Football heads to Qatar this year for the 2022 World Cup with England, Scotland or Wales potentially representing the home nations, but when will Fifa make the group stage draw?
When and where is the 2022 World Cup
Fifa announced in 2010 that Qatar had won the race to host the 2022 World Cup over the United States. They will become the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament, following previous editions in Brazil and Russia won by Germany and France respectively.
The Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor will be the venue for the opening group stage fixture on November 21. Meanwhile, the Lusail Stadium in Doha will host the final on December 18.
Qatar automatically qualified for the 2022 World Cup as the host nation and will feature in the opening fixture. England are the only home nation to secure a spot from the qualifying rounds. While Scotland and Wales are hoping to reach the tournament from the play-offs.
The Tartan Army and Dragons will have to wait to learn their play-off Path A fate, however. Fifa have postponed Scotland’s semi-final with Ukraine. Wales, meanwhile, beat Austria 2-1 in their semi, so will face the winner of Scotland or Ukraine in the rescheduled final.
When is the 2022 World Cup group stage draw
Fifa will conduct the draw for the 2022 World Cup group stage on April 1 at 17:00 BST.
It will be held in Doha to coincide with the 72nd Fifa Congress, which takes place in the city a day beforehand. A total of 32 teams will enter the draw for the tournament.
Teams will be spread over eight groups of four, with the winners and runners-up advancing to the round of 16. The group stage will last 12-days, and sees four matches played a day.
Fifa will assign stadia for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following the group stage draw. They will also assign kick-off times accounting for the teams involved to best suit TV audiences.
How to watch the draw
The draw will be screened on BBC One in the UK and available on BBC iPlayer. Coverage will begin at 4.45pm.
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