2022 World Cup: how to use the qualifications

How can the France team qualify?

All roads lead to Qatar, the country where the 2022 World Cup will take place. Regarding the Europe zone, to which 13 of the 32 World Cup places are reserved, the most direct way to qualify is to finish first in your group. qualifying.

Otherwise, you have to come second and then go through the dams.

Ultimate recourse for a nation which does not finish in the first two places of its group: to have performed in the League of Nations 2020-21 (see below).

The qualifying group, how does it work?

The 55 selections affiliated with UEFA are divided into 10 groups: 5 with five teams, 5 with six teams.

Each selection faces the opponents of its group in a home and away match.

The qualifiers will take place from March 24 to November 16, 2021. Only the first of the group is directly qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

Dams, how do they work?

The 10 countries which finished second in their group are transferred to play-offs.

To these 10 second, we must add two teams through the League of Nations (see below).

The 12 play-offs are divided into three tables, with semi-finals and final.

The winners of each table are qualified for the 2022 World Cup. It will therefore be necessary to win two matches in the play-offs to win a ticket.

These meetings will likely take place in March 2022.

The League of Nations, what is it for?

As mentioned, the initial 10 play-offs will be joined by two teams: they will be the top two nations based on the 2020-21 Nations League results and not to have finished in the top two places of their qualifying group.

The semi-finals (Italy-Spain and Belgium-France) and the final of the League of Nations are scheduled for next October.

For example, if Italy and Belgium are first in their group, but France and Spain finish third in theirs, then they will pull off the play-offs thanks to their good result in the League of Nations.

This trick is akin to a reserve parachute for the best teams and should, in principle, benefit selections at a lower level.

To take another example, Poland, 13th European nation in the FIFA rankings, is the 10th best team in the 2020-21 Nations League rankings.

His slight over-performance could therefore save him the day to compete in the 2022 World Cup play-offs.

Read also

•  Boycott of the 2022 World Cup?

  "France will go to Qatar", says Le Graët