The road to Qatar 2022 starts here.
Will all the home nations be heading to the first ever ‘winter’ World Cup in 2022?
Here’s our first set of 2022 World Cup predictions as the battle to reach next year’s finals begins.
2022 World Cup Qualifiers Betting | Road To Qatar
England and Scotland will be looking to get off to flying starts at home to Austria and San Marino, while Wales and Northern Ireland look to have tough asks as they take on Belgium and Italy.
Wednesday 24th March
BELGIUM VS WALES
Wales have been handed a nightmare start to their qualifying campaign against the side currently ranked the best in the world. However, recent history suggests it would be foolish to write off their chances of picking up a positive result in Leuven.
The Welsh pulled off the biggest result in their history against the Belgians in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. The pre-match underdogs famously fought back to send one of the pre-tournament favourites packing in a 3-1 win. The Red Devils also couldn’t find a way past Chris Coleman’s side in their two meetings in qualifying prior to that tournament.
Rob Page is still in caretaker charge heading into their latest meeting. His charges have every reason to be in confident mood heading into this one after going 11 matches unbeaten in competitive action, but they’ll have to be at the top of their game to dislodge a remarkably resilient Belgium.
While this golden generation of Red Devils players have yet to deliver major honours, Roberto Martinez’s side are incredibly tough to beat, losing just three of their last 50 matches.
Thursday 25th March
ENGLAND VS SAN MARINO
It should be a hassle-free start for Gareth Southgate as he begins his 2022 World Cup preparations, but his biggest headache could be how to integrate so many exciting young players into a 23-man squad in time for Qatar.
The England manager could be tempted to give some game time to players looking to force their way into the reckoning for a 2022 squad berth. That could see the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dean Henderson given a chance to shine, while the revitalised Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw and John Stones could also have an opportunity to prove their worth back in the national side.
San Marino famously scored after just 8.3 seconds in a World Cup qualifier with the Three Lions in 1993 before succumbing to a 7-1 defeat. It seems unlikely that feat will be repeated any time soon.
England have won 5-0, 8-0, 5-0 and 6-0 in the four meetings since that infamous night.
ITALY VS NORTHERN IRELAND
The fixture computer has been cruel on Northern Ireland as they travel to the group favourites in round one.
In a group that looks just about favourable provided the Northern Irish can keep pace with an unpredictable Switzerland, Ian Baraclough will be aiming for damage limitation in Parma against an Italian side unbeaten since September 2018 under Roberto Mancini. With the exception of Conor Washington, both sides boast a relatively clean bill of health heading into this fixture.
Northern Ireland will be hoping old heads like Jonny Evans, Steven Davis and Kyle Lafferty can prevail here to keep the Italians in check before attention switches to a favourable-looking home tussle with Bulgaria next week.
SCOTLAND VS AUSTRIA
Finally, can Steve Clarke get his side strictly back down to business now the euphoria of reaching Euro 2021 has worn off?
An opening round win over the Austrians looks crucial to Clarke’s chances of steering the Scots to a first World Cup since 1998, with the Tartan Army facing a testing trip to Israel on Sunday.
Three points looks more than doable given the Scots’ recent home record, a run that has seen them go undefeated in nine of their last 11 competitive matches at Hampden Park.
It won’t be plain sailing though with the Austrians handy themselves on the road, winning all four of their away games in 2020.
2022 World Cup Outrights
By the time this tournament kicks off it’ll be over 20 years since Brazil have won a World Cup.
The Seleção have become more renowned for humiliating exists from this tournament in recent decades, but some long overdue success when lifting the 2019 Copa América suggests they could be ready to stay the distance in Qatar.
The Brazilians start out as 6/1 favourites with Marathonbet to lift the 2022 World Cup.
Reigning champions France are expected to be strong again and start out as 13/2 joint second-favourites, albeit the French have shown a tendency in past generations to hit the self-destruct button the tournament after lifting a trophy.
Germany could be interesting at 13/2 with the Joachim Löw era set to be over by the time this tournament starts, while England fans might be quietly confident that their talented young generation of stars can come of age in the UAE.
The Three Lions are 9/1 to end more than 50 years of hurt.
2022 World Cup FAQ
When does the 2022 World Cup start?
It all gets underway on Monday 21st November 2022, with hosts Qatar in action in Group A at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
What time will games be on at the 2022 World Cup?
With only a three-hour time difference between the UK and Qatar, it’s relatively good news for fans watching from the sofa back home.
Four matches will be played each day during the group stages of the tournament, in slots of 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm GMT.
When is the 2022 World Cup Final?
The 2022 World Cup final is on Sunday 18th December at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Iconic Stadium. The game is due to take place at 3pm GMT for British viewers.
What are the dates for the 2022 World Cup?
With many world leagues forced into a mid-season break by this winter tournament, this will be the shortest ever World Cup, being played over 28 days. The competition will begin on 21st November and end just under four weeks later on 18th December.
