2022 FIFA World Cup Preview: Your Sneak Peek Into The Pinnacle Of Soccer Prowess

Strap in for your 2022 World Cup preview!

We’re here to dish everything we know already about football’s most hotly anticipated event. It only happens once every four years, so we’ve got oh-so-much excitement already built up.

Want to get up to speed too? Well you’ve come to the right place!

2022 World Cup Preview

Location

One of the most important things we can cover off in our 2022 World Cup preview is the location. It sets the tone for the tournament and showcases a country to the world. And this year’s choice was interesting…

• The 2022 host nation is Qatar
• This is the first time the World Cup has been held in the Arab world
• And it’s only the second World Cup to be in Asia

Dates

For your viewing pleasure, it’s of course important to know when all the action is taking place. And this year’s dates hold more than a few surprises.

• Our 2022 World Cup preview can reveal that the games are taking place from 20 November and run through until 18 December
• This is pretty unusual, as the World Cup usually takes place in May, June and/or July
• It is, in fact, the first World Cup to take place in November and December. The reason for this is the high temperatures Qatar experiences during their summer months
• The action is condensed into 29 days, which is shorter than many previous World Cups
• And it’s happening right smack bang in the middle of many nation’s cups and tournament competitions. That in itself is shaking things up. For example, the 2022/23 Premier League is taking a break for the Qatar World Cup
• The final day of the Qatar World Cup is also Qatar National Day, which commemorates unification of Qatar back in the 1870s

Participating countries

Perhaps the most important thing about the World Cup is who is actually playing. Because if you’re not in, you can’t win!

• Out of 211 countries who could’ve potentially qualified, 32 teams gained the opportunity to perform on a global stage
• However, this is the last year only 32 teams will take part. In 2026, there will be 48 participating countries
• As host nation, Qatar gained automatic entry. They’re also the only team to be playing in the World Cup for the first time
• Qatar are also playing the first game on the first day of the tournament, against Ecuador
• Canada is appearing for the first time since 1986
• Incredibly, Wales has qualified after a huge absence. They haven’t played a World Cup since 1958
• Disappointingly for some, Italy won’t be present for the second World Cup in a row. Despite having won four times, they didn’t qualify
• Another notable absence is Chile, who have traditionally been a big footballing force in Latin America, winning the Copa América in both 2015 and 2016

Pots

Participating countries are randomly divided into pots to determine who they play in the early stages of the tournament. Some teams will progress past their pots to compete in the wider competition, some will be knocked out.

Who your team is with in these pots is vitally important to the question of progression. So without further adieu, here’s your 2022 World Cup Preview of the pots…

Pot 1 features Brazil, Portugal, Spain, England, Belgium, Argentina, France and host nation Qatar.

In Pot 2, we have Croatia, Mexico, United States, Uruguay, Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Then in Pot 3, the competitors are Iran, Sengal, Tunisia, Japan, Poland, South Korean, Morocco and Serbia.

And finally in Pot 4, you’ve got Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada, Australia, Wales, Saudi Arabia and Ghana.

Online sports betting

If you fancy placing a bet on the 2022 World Cup, you can already do it at good online sportsbooks. One of our favourite spots for football bets is bet365. They’ve got a great range of markets, offers and features, including stuff like accumulators and the newly released fantasy sports.

And as well as that, you can use this bet365 bonus code to get a fab welcome offer.