three South American teams must qualify via intercontinental play-offs, while the remaining five must qualify by direct qualification.
A total of 32 teams will be selected to play in the World Cup 2022. The first round of qualifying will be held in Qatar, and the world will see five teams from Africa, four or five from Asia, and three or four from North America. Oceania will have zero or one representative. The remaining two spots will be decided in an intercontinental playoff. The winner of the Ukraine-Scotland match will play Wales in the second round, while the other team will face the victor of the Iceland-Wales match.
Once the preliminary rounds are complete, the top four teams will move on to the knockout stages. The first round consists of one game between the two OFC nations on 13 March 2022. The winner of this match will advance to the group stage, while the fifth place team will qualify via the intercontinental playoff. As previously mentioned, the top four teams from each group will qualify directly, and the fifth will advance to the knockout stage through the inter-confederation play-off.
Four teams will advance to the semifinals and the final. One team from each pot will play the other team in the intercontinental playoff against the CONCACAF group in June. And the other four will play in one-off games in Doha on June 13-14. That means that the final field will contain 32 teams. With so many teams in the playoffs, the competition is expected to be crowded.
Portugal and Poland both qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history. Portugal defeated giant killers North Macedonia 2-0 in the Playoff final. And Poland's Robert Lewandowski's team beat Sweden by the same score. So, with their three wins, the Netherlands are already a part of the World Cup. And now there are five African nations guaranteed a place at the World Cup in 2022.
The first four qualified to the World Cup since Mexico 1986. Meanwhile, the United States and Mexico virtually sealed their places in Qatar. Australia, Iran, Japan, and Saudi Arabia have already qualified. The other five teams have already qualified and will play in the intercontinental playoff. The final two places will be filled by the winners of the three qualifying games in June. So, if you're wondering "How many countries will qualify for World Cup 2022?" then keep reading.
In December, FIFA announced the 32-team field for the World Cup in Qatar. Qatar had to win a controversial bid process to host the tournament, but the country earned its place. The next 32 countries have to go through confederations to qualify. Qatar qualified automatically as hosts, but it's worth noting that this was a first for the Asian nation. A team from Qatar's Oceania region has never qualified for the World Cup.
