2022 World Cup draw: Spain meets Germany, all smiles for USMNT and Canada

The countdown for November’s big kickoff begins.

The group draw for the 2022 World Cup was conducted in Doha, Qatar on Friday. Heavyweight nations Spain and Germany were pitted together in Group E, while the United States and Canada should travel to the Middle East with some optimism given the overall quality in their respective quartets.

Here are the groups in full:

Group A

Match schedule

• Nov. 21: Senegal vs. Netherlands
• Nov. 21: Qatar vs. Ecuador
• Nov. 25: Qatar vs. Senegal
• Nov. 25: Netherlands vs. Ecuador
• Nov. 29: Netherlands vs. Qatar
• Nov. 29: Ecuador vs. Senegal

Group B

Match schedule

• Nov. 21: England vs. Iran
• Nov. 21: United States vs. UEFA playoff winner
• Nov. 25: UEFA playoff winner vs. Iran
• Nov. 25: England vs. United States
• Nov. 29: Iran vs. United States
• Nov. 29: UEFA playoff winner vs. England

Group C

Match schedule

• Nov. 22: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia
• Nov. 22: Mexico vs. Poland
• Nov. 26: Argentina vs. Mexico
• Nov. 26: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia
• Nov. 30: Poland vs. Argentina
• Nov. 30: Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico

Group D

Match schedule

• Nov. 22: France vs. Intercontinental playoff winner
• Nov. 22: Denmark vs. Tunisia
• Nov. 26: France vs. Denmark
• Nov. 26: Tunisia vs. Intercontinental playoff winner
• Nov. 30: Tunisia vs. France
• Nov. 30: Intercontinental playoff winner vs. Denmark

Group E

Match schedule

• Nov. 23: Spain vs. Intercontinental playoff winner
• Nov. 23: Germany vs. Japan
• Nov. 27: Spain vs. Germany
• Nov. 27: Japan vs. Intercontinental playoff winner
• Dec. 1: Japan vs. Spain
• Dec. 1: Intercontinental playoff winner vs. Germany

Group F

Match schedule

• Nov. 23: Belgium vs. Canada
• Nov. 23: Morocco vs. Croatia
• Nov. 27: Belgium vs. Morocco
• Nov. 27: Croatia vs. Canada
• Dec. 1: Croatia vs. Belgium
• Dec. 1: Canada vs. Morocco

Group G

Match schedule

• Nov. 24: Brazil vs. Serbia
• Nov. 24: Switzerland vs. Cameroon
• Nov. 28: Brazil vs. Switzerland
• Nov. 28: Cameroon vs. Serbia
• Dec. 2: Cameroon vs. Brazil
• Dec. 2: Serbia vs. Switzerland

Group H

Match schedule

• Nov. 24: Portugal vs. Ghana
• Nov. 24: Uruguay vs. South Korea
• Nov. 28: Portugal vs. Uruguay
• Nov. 28: South Korea vs. Ghana
• Dec. 2: South Korea vs. Portugal
• Dec. 2: Ghana vs. Uruguay

* World Cup berth to be decided in June.

The top two nations in each group will advance to the knockout stages of the competition. The full schedule for the knockout stages can be found here.

Why isn’t the entire field confirmed?

Three World Cup teams have yet to be determined: one from Europe and two from the intercontinental playoff paths.

• Intercontinental playoff: Costa Rica vs. New Zealand
• Intercontinental playoff: Peru vs. Australia or the United Arab Emirates
• UEFA playoff: Wales vs. Ukraine or Scotland

Ukraine’s one-off semifinal against Scotland was postponed after the country was invaded by Russia. That will be played this summer – the exact date is yet to be announced – and the winner will meet Wales for a spot in Qatar.

The intercontinental playoffs were postponed as part of the widespread scheduling delays created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those games are slated for June 13 and 14 in Qatar, at which point the entire 32-team World Cup field should be finalized.