2022 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERSAFRICA section
(5 fi nals places available)
2nd round draw
Group A
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Niger
Group B
Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Tunisia, Zambia
Group C
Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic,
Liberia, Nigeria
Group D
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique
Group E
Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, Uganda
Group F
Angola, Egypt, Gabon, Libya
Group G
Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Group H
Congo, Namibia, Senegal, Togo
Group I
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Sudan
Group J
Benin, DR Congo, Madagascar, Tanzania
Matchdays: Oct 5-13, Nov 9-17 (2020); Mar
22-30 (x2), Aug 30-Sep 7, Oct 4-12 (2021)
O The 10 group winners will qualify for 3rd round
3rd round
O The 10 teams will be drawn in 5 home-and-
away ties, the winners of which will qualify for
the World Cup fi nals
ASIA section
(4 or 5 fi nals places available, not including the
automatic berth for hosts Qatar)
2nd round
Current standings & remaining fi xtures
(all 2020)
Group A
P W D L F A Pts
Syria 5 5 0 0 14 4 15
China 4 2 1 1 13 2 7
Philippines 5 2 1 2 8 8 7
Maldives 5 2 0 3 6 10 6
Guam 5 0 0 5 2 19 0
Mar 26: China v Maldives; Philippines v Guam.
Mar 31: Guam v China; Maldives v Syria.
Jun 4: China v Philippines; Guam v Syria.
Jun 9: China v Syria; Philippines v Maldives.
Group B
P W D L F A Pts
Australia 4 4 0 0 16 1 12
Kuwait 5 3 1 1 17 3 10
Jordan 5 3 1 1 10 2 10
Nepal 5 1 0 4 2 16 3
Taiwan 5 0 0 5 2 25 0
Mar 26: Australia v Kuwait; Nepal v Taiwan.
Mar 31: Kuwait v Jordan; Nepal v Australia.
Jun 4: Australia v Taiwan; Nepal v Jordan.
Jun 9: Australia v Jordan; Taiwan v Kuwait.
Group C
P W D L F A Pts
Iraq 5 3 2 0 9 2 11
Bahrain 5 2 3 0 3 1 9
Iran 4 2 0 2 17 3 6
Hong Kong 5 1 2 2 3 5 5
Cambodia 5 0 1 4 1 22 1
Mar 26: Bahrain v Cambodia; Iran v Hong Kong.
Mar 31: Cambodia v Iran; Hong Kong v Iraq.
Jun 4: Iran v Bahrain; Iraq v Cambodia.
Jun 9: Bahrain v Hong Kong; Iran v Iraq.
Group D
P W D L F A Pts
Uzbekistan 5 3 0 2 12 6 9
Saudi Arabia 4 2 2 0 8 4 8
Singapore 5 2 1 2 7 10 7
Yemen 5 1 2 2 6 11 5
Palestine 5 1 1 3 3 5 4
Mar 26: Palestine v Singapore;
Saudi Arabia v Yemen.
Mar 31: Singapore v Saudi Arabia;
Yemen v Uzbekistan.
Jun 4: Saudi Arabia v Palestine;
Uzbekistan v Singapore.
Jun 9: Palestine v Yemen;
Saudi Arabia v Uzbekistan.
Group E
P W D L F A Pts
Qatar 5 4 1 0 11 1 13
Oman 5 4 0 1 11 4 12
Afghanistan 5 1 1 3 2 11 4
India 5 0 3 2 3 5 3
Bangladesh 4 0 1 3 2 8 1
Mar 26: Bangladesh v Afghanistan; India v Qatar.
Mar 31: Afghanistan v Oman; Qatar v Bangladesh.
Jun 4: Bangladesh v India; Oman v Qatar.
Jun 9: Bangladesh v Oman; India v
Afghanistan.
Group F
P W D L F A Pts
Japan 4 4 0 0 13 0 12
Kyrgyzstan 5 2 1 2 10 5 7
Tajikistan 5 2 1 2 6 8 7
Myanmar 5 2 0 3 5 13 6
Mongolia 5 1 0 4 2 10 3
Mar 26: Japan v Myanmar; Tajikistan v
Mongolia.
Mar 31: Mongolia v Japan; Myanmar v
Kyrgyzstan.
Jun 4: Japan v Tajikistan; Kyrgyzstan v
Mongolia.
Jun 9: Japan v Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan v
Myanmar.
Group G
P W D L F A Pts
Vietnam 5 3 2 0 5 1 11
Malaysia 5 3 0 2 8 6 9
Thailand 5 2 2 1 6 3 8
UAE 4 2 0 2 8 4 6
Indonesia 5 0 0 5 3 16 0
Mar 26: Thailand v Indonesia; UAE v Malaysia.
Mar 31: Indonesia v UAE; Malaysia v Vietnam.
Jun 4: UAE v Thailand; Vietnam v Indonesia.
Jun 9: Thailand v Malaysia; UAE v Vietnam.
Group H
P W D L F A Pts
Turkmenistan 5 3 0 2 8 5 9
South Korea 4 2 2 0 10 0 8
Lebanon 5 2 2 1 5 3 8
North Korea 5 2 2 1 4 3 8
Sri Lanka 5 0 0 5 0 16 0
Mar 26: North Korea v Sri Lanka:
South Korea v Turkmenistan.
Mar 31: Sri Lanka v South Korea;
Turkmenistan v Lebanon.
Jun 4: Lebanon v Sri Lanka;
South Korea v North Korea.
Jun 9: North Korea v Turkmenistan;
South Korea v Lebanon.
O The 8 group winners and the 4 runners-up
with the best record will qualify for the 3rd
round (Qatar are participating in this stage of
the qualifi ers even though, as 2022 World Cup
hosts, they have an automatic place in the
fi nals. If they win their group or fi nish as one of
the 4 runners-up with the best record, the place
they would have taken in the 3rd round will go
to the runner-up with the 5th-best record)
3rd round
O The 12 teams will be drawn into 2 home-and-
away, round robin groups of 6 - the top 2 in
both groups will qualify for the World Cup
fi nals; the 3rd-placed teams will meet in a
play-off, the winner of which will enter the
inter-confederation play-offs to play for a place
in the World Cup fi nals
CONCACAF section
(3 or 4 fi nals places available)
O The 6 highest-ranking teams in the FIFA
rankings of July 2020 will play in a single
home-and-away, round-robin group - the top 3
will qualify for the World Cup fi nals; the
4th-placed team will meet the winner of the
CONCACAF lower-ranking path Final in a
play-off, the winner of which will enter the
inter-confederation play-offs to play for a place
in the World Cup fi nalsO The lower-ranking 29 teams in the FIFA
rankings of July 2020 will be drawn into 8
home-and-away, round-robin groups, the
winners of which will enter a knockout phase of
quarter-fi nals, semi-fi nals and Final. The Final
winner will go into the play-off against the
highest-ranking group’s 4th-placed team
EUROPE section
(13 fi nals places available)
O All 55 teams will be drawn into 10
home-and-away, round-robin groups (draw
scheduled for Nov 29, 2020). The 10 group
winners will qualify for the World Cup fi nals; the
10 runners-up and the 2 best-ranked 2020-21
UEFA Nations League group winners which have
not fi nished 1st or 2nd in a World Cup qualifying
group will be drawn into 3 sets of semi-fi nals.
The winners of these semi-fi nals will meet in 3
Final matches, the winners of which will qualify
for the World Cup fi nals
OCEANIA section
(0 or 1 place available)
O The winner of the section qualifi ers (format
yet to be determined) will enter the
inter-confederation play-offs to play for a place
in the World Cup fi nals
SOUTH AMERICA section
(4 or 5 fi nals places available)
Fixtures
2020
Mar 26: Argentina v Ecuador; Brazil v Bolivia;
Colombia v Venezuela; Paraguay v Peru;
Uruguay v Chile.
Mar 31: Bolivia v Argentina; Chile v Colombia;
Ecuador v Uruguay; Peru v Brazil;
Venezuela v Paraguay.
Sep 3: Argentina v Paraguay; Bolivia v
Ecuador; Brazil v Venezuela; Chile v Peru;
Colombia v Uruguay.
Sep 8: Ecuador v Colombia; Paraguay v Bolivia;
Peru v Argentina; Uruguay v Brazil;
Venezuela v Chile.
Oct 8: Argentina v Uruguay; Bolivia v Peru;
Chile v Paraguay; Colombia v Brazil;
Venezuela v Ecuador.
Oct 13: Brazil v Argentina; Ecuador v Chile;
Paraguay v Colombia; Peru v Venezuela;
Uruguay v Bolivia.
Nov 12: Argentina v Chile; Bolivia v Venezuela;
Brazil v Ecuador; Peru v Colombia;
Uruguay v Paraguay.
Nov 17: Chile v Bolivia; Colombia v Argentina;
Ecuador v Peru; Paraguay v Brazil;
Venezuela v Uruguay.
2021
Mar 25: Bolivia v Colombia; Chile v Brazil;
Ecuador v Paraguay; Peru v Uruguay;
Venezuela v Argentina.
Mar 30: Argentina v Bolivia; Brazil v Peru;
Colombia v Chile; Paraguay v Venezuela;
Uruguay v Ecuador.
Jun 3: Ecuador v Bolivia; Paraguay v Argentina;
Peru v Chile; Uruguay v Colombia;
Venezuela v Brazil.
Jun 8: Argentina v Peru; Bolivia v Paraguay;
Brazil v Uruguay; Chile v Venezuela;
Colombia v Ecuador.
Sep 2: Brazil v Colombia; Ecuador v Venezuela;
Paraguay v Chile; Peru v Bolivia;
Uruguay v Argentina.
Sep 7: Argentina v Brazil; Bolivia v Uruguay;
Chile v Ecuador; Colombia v Paraguay;
Venezuela v Peru.
Oct 7: Chile v Argentina; Colombia v Peru;
Ecuador v Brazil; Paraguay v Uruguay;
Venezuela v Bolivia.
Oct 12: Argentina v Colombia; Bolivia v Chile;
Brazil v Paraguay; Peru v Ecuador;
Uruguay v Venezuela.
Nov 11: Argentina v Venezuela; Brazil v Chile;
Colombia v Bolivia; Paraguay v Ecuador;
Uruguay v Peru.
Nov 16: Bolivia v Brazil; Chile v Uruguay;
Ecuador v Argentina; Peru v Paraguay;
Venezuela v Colombia.
O The top 4 of this home-and-away, round
robin single group will qualify for the World Cup
fi nals; the 5th-placed team will enter the
inter-confederation play-offs to play for a place
in the World Cup fi nals
KEY TO TABLES
(C) = champions
(Q) = qualifi ed for next stageCHRIS
SMALLING
SOUTH AMERICA’S TALENT SCOUT
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MARCH 2020 Vol 60 No 7
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