Draw for European World Cup qualifying groups set for December 7
The draw ceremony for the European qualifying groups for the 2022 World Cup will be held at the FIFA headquarters on December 7.
Published : Oct 22, 2020 23:30 IST
The European qualifying groups for the 2022 World Cup will be drawn at FIFA headquarters on December 7, FIFA said on Thursday.
A gala ceremony with coaches of the 55 national teams had been set to be held in November until the coronavirus pandemic ruled out that plan.
"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, the ceremony will be held as a virtual event without the presence of member associations’ representatives,” said FIFA, which will broadcast and live-stream the draw from 6 p.m. local time (9:30pm IST).
Seedings for the draw are based on the FIFA world rankings published on November 26. Currently, the top-seeded teams would be the traditionally strongest nations plus Denmark. Switzerland and Poland are just outside the top 10.
RELATED|
Only the 10 group winners will advance directly to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Three more will qualify through playoffs.
The 10 European group runners-up will be joined by two teams based on placings in the current Nations League program for a 12-team playoff bracket in March 2022. Two rounds of single-leg elimination games will produce the final three qualifiers.