World Cup 2022: Which teams have qualified for Qatar Tournament
The road to World Cup 2022 is well and truly underway, with the qualification stages heating up ahead of the tournament proper which takes place in December of this year.
And as the map to the finals continues, the identities of the teams participating in the tournament is steadily getting clearer.
GOAL has what you need to know about which teams have qualified for World Cup 2022 so far, and this page will continue to be updated as the qualification stages take place.
Qatar became the first nation to qualify for the 2022 World Cup automatically as hosts when they won the bid to stage the tournament. It is their first appearance in the competition having never previously qualified for the finals.
Germany was the second team to qualify for the tournament after defeating North Macedonia in October 2021 and topping Group J.
Denmark also qualified in October after their 1-0 victory over Austria, cementing their status as Group F winners.
Brazil became the first South American nation to qualify after beating Colombia 1-0, ensuring their status as the only country to reach every World Cup finals continues.
Belgium qualified as Group E winners, while France also were confirmed as Group D winners on the same day. Croatia qualified as winners of Group H, beating Russia 1-0 in a winner-takes-all clash, while Spain topped Group B. Serbia, meanwhile, qualified at the expense of Portugal in Group A after beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. in the final qualifier.
England qualified on November 15 with their final qualifying game against San Marino – an emphatic 10-0 victory – which also involved Harry Kane scoring four goals. Switzerland secured automatic qualification on the same day as Group C winners, ahead of Italy.
Netherlands booked their spot in Qatar with the final play-off slot on November 16 through a 2-0 win over Norway. Argentina qualified in the evening through a draw against Brazil and a Chile defeat to Ecuador.
Iran and South Korea qualified in 2022 as the top two finishing teams in the third round of Group A in AFC qualifying, while Japan and Saudi Arabia followed in March, as the top two teams in Group B.
Ecuador and Uruguay qualified on March 24 to become the third and fourth CONMEBOL teams to book their World Cup places.
Canada became the first team from the CONCACAF region to book their place in the finals and, in doing so, secured a World Cup spot for the first time since 1986.
Ghana qualified at the expense of Nigeria, with the Black Stars making it to the World Cup for the fourth time in their history.
Senegal’s road to the World Cup overcame Egypt in a rematch of the Africa Cup of Nations final and, once again, it was Sadio Mane and co. that topped Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Egypt to seal their spot in Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are also World Cup-bound after topping North Macedonia in their play-off clash.
Poland booked their spot via a play-off as well, taking down Sweden to earn a ticket to Qatar.
Both Tunisia and Morocco also ensured they’ll be in Qatar as topped Mali and DR Congo, respectively. Cameroon, meanwhile, advanced with a last-gasp winner against Algeria as Karl Toko Ekambi scored in the 124th minute to become a national hero.
Rivals Mexico and the United States booked their spots in the final round of CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifiers, with the latter making it back to the tournament after missing out in 2018.
Wales reached their first World Cup in 64 years after beating Ukraine 1-0 in an emotional play-off clash at the Cardiff City Stadium on June 5.
The first of June’s intercontinental play-off saw Australia beat Peru on penalties following a 0-0 draw in Qatar, and they were followed by Costa Rica, who beat New Zealand 1-0 to secure the 32nd and final spot.
