2022 FIFA World Cup (UEFA) Qualifiers Schedule, fixtures, results
The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acts as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).[1] A total of 13 slots in the final tournament are available for UEFA teams.[2]
On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency initially handed Russia a four-year ban from all major sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.[3] However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applies to the final tournament to decide the world champions.
The WADA ruling allowed athletes who were not involved in doping or the coverup to compete, but prohibited the use of the Russian flag and anthem at major international sporting events.[4] An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed,[5] but WADA’s decision was upheld and reduced to a two-year ban.[6] The CAS ruling also allowed the name “Russia” to be displayed on uniforms if the words “Neutral Athlete” or “Neutral Team” have equal prominence.[7] If Russia qualifies for the tournament, its players will not be able to use their country’s name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation’s two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports.
The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019.[8][9] The qualification will depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than the 2018–19 UNL had on qualification to UEFA Euro 2020. The structure will maintain UEFA’s usual ‘group stage/playoff stage’ structure, with only the specific format of the play-offs amended.
