World Cup-2022. The national team of Ukraine is waiting for the draw of the qualifying matches: all the details of the ceremony in Zurich

26.11.2021 16:00

Photo fifa.com

Tickets to the final tournament of the 2022 World Cup from Europe, in addition to the 10 group winners, will receive three winners among the 12 teams participating in the qualifying matches. The play-off draw will take place today, November 26, in Zurich (the ceremony will start at 18.00 pm Kyiv time). 

Participants of the 2022 World Cup from the UEFA zone: Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands.

The 10 second teams of the qualifying groups and the two best teams among the winners of the groups of the League of Nations 2020/2021 (among those who did not get to the top two in the qualification groups of the 2022 World Cup) will play in March 2022 in the playoffs, which will consist of two single-match stages.

The winners of the League of Nations 2020-2021 groups are (according to the rating): France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Wales, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Armenia, Gibraltar, Faroe Islands. As France, Spain and Belgium have already reached the World Cup, and Italy and Wales - to the playoffs, Austria and the Czech Republic received tickets to the knockout round.

The 12 participants will first determine the six in the butt semifinal matches, and then in the finals - the three strongest. They will receive the remaining three tickets to Qatar. The World Cup will be held from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

The format of the playoffs for the selection of the 2022 World Cup in the UEFA zone

According to regulations play-off of European qualification, six second teams of the selected groups with the best rating will be seeded (basket 1). At the same time, their matches against the six teams in each group will not be taken into account for the rating.

The rating is formed according to the criteria in the following sequence:

1. more points scored;
2. the best goal difference;
3. more goals scored;
4. more goals scored away from home;
5. more victories;
6. more victories away;
7. lower amount of disciplinary points based on yellow and red cards received by players and team representatives (red card - three points, yellow card - one point, withdrawal for two yellow cards in one match - three points);
8. starting rating in the UEFA League of Nations 2020/2021.

Ranking of second places

The playoffs will consist of semifinals (March 24, 2022) and finals (March 29, 2022) in the format of one-match confrontations and will include three paths. Six seeded teams receive the right to play the match at home. Thus, Ukraine will hold its semifinal away. 

Players of the playoffs in the UEFA zone

Pot 1: Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Wales.

Pot 2: Turkey, Poland, Northern Macedonia, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic.

The playoffs A, B and C form the semifinals 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, respectively. First, the teams from basket 1 will take their places of the hosts: the first team they get will go to semifinal 1, the second - to semifinal 2, and so on. Then, according to the same scheme, the participants from basket 2 will be distributed in the semifinals. The national teams of Ukraine and Russia will be divorced. 

Photo by uefa.com

The winners of the semi-finals advance to the playoff finals A, B and C. A separate draw will be held for each playoff final to determine which semifinal winner will play a one-match match at home.