November 26, (THEWILL) – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal must beat Turkey and then either Italy or North Macedonia to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as determined by Europe’s play-off draw on Friday.
The nature of the draw has pitched Portugal and Italy against each other and one of the two countries, who has won the last two European Championships, will be unable to qualify for the World Cup.
This is the second stage of the European qualification procedure, and ten countries from the first group stage have already qualified for the finals next year.
The ten group winners, which included England, France, Germany, and Belgium, had their tickets to Qatar automatically booked after the initial stage of qualifiers.
The ten group runners-up, as well as the two best countries from the previous UEFA Nations League campaign that did not finish in the top two, will compete for the remaining three spots.
The procedure has been broken down into three mini-tournaments with paths A, B, and C and the victor of each securing one of the last remaining European World Cup spots.
The straightforward qualification means all that stands between three of these 12 countries and a ticket to Qatar next winter is a one-legged semi-final and one-legged final.
On March 24, 2022, all six semi-finals will be held, followed by each final on March 29.
2022 World Cup play-off draw – Europe
Path A
Scotland vs Ukraine – 24 March 2022
Wales vs Austria – 24 March 2022
Final – Wales/Austria vs Scotland/Ukraine – 29 March 2022
(Path A winner qualifies for the 2022 World Cup)
Path B
Russia vs Poland – 24 March 2022
Sweden vs Czech Republic – 24 March 2022
Final – Russia/Poland vs Sweden/Czech Republic – 29 March 2022
(Path B winner qualifies for the 2022 World Cup)
Path C
Italy vs North Macedonia- 24 March 2022
Portugal vs Turkey – 24 March 2022
Final – Portugal/Turkey vs Italy/North Macedonia – 29 March 2022
(Path C winner qualifies for the 2022 World Cup)
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.