England and Wales will head to Qatar this winter for the 2022 World Cup as Group B rivals. But which stadiums will they use during the first FIFA tournament held in the Middle East?
FIFA drew the two home nations against one another during the draw for the 2022 World Cup in April. The Three Lions and Cymru will take on Iran and the United States of America for a place in the last 16. Each of their respective tournaments will begin on November 21.
England host Iran in the opening Group B fixture at 13:00 GMT, while Wales meet the USA at 19:00 GMT. Gareth Southgate’s side then take on the USMNT on November 25 at 19:00 GMT. Rob Page’s Dragons, meanwhile, take on Iran on Friday, November 25 at 10:00 GMT.
The headline Group B tie between England and Wales takes place on Tuesday, November 29 at 19:00 GMT. The USA and Iran will also meet at the same time to settle which nations advance to the knockout stages. A Group A side awaits the Group B winner and runner-up.
Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands will challenge host nation Qatar in Group A for the 2022 World Cup. The winning country will meet the runner-up from Group B on December 3 at 15:00 GMT. The runners-up will take on the Group B winners on the 4th at 19:00 GMT.
Which stadiums will host England’s group stage games at the 2022 World Cup?
England will play Iran in their first World Cup tie for Qatar 2022 at the Khalifa International Stadium. The multi-purpose stadia is based six miles outside of the centre of Doha and has a capacity of 40,000. A redevelopment process added 10,450 seats with an additional tier.
Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor will host the Three Lions’ game with the United States as one of its nine fixtures. The stadium is also the venue for the opening ceremony and tie between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20. A semi-final is also held at the 60,000-seater stadium.
Which stadiums will host Wales’ group stage games at the 2022 World Cup?
Wales meet the United States in their opening match for the 2022 Qatar World Cup at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. It has a capacity of 40,000 for the 22nd edition of the FIFA event. The fixture between Cymru and the USMNT will be the first match played at the stadium.
Page’s squad also return to the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium for their second and third matches against Iran and England. The stadium will host a total of six group stage games during the tournament. It also has a last 16 tie between the Group C winner and Group D runner-up.
Belgium will take on Canada on November 23 between Wales’ visits to the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium to face the USA and Iran. Japan and Costa Rica also visit the ground in Al Rayyan before England’s trip. While Belgium return on December 1 to meet 2018 finalists Croatia.
Which stadiums could Southgate and Page’s sides use in the knockout stages?
The winner of Group B will take on the runner-up from Group A on December 4 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. While the runners-up in Group B will meet the Group A winners at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan on December 3 in one of the stadia’s eight ties.
Whichever nation wins the last 16 tie between the Group B winners and Group A runners-up could also go on to play a quarter-final and semi-final at Al Bayt Stadium. The final four affair held at the stadium in Al Khor will be the last World Cup game played at the ground.
On the other hand, whichever nation wins the last 16 fixture between the Group A winner and Group B runner-up may go on to play a quarter-final and semi-final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. It is also the stadium which will host the 2022 World Cup final on December 18.
The Lusail Iconic Stadium will have a capacity of 80,000 during the tournament this year. It is the biggest venue Qatar has to offer during the World Cup and will host matches in each round. Six group stage games plus matches in each knockout round will be played in Lusail.
Meanwhile, the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan will host the third-place play-off on December 17. It is one of two stadia in Al Rayyan alongside the Education City Stadium.
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