World Cup 2022: Everything you need to know about next year’s tournament

The 2022 World Cup is now just over a year away from starting, with the tournament taking place in the winter for the first time in history due to its location in Qatar. 

BettingOdds.com has got you covered with everything you need to know about the prestigious competition, from starting dates to stadium locations plus plenty more.

Where will the tournament be held?

The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar; the first time in the competition’s history that it will take place in the Middle East. 

Much controversy has surrounded FIFA’s decision to host the tournament in the Persian Gulf country, with allegations of vote-buying rife among the widespread footballing community throughout the last decade. 

However, no wrongdoing has ever been proven and FIFA insists that their decision to hand the event to the emirate was based on the country’s ability to expand football into different regions of the world. 

When will it take place?

The 2022 World Cup will take place between Monday 21st November and run until Sunday 18th December. This will mean that, for the first time, domestic leagues worldwide will be paused midway through the 2022/23 campaign to facilitate the tournament.

The move in dates is because of the scorching temperatures in the Middle East, which can reach up to 43°C in mid-summer. While the climate will still be warm in December, it will be much more bearable for players, with the average temperature sitting at around 24°C and the maximum reaching up to 30°C. 

When will the matches kick off?

The first two rounds of matches will kick off at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time (10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm UK time), FIFA have confirmed.

Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knock-out round matches will be at 6pm and 10pm local time (3pm and 7pm UK time).

The final is scheduled to kick off at 6pm local time (3pm UK time).

When is the draw for the 2022 World Cup finals?

The draw for the World Cup finals will take place in April following the final round of international fixtures in March. 

Who has already qualified for the tournament?

Only Germany and Denmark have officially qualified for the World Cup so far, alongside Qatar, who sealed a spot in the tournament by default due to being the hosts.

How many teams will qualify for the 2022 World Cup?

32 teams will qualify for the upcoming World Cup. Qatar have already qualified by default due to hosting the tournament, with the remaining 31 teams decided by qualifying campaigns from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, Oceania and CONCACAF - each of which have already started. 

There are 13 slots available for European countries to qualify for next year’s competition and England are currently in pole position having won six of their eight games in Group I. 

Who are the current bookmaker favourites?

Brazil are the early favourites to win the 2022 World Cup at 11/2, despite not winning the tournament since 2002 when they beat Germany 2-0 in Japan.  

Current holders France follow up in the market at 6/1 but can also be found at 11/2 with several firms, while England are third-favourites at 8/1; 2010 champions Spain are 9/1 and current European champions Italy are 10/1 alongside Germany.

This is an extremely fluid market, however, which is likely to change from now until next December based on how well each side performs during qualification.