Qatar 2022 World Cup draw
The world cup draw took place in Doha’s Exhibition and Convention Centre in Qatar’s capital Doha on Friday at 7 pm (16:00 GMT). Twenty-nine of the 32 teams have been confirmed for the games. The three remaining slots are to be confirmed in June but their groups are known.
The names of the participating nations were displayed at the back on giant screens.
The World Cup billed to take place from November 21 to December 18 will be played across eight stadiums with Qatar taking on Ecuador on November 21, in the opening match.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino welcomed the world to Qatar but with a plea to stop conflicts around the world. “We want this to be the World Cup of unity, of peace,” he said before stepping off the stage.
Qatar’s emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was called onto the stage for a brief speech. He reminded Infantino that people are waiting for the draw and not their speeches.
The hosts of the night, Idris Elba and Reshmin Chowdhury made an appearance. The brief intro was followed by the performance by Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha of Hayya Hayya, the first single from the World Cup 2022 soundtrack.
Didier Deschamps, France’s World Cup winning captain and coach, brought the trophy onto the stage with his son.
The seedings and pots heralded the draws conducted by Jermaine Jenas, Samantha Johnson, and two-time World Cup winner Carli Lloyd. The trio was assisted by eight FIFA legends: Cafu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Lothar Matthaus, Tim Cahill, Adel Ahmed MalAllah, Ali Daei, Bora Milutinovic, and Rabah Madjer.
pot 1:
Qatar, as hosts, sit at A1.football draw. Cafu pulls out the first ball and it’s Qatar (A) followed by England (B), Argentina (C), France (D), Spain (E), Belgium (F), Brazil (G), and Portugal (H).
Pot 2:
Netherlands (A4), USA (B3), Mexico (C3), Denmark (D3), Germany (E3), Croatia (F4), Uruguay (H3), Switzerland (G3).
Pot 3:
Senegal (A3), Iran (B2), Poland (C4), Tunisia (D4), Japan (E4), Morocco (F3), Serbia (G2), and South Korea (H4).
Pot 4:
Ecuador (A2), Ukraine/Wales/Scotland (B4), Saudi Arabia (C2), UAE/Australia/Peru (D2), Costa Rica/New Zealand (E2), Canada (F2), Cameroon (G4), Ghana (H2).
One of the high points of the event was the unveiling of a video and an animation… including the launch of the official mascot of the games.
This is Canada’s first World Cup since 1986. “Why go to the national team? You’re not going to go to the World Cup.” That is what former Canadian striker Alex Bunbury says he was asked by his managers at West Ham United, Harry Redknapp, and Billy Bonds, ahead of the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Among the high-profile teams that won’t be in the pots are Italy, current European champions, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Algeria are just some of the teams who failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The event was attended by personalities that have global footprints in the game of football. FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, former player Didier Drogba, Geremi, Mikael Silvestre, and Sergio Aguero were some of the oldies at the event.
Meanwhile, before the 72nd FIFA Congress took place in Doha on Thursday with discussions on the games. Qatar’s human rights record took centre stage at FIFA Congress. Norway’s football chief lashes out at FIFA and Qatar while World Cup hosts, governing bodies point to labour reforms made. In addition to Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, the Russia-Ukraine war and biennial World Cup plans were also mentioned.
