On April 1 we’ll find out which teams will be selected to participate in Group F for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is to be held between Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 later this year in Qatar.
As with every other World Cup group, Group F will consist of four teams drawn from each of four different pots. Host nation Qatar is pre-selected from Pot 1 to play in Group A as per World Cup tradition.
That leaves three more teams to come from Pots 2-4. All four pots are grouped according to the FIFA World Rankings published on March 31:
- Pot 1: seven highest-ranked teams + host Qatar
- Pot 2: next eight ranked teams according to Rankings
- Pot 3: next eight ranked teams according to Rankings
- Pot 4: five lowest-ranked teams + three unclaimed spots
The draw will start with Pot 1 and end with Pot 4. Teams drawn from each pot are slotted into a group beginning with Group A and moving on through Group H. Teams drawn from Pot 1 into a group will automatically occupy the first slot in a group (Ex. A1, B1, C1, etc.).
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Qatar (51)* | Mexico (9) | Senegal (20) | Cameroon (37) |
| Brazil (1) | Netherlands (10) | Iran (21) | Canada (38) |
| Belgium (2) | Denmark (11) | Japan (23) | Ecuador (46) |
| France (3) | Germany (12) | Morocco (24) | Saudi Arabia (49) |
| Argentina (4) | Uruguay (13) | Serbia (25) | Ghana (60) |
| England (5) | Switzerland (14) | Poland (26) | Intercont’l Playoff 1 |
| Spain (7) | USA (15) | South Korea (29) | Intercont’l Playoff 2 |
| Portugal (8) | Croatia (16) | Tunisia (35) | Euro Playoff |
Geographic restrictions: Teams from the same region cannot be drawn in the same group with the exception of Europe. Since there are 13 European teams in the draw and only eight groups (A-H), a maximum two European nations are permitted in a single group. If there’s a geographic clash, the team drawn is simply moved to the next group in sequence.
World Cup Group F table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1: TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F2: TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F3: TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F4: TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | F1 vs. F2 | TBD | TBD |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | F3 vs. F4 | TBD | TBD |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | F1 vs. F3 | TBD | TBD |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | F4 vs. F2 | TBD | TBD |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | F4 vs. F1 | TBD | TBD |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | F2 vs. F3 | TBD | TBD |
The four teams selected into the group will play a round-robin format with each nation facing the other three. Group standings are based on points from those three group-stage matches — three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss.
The top two teams from each group based on total points advance to the single-game knockouts. If teams are tied on points, goal difference is the first tiebreaker followed by goals scored. If teams are also tied in those categories another set of tiebreakers is applied.
The kickoff times and stadium assignments for every group game will be determined by FIFA after the draw to optimize for broadcast time slots in participating countries and for fan travel within Qatar.
World Cup Group F draw
According to the official 2022 FIFA World Cup Draw procedure, here’s how the draw happens:
- Step 1 — Team: A team name will first be randomly drawn from each pot, starting with Pot 1 and ending with Pot 4. Each pot is emptied before moving on to the next one.
- Step 2 — Group: Each team will automatically enter the next group in order from Group A-H. So the first team drawn from each pot goes into Group A, the second team drawn into Group B, and so on all the way through Group H. If there’s a geographic restriction (see above) that prevents a team from being included in a group, then that team is simply inserted into the next group.
- Step 3 — Group Slot: All Pot 1 teams will automatically occupy the first slot in a group (Ex. A1, B1, C1, etc.). For the other pots, a ball will be randomly drawn to determine a nation’s group slot (Ex. A2, A3 or A4). Why does a group slot matter? It determines the sequence of matches, making it important that it’s randomly selected.
Three of the 32 participating nations at the World Cup will be determined two months after the draw in June via a handful of single-elimination playoffs:
- Australia vs. United Arab Emirates winner (Asia) vs. Peru (South America)
- Costa Rica (North America) vs. New Zealand (Oceania)
- Wales vs. Scotland vs. Ukraine winner (European playoff)
During the World Cup Draw, both the Asia/South America placeholder and the North America/Oceania placeholder will need to avoid all potential geographic clashes. The Wales/Scotland/Ukraine placeholder will be treated like any other European participant as far as geographic restrictions (maximum two European nations per group).
Teams to advance from World Cup Group F
Shortly after the World Cup Draw, sportsbooks are expected to hang group odds for each team to advance from the group stage.
The first-place and second-place finishers in Group F will move on to the Round of 16 and will face off against the two teams to advance from Group E on Mon, Dec. 5, and Tuesday, Dec. 6.
The official FIFA 2022 World Cup match schedule outlines the following knockout pairings for the Round of 16 through to the final:
World Cup Round of 16
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | 1A vs. 2B | 10 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | 1C vs. 2D | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | 1D vs. 2C | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | 1B vs. 2A | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1E vs. 2F | 10 a.m. | Al Janoub |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1G vs. 2H | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Tues, Dec. 6 | 1F vs. 2E | 10 a.m. | Education City |
| Tues, Dec. 6 | 1H vs. 2G | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
World Cup Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF1: 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H | 10 a.m. | Education City |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF2: 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF3: 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF4: 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tues, Dec. 13 | QF2 vs. QF1 | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Wed, Dec. 14 | QF4 vs. QF3 | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup 3rd Place
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat, Dec. 17 | Semifinal losers | 10 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
World Cup Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sun, Dec. 18 | Semifinal winners | 10 a.m. | Lusail |