Germany, England, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, France, Iran, Netherlands, Serbia, Switzerland and Qatar.
This is the club of fifteen guests at the great planetary mass next winter.
Seventeen others will also have their covers around the table from November 21, of which fourteen will be known by the end of next week.
Instructions for understanding a week full of challenges all around the planet.
Europe: A European heavyweight will be absent
Places remaining to be allocated:
3
The UEFA zone has undergone a small revolution.
The play-offs no longer take place in the round-trip format, but in a single knockout match.
Three distinct paths separate the twelve European countries involved.
In each of them will emerge a qualified.
The semi-finals of each route will take place this Thursday and the final on Tuesday.
Read alsoWorld Cup 2022: France will be seeded in the draw on April 1
However following the war in Russia, route A will not know its qualifier until June.
Because the Scotland-Ukraine match has been postponed.
The Russians were also excluded.
Thus, in path B, Poland is already qualified for the final against the winner of Sweden-Czech Republic.
The last way will leave one (or two) big customer(s) on the sidelines.
Italy, winner of Euro 2020, where Portugal, European champion 2016, will be absent from the world.
Portugal host Turkey and Italy face Macedonia on Thursday.
Before a potential clash next Tuesday on Lusitanian soil.
Procedure:
The play-offs are divided into three ways, each with two semi-finals and a final, the winner of which will be at the World Cup.
Path A: The winner of Wales - Austria will face the winner of Scotland - Ukraine (match postponed to June 2022, situation permitting) in the final in June
Path B: The winner of Sweden - Czech Republic will face Poland in the "final" on Tuesday
Path C: The winner of Portugal - Turkey will face the winner of Italy - North Macedonia on Tuesday in the "final"
Africa: Revenge in the air
Places to be allocated:
5
It was the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on February 6.
It will be a shock for a place in Qatar.
Senegal, African champions, and Egypt challenge each other in a home/away match on Friday and Tuesday.
The first leg will take place on Senegalese soil.
The return match will be played in Egypt.
Abdoulaye Wade Stadium- The 8-lane athletics track has been excluded and placed on the adjoining ground which has a 2,000-seat stand and a hybrid lawn in accordance with FIFA recommendations.
pic.twitter.com/3Wf1uNNplw
— Galsenfoot⭐ (@Galsenfootsn) March 22, 2022
Four other matches will be played on the same dates.
Cameroon-Algeria, Ghana-Nigeria, DR Congo-Morocco and Mali-Tunisia.
Only Congo, Mali and Tunisia have not reached the knockout phase of a World Cup.
Africa should therefore send five large customers to Qatar.
Procedure:
five "finals" in a round-trip match, Friday and Tuesday.
The winners are at the World Cup.
DR Congo - Morocco (go Friday 4 p.m., return Tuesday 9:30 p.m.)
Cameroon - Algeria (go Friday 6 p.m., return Tuesday 9:30 p.m.)
Mali - Tunisia (go Friday 6 p.m., return Tuesday 9:30 p.m.)
Ghana - Nigeria (departure Friday 8:30 p.m., return Tuesday 7 p.m.)
Egypt - Senegal (departure Friday 8:30 p.m., return Tuesday 7 p.m.)
South America: Uruguay in danger?
Places remaining to be allocated:
2 plus one in the intercontinental play-off
In the CONMEBOL zone, the South American zone, two other tickets remain to be taken behind Brazil and Argentina.
Ecuador emerges in third position.
With a draw on the lawn of Paraguay (Friday 0h30) "the Tri" would qualify.
Behind the Ecuadorians, the fight will be tough between Uruguay (4th, 22pts), Peru (5th, 21pts) and Chile (6th, 19pts).
The direct confrontations Uruguay-Peru and Chile-Uruguay will be decisive in the race for qualification.
A final opportunity will present itself during the intercontinental play-off in June.
The fifth from the AmSud zone will face a team from the Asia zone, on neutral ground in Qatar.
Central America: Panama or Costa Rica?
Place your bets
Place to be allocated:
3 plus one in the intercontinental play-off
The three monsters of the CONCACAF zone have almost secured their place for the World Cup.
Only one success is missing for Canada, the United States and Mexico.
A place for an intercontinental play-off will then be decided between Panama (4th, 17pts) and Costa Rica (5th, 16pts).
The two teams have a similar program for the three matches which will be played on Friday 25, Monday 28 and Thursday 31 March.
Honduras, United States, Canada as opponents for the Panamanians.
Canada, El Salvador and the United States for Costa Ricans.
The intercontinental play-off will be played in June in Qatar against a national from Oceania.
Asia: Are Qatar's neighbors there?
Place remaining to be allocated:
2 plus one in the intercontinental play-off
Two days are still to be played within the Asian confederation.
Divided into two different groups, Iran and South Korea have emerged from Pool A and will be in Qatar.
Behind them, the United Arab Emirates are in good shape to face the third in Pool B in a play-off.
In this group only one success is missing for Saudi Arabia to qualify.
The Saudis are missing a victory against China to qualify.
GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP
The winner of the confrontation between Japan and Australia (Thursday 10:10 am), should join the Saudis.
The loser will play a play-off.
The winner of this internal meeting at the Asian confederation will play a second match against the play-off from the CONMEBOL Zone (South America) in June.
The stake will be a ticket for the World Cup.
Oceania: New Zealand, again?
Place remaining to be allocated:
one in the intercontinental play-off
Oceania is the only confederation not guaranteed a place in the World Cup.
This will change in 2026. For this edition the Oceanian representative must eliminate a country from the CONCACAF zone in order to qualify.
But first it remains to be seen who will go into the barrage.
A tournament is currently organized in Qatar, with a group stage, two semi-finals and a final.
New Zealand already qualified for the last four is favorite.
The Oceania representative for the intercontinental dam will be known on March 30.