As the T20 World Cup 2022 comes to an end, sports fans are in for a quick return of world cup delight as the much-anticipated FIFA Men’s football World Cup kicks off later this month. For Indian fans, this one will be a passionate sporting fest compared to the emotional journey and semi-final exit at the T20 cricket World Cup.
This will be the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup and will be held in the Gulf country Qatar. Defending champions France will be looking to retain their crown but there are many contenders this time. Those eye glory include football’s two greats, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 edition is expected to be the last World Cup for both the global icons.
FIFA World Cup schedule
The star-studded tournament for the greatest prize will kick off on Sunday, November 20. The first match will be played between host nation Qatar and South American side Ecuador. The tournament will go on for nearly a month and the final will be played on December 18, which is also the national day of Qatar.
Teams and groups
As is the current format, 32 teams have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and will be playing in groups comprising four teams in the first stage. 16 teams, two from each group, will progress to the knockout stage which begins on December 3.
Here are the group-wise teams playing at the Qatar World Cup
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Match timings in India
The matches at the FIFA World Cup will be held on four designated times (as per Indian time) – 3:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 9:30 pm and 12:30 am.
Where to watch in India
The FIFA World Cup matches will be telecast live in India on Viacom Network 18 channels Sports18 and Sports18 HD. The matches will be livestreamed online via Voot Select app and website, and JioTV.
READ | Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says awarding World Cup rights to Qatar was a ‘mistake’
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