The excitement for the 2022 Qatar World Cup is building, following the conclusion of the draw this week.
It is going to be the first time the world's biggest football tournament will be hosted in the Middle East and one of the most compact tournaments ever, meaning fans can watch up to two live matches per day.
Is this the last time we will see Messi and Ronaldo feature at a World Cup? Could football finally be coming home? Can Brazil win a sixth World Cup?
Find out everything you need to know right here.
2022 World Cup start date
The 2022 World Cup is taking place in Qatar in the winter months rather than the usual summer ones.
The tournament kicks off on Monday, 21 November at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor with a match that will feature the host country, Qatar.
The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha a week before Christmas on Sunday, 18 December.
Why is the World Cup in Winter?
The 2022 World Cup is taking place in November due to the intense summer heat.
This makes it the first tournament not to be held in May, June, or July; it is to be played in a reduced timeframe of around 28 days.
All confirmed World Cup teams
As hosts, Qatar received automatic qualification to the tournament and as stated previously the opening game will feature the host nation.
Four-time World Cup winners Germany were the first team to guarantee a spot through the qualification process in Europe.
Brazil, the most successful national team in World Cup history with five trophies, secured swift qualification as one of the top four teams in South America's groups.
England already secured their place back in November by topping their qualifying group.
Take a look at the full list of qualified nations (so far) below:
- Qatar
- Germany
- Denmark
- France
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Spain
- Serbia
- England
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Uruguay
- Iran
- South Korea
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
- Canada
- Poland
- Portugal
- Senegal
- Ghana
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Cameroon
- USA
- Mexico
World Cup Groups
The official 2022 World Cup groups have now been confirmed, following the draw which took place on Friday, 1 April.
There doesn't seem to be a "group of death", but Group G looks to be the most challenging, featuring the world's number one ranked team, Brazil, as well as Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
England looks to have a favourable draw as they will face Iran on the opening day of the FIFA World Cup, before facing the United States and concluding their group stage fixtures with a clash against either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.
World Cup ticket information
Applications for 2022 World Cup tickets opened in January and fans had until February to apply.
As part of that process, applicants could select from a wide range of tickets and packages but were only required to pay for the tickets they were selected for or those they wanted once the random selection draw had taken place.
As a result, a number of tickets have gone unclaimed and are therefore available during the second sales period.
The sales period begins on Wednesday, 23 March at 1pm Doha time / 10am GMT and ends on Sunday, 29 March at 12pm Doha time / 9am GMT.
The cheapest seats on general sale internationally to watch the opening game of the tournament are up 37% to $302 (1,100 Qatari riyals) from $220 seen in Russia.
Similarly, there’s a rise of 13% for category-two tickets to $440 (1,600 Qatari riyals) from $390.
How to get tickets
Unlike the first round when applicants could apply for a range of tickets in the hope of securing at least one set, this time the applications are for specific tickets, and immediate purchase is required.
Therefore, all successfully purchased tickets will be confirmed immediately.
To be in contention for World Cup tickets, place an application on the Fifa website as soon as the sales period opens.
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