Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 final draw: France gets easy draw; Messi, Lewandowski to meet

The world will be gripped in football fever when the FIFA World Cup 2022 is played in Qatar this year. The tournament is scheduled to run from November 21 to December 18. The draw for the competition finals was made on Friday, as the 32 participating teams have learned their fate in the global event.

As of now, 29 nations have sealed their place in the event. Three more teams will be added by June after they play their final round of qualifiers. The three teams could be among United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, Wales, Scotland, Ukraine, Peru, Costa Rica and New Zealand. The tournament will be played outside its conventional June-July period to avoid the scorching summer of the gulf country.

The competition will be held across eight venues in five cities, with one of the stadiums being temporary accommodation. The final will be played at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. France is the two-time defending champion, while Qatar hosts the tournament for the first time. Russia has been barred from participating following its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking on the occasion, Fédération Internationale de Football Association president Gianni Infantino said, “Wow, what an emotion it is to be here. Now it is getting serious,” he gushes, offering a welcome in several languages. “This World Cup will be the best World Cup ever, the greatest show on Earth. The world will be united in Qatar. We face some turbulences, our world is aggressive, and we need some occasions to bring people together. To all the leaders, stop the conflicts and the wars.”

The teams have been split into eight groups of four teams each: