DOHA, Qatar. December 7 (PSN) – On Monday evening the official draw for the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying Group Stage was held in Qatar.
The Poland national team were drawn into Group I, where they will play against England, Hungary, Albania, Andorra and San Marino.
According to experts, there is no doubt that England are the favorites to win direct promotion from Poland’s group. Of course, it is possible that the matches with Gareth Southgate’s team could also be crucial for Poland’s fight for promotion to lock second place. On that note, the Bialo-czerwoni should not underestimate Hungary or Albania, who can pose a problem given their international performances within recent years.
Meanwhile, it will be the responsibility of Jerzy Brzeczek and his players to score a full set of 12 points from the encounters with Andorra and San Marino.
As part of the qualifying round, the Poland national team will play a total of ten matches. The first three will take place in the second half of March 2021, with qualifying ending in mid-November.
Direct promotion to the final tournament will be won only by the winners of each group. The 10 group runners-up will be joined by the best 2 UEFA Nations League group winners, based on the UEFA Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group. These 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals and finals, with the home teams to be drawn), with the 3 path winners qualifying for the World Cup. These play-off matches are scheduled for March 2022.
The final tournament, in which 32 teams from around the world will take part, will be held from November 21 to December 18, 2022. The FIFA 2022 World Cup will take place at eight stadiums in seven different cities in Qatar.
Group A: Portugal, Serbia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
Group B: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo
Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Group D: France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Group E: Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia
Group F: Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group G: The Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group H: Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta
Group I: England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino
Group J: Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein
FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying Schedule
Matchday 1 – March 24-25, 2021
Matchday 2 – March 27-28
Matchday 3 – March 30-31
Matchday 4 – September 1-2
Matchday 5 – September 4-5
Matchday 6 – September 7-8
Matchday 7 – October 8-9
Matchday 8 – October 11-12
Matchday 9 – November 11-13
Matchday 10 – November 14-16
Play-offs: 1st round – March 24-25, 2022, 2nd round – March 28-29
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