The World Cup happens next year. But before teams can play in the greatest soccer tournament on the planet, FIFA must run qualifying events. The AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMENBOL, OFC, and UEFA have yet to determine which teams they will send to the World Cup. Keep reading for the final qualifying dates for the various soccer regions as well as info on teams from those regions who have already qualified so you can plan your bets against the FIFA World Cup odds.
FIFA Rundown on 2022 Main Events
2022 World Cup
- When: Nov. 21 – Dec. 18, 2022
** Dates listed are for final qualifying days
AFC – Asian WC Qualifiers – June 13 – 14, 2022
Only Qatar, because they’re the host nation, has qualified. However, South Korea and Japan are almost certain to stamp their WC tickets.
After those two Asian soccer powers, it’s a crapshoot among Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and probably Australia.
CAF – Confederation of African Football Qualifiers – March 29, 2022
4 to 5 teams from CAF will qualify for the World Cup. So far, no teams have qualified. However, there is a list of teams who have qualified for the AFC Playoff Round kicking off in March.
- Algeria
- Cameroon
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Mali
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tunisia
If history is any indication, we should expect Cameroon, Nigeria, and Senegal to qualify. The final team is likely to be Egypt.
CONCACAF – North American & Central American Qualifiers – June 13 – 14, 2022
North America will send 3 teams and 1 team from the inter-confederation playoff to Qatar. So far, no teams have qualified.
Canada leads qualification with 16 points, the United States is in second with 15, and Mexico is in third place with 14. Panama also has 14 points.
CONMENBOL – South American Qualifiers – June 13 – 14, 2022
4 teams will qualify from CONMENBOL. So far, 2 teams have already qualified, Brazil and Argentina. Brazil and Argentina are two of the top ten favorites to win the World Cup.
The next 2 squads are Ecuador and Columbia. The fifth team, right now that’s Peru, will qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs.
OFC – Oceania Football Confederation – June 13-14, 2022
World Cup Qualification for OFC teams doesn’t start until March 17. Check out the teams in Group A and Group B.
Group A
- Solomon Islands
- Tahiti
- Vanuatu
- Qualification Match winner
Group B
- New Zealand
- New Caledonia
- Fiji
- Papua New Guinea
UEFA – Union of European Football Associations – March 29, 2022
UEFA is the largest of the soccer federations, which is why they’ll send the most teams to the WC. Check out the teams in UEFA which have qualified for the 2022 World Cup.
UEFA – Qualified
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Serbia
- Spain
- Switzerland
The UEFA World Cup Qualification Second-Round is a tournament that involves 12-teams. Matches happen from March 24 through March 29.
March 24 Matches
- Wales vs Austria
- Scotland vs Ukraine
- Russia vs Poland
- Sweden vs Czech Republic
- Portugal vs Turkey
- Italy vs North Macedonia
The winner of the top match plays the winner of the bottom match. So the winner between Austria and Wales plays the winner between Scotland and the Ukraine. Then that winner qualifies for the World Cup.
Based on the above, Sweden and the Czech Republic can’t both qualify. Nor can Portugal and Italy, which means one of the major soccer powers will have their World Cup dreams end on March 29.
2022 World Cup – Nov. 21 – Dec. 18, 2022
The World Cup is the ultimate FIFA event in 2022. Right now, World Cup odds imply a Brazil versus France final.
2022 World Cup Odds
- Brazil +570
- France +580
- England +680
- Spain +780
- Germany +940
- Argentina +970
- Belgium +1100
- Italy +1125
- Netherlands +1550
- Portugal +2400
- Denmark +2600
- Columbia +6000
- Croatia +6000
- Uruguay +7000
- Switzerland +9000
- Serbia +9000
- Mexico +9500
- USA +9500
Both Brazil, England, and France offer underlay odds. There’s no telling what might happen before November, 2022.
It’s tough to find an overlay. Italy offers decent odds, but the Azzuri have yet to qualify. The team with the fairest odds is probably Spain.
If you’re looking to back a huge underdog, consider the United States. The U.S. should have the strongest team they’ve ever sent to the World Cup. Also, USA has owned rival Mexico in the past few head-to-head matches.