It is time for the most widely viewed and followed sporting event on the planet: the World Cup got underway on Sunday when host nation Qatar lost to Ecuador in Doha — and the USMNT begin their campaign today with a game against Wales.
This year’s tournament is very different to the 21 that have preceded it. It is being staged in November and December, not the customary June and July, and will be the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East.
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There are a series of interesting rule changes. Semi-automated offside technology has been introduced, to work alongside the Video Assistant Referee, which returns from 2018. Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan will become the first female referees to be appointed to a men’s World Cup.
Read more: World Cup 2022 prize money: What payout will France or Argentina receive for winning in Qatar?
But this is not only a tournament of firsts. The 2022 World Cup will be the last tournament to feature 32 nations, before a controversial — and potentially confusing — expansion to 48 participants in 2026, which will be staged in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest sporting spectacle on earth and, as such, does not speak only to the most ardent football fans. So The Athletic has put together a guide to explain how the World Cup works for newer audiences. Below you will find comprehensive explanations of the tournament’s structure, rules and history, as well as a selection of key dates and links.
Those of you who have been counting down the days to this World Cup since France beat Croatia in the 2018 final may be more interested in our expert nation-by-nation guides, or the tournament predictions piece from our award-winning team of reporters and correspondents.
It cannot go unmentioned that this is also the most controversial FIFA World Cup in history. You can find out more on why that is here. And we have published a beginner’s guide to the various human rights issues there are in Qatar.
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Why the World Cup 2022 in Qatar is controversial
Right. How did teams qualify?
It may be called the World Cup. But only 32 nations will be represented in Qatar.
The qualification process, which started in June 2019 did not conclude until this year due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It involved all 211 FIFA member associations.
Europe (UEFA) has the largest number of teams at the World Cup, with 13. The European teams in Qatar had to finish top of their qualification groups or go through a play-off process against other second-placed teams.
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In South America (CONMEBOL), the process is even more simple. All 10 teams enter a round robin and the top four qualify for the World Cup. The team who finishes fifth plays an inter-confederation play-off against a team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Four teams from the AFC are guaranteed a place at the World Cup finals while the teams that finish third in the two groups go into a one-game play-off; Australia were the winners this time around.
Read more: When is the World Cup final?
Five spots are allocated to African nations (CAF). To earn one of those places, the teams must finish top of their initial group and then beat another group winner in a two-legged play-off.
That leaves three guaranteed places for North American teams (CONCACAF). They are handed to the three top teams from qualifying with a fourth potential place coming from the inter-confederation play-off against a team from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
Which teams have qualified for the World Cup?
- AFC (6) – Australia, Iran, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
- CAF (5) – Cameron, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia
- CONCACAF (4) – Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, USA
- CONMEBOL (4) – Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay
- OFC (0)
- UEFA (13) – Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Wales
Where are Italy?!
Italy may be the reigning European champions but they missed out on a place after they were shocked in their play-off semi-final against North Macedonia.
They are not the only big footballing nation to miss out on the 2022 World Cup. Colombia finished sixth in South American qualifying while New Zealand lost a play-off to Costa Rica, meaning there will be no representative from Oceania.
The African trio of Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria failed to qualify.
What are the key World Cup dates?
- First match – Qatar vs Ecuador: November 20
- Group stage: November 20 – December 2
- Round of 16: December 3 – December 6
- Quarter-finals: December 9 & 10
- Semi-finals: December 13 & 14
- Third-place play-off: December 17
- Final: December 18
Read more: Why some World Cup crowds have been above official stadium capacity — until now
How does the World Cup group stage work?
For many football fans, the group stage is the most exciting part of a major tournament purely because of the sheer volume of matches. After the opening round of matches which are split across the first two days, there will be four matches every day between November 22 and December 2. Four!
These are the eight groups:
- Group A – Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
- Group B – England, Iran, USA, Wales
- Group C – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Group D – France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
- Group E – Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
- Group F – Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
- Group G – Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
- Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
For the seventh consecutive World Cup, since it became a 32-team tournament, the two highest finishing teams from each group will progress to the knockout stage. Each team will play three matches; one each against the other teams in their group.
But what if teams finish level on points?
In most groups, the two teams heading into the last 16 will have accumulated more points than the teams below them in the group. However, in the case that two, three or all four teams finish the group stage on the same amount of points, the group will be decided on goal difference.
If the teams still cannot be separated, then goals scored will be the next deciding factor.
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In the rare event that points, goal difference and goals scored are all the same between the teams, the head-to-head record will be the next defining factor. If three teams are tied on each of those factors, goal difference taken only from the games between the affected teams will be used then goals scored in those games if a winner still cannot be determined.
However, if it is just two teams that are on the same amount of points, there is every likelihood that they will have drawn their match against each other which means the goal difference and goals scored will be the same. In that very rare case, fair play will be the decider, defined by the amount of cards the teams have been shown throughout the group stage.
Here is how the fair play total is worked out:
- Yellow card – Minus one point
- Indirect red card (two yellow cards) – Minus three points
- Direct red card – Minus four points
- Yellow card then direct red card – Minus five points
If teams still cannot be separated after fair play points, drawing of lots is the only remaining option. That would bring a number of questions from supporters if that were to be the defining factor but, given the plethora of alternatives before that, there will likely be at least one better way to determine a winner.
Can a World Cup match end in a tie?
It can! But only for the first portion of the tournament.
Group stage matches that end in a draw do not go to extra-time. Instead, teams that draw are awarded one point, just like in the Premier League or MLS.
Knockout games cannot end in a tie, however, and there are no replays. Instead, we go to extra time and penalty kicks.
How does extra-time work?
It is hard to imagine that every single knockout match will be decided within the regulation 90 minutes. In the case that two teams cannot be separated in normal time, there will be a period of extra-time.
As is usually the case, that extra-time period will be 30 minutes long in total; split into two 15-minute halves. If a winning team still cannot be determined, a penalty shootout will follow.
Read more: What are World Cup extra time and penalties rules? How do they work?
There will be no ‘golden goal’ or ‘silver goal’, which have been used previously at FIFA and UEFA tournaments.
Talk to me about penalties…
The rules for penalty shootouts at the World Cup are as follows:
- Both teams take five penalties each
- A different player must take each penalty
- The winner will be determined once the 10 penalties have been taken and there is a team with more goals or when either team establishes an insurmountable lead
- If the teams have the same amount of goals, the shootout continues in a sudden death format
- If enough penalties are taken whereby each player from each team (including the goalkeeper) has taken one, the takers go again in either the same or a new order until a winner is determined
There is a coin toss to decide which team takes the first penalty. Our advice to captains at the World Cup: go first.
In 2018, a London School of Economics academic analysed 1,000 penalties taken at World Cup and European Championships. From this, it was found the team that took the first penalty won 60 per cent of shootouts.
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How does the World Cup knockout stage work?
The 16 teams that finish in the top two positions in their respective groups will qualify for the knockout stage. With the World Cup using a pre-prepared bracket draw rather than competitions such as the Champions League or the FA Cup which draw teams from pots, the nations will be able to work out which teams they will face at the particular stages.
Each round of the knockout stage is a one-legged elimination match.
This is how the last 16 will look once the groups have been decided:
Group A winners vs Group B runners-up (Tie 1)
Group B winners vs Group A runners-up (Tie 2)
Group C winners vs Group D runners-up (Tie 3)
Group D winners vs Group C runners-up (Tie 4)
Group E winners vs Group F runners-up (Tie 5)
Group F winners vs Group E runners-up (Tie 6)
Group G winners vs Group H runners-up (Tie 7)
Group H winners vs Group G runners-up (Tie 8)
Then, those fixtures will lead to the following quarter-final line-up:
Tie 1 winner vs Tie 3 winner (QF 1)
Tie 2 winner vs Tie 4 winner (QF 2)
Tie 5 winner vs Tie 7 winner (QF 3)
Tie 6 winner vs Tie 8 winner (QF 4)
The semi-final stage will look like this:
QF 1 winner vs QF 3 winner (SF 1)
QF 2 winner vs QF 4 winner (SF 2)
And, of course, the final:
SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner
Will VAR be in operation at the World Cup?
Yes. VAR — essentially video technology — made a strong full competition debut back at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and fans were generally impressed by what they had seen.
There have been a number of VAR-related controversies in the year since, but with every major football tournament adopting the technology, FIFA was never likely to abandon it for its flagship event.
The officials will have some extra help in Qatar, as semi-automated offside technology will be used.
So, how will offside decisions work?
Regular viewers of the Champions League might be familiar with the semi-automated technology used to make offside decisions as it was used, with success, throughout the recently-finished group stage. On the vast majority of occasions, the time it took to make the decision was much quicker than it would have been had the VAR officials been forced into offside geometry.
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Initially, the on-field assistant referee will be tasked with making the decision to raise their flag and signal that a player is in an offside position. However, as we have seen across Europe, they will often wait to signal offside until the period of play has come to an end as an incorrect premature flag could cost a team a goalscoring opportunity.
The semi-automated offside technology will come into operation in the instance when a goal has been scored or a potentially match-defining decision has been made (penalty or red card). It will check whether or not the goalscorer, or any players involved in the build-up, has strayed offside at any stage.
The technology uses 12 tracking cameras underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball as well as up to 29 data points on each player. Those 29 data points include all limbs and body parts that are relevant for making an offside decision.
An inertial measurement unit will be placed inside the centre of the ball and it will send data to the video operation room 500 times per second which will allow for accurate detection of when the ball has been kicked.
As soon as a player receives the ball in an offside position, the technology provides an automatic alert to the officials in the video operation room. Before informing the on-field referee of the decision, the video match officials must validate the decision by confirming that the kicking point and the automated offside line are correct.
This entire process takes a matter of seconds.
What about the handball rule?
The handball law is one of the most complicated — and frequently misunderstood — rules in football.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for deciding the laws of football, it is an offence if a player:
- Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball.
- Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation.
- Scores in the opponents’ goal; directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper, or, immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental. Last season, a goal would be disallowed if the creator or scorer was adjudged to have handled the ball, whether intentional or not. Now, these rules apply exclusively to the scorer.
Before the 2021-22 season, IFAB clarified that referees were looking for a “deliberate action”, in which “the proximity” of any defender to the ball being struck will influence the referee’s decision.
They tweaked the law on scoring after a handball. Whereas a goal previously could not be scored after an accidental handball, this clarification ruled that the goal would stand, provided that the player who committed the handball wasn’t the eventual scorer.
If you want to learn more about the handball rule, click here.
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Will goal-line technology be in operation at the World Cup?
Unlike VAR, goal-line technology (GLT) has been well received across the football world since its introduction in 2014.
Other than a few mishaps it has been excellently implemented and has been able to verify decisions that, on occasion, would have been as effective as a coin toss.
After being used around the world over the last eight years, GLT will be used once again.
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Have any new rules been introduced for the 2022 World Cup?
There are a couple of changes, largely adapted because the World Cup is being played in the middle of the domestic European season.
Firstly, managers have selected 26-man squads rather than the 23 that we have seen previously. Nations which competed at Euro 2020 will be used to picking the extra three players as that particular rule was brought in by UEFA in response to the pandemic, which threatened the involvement of some players at that tournament.
It is the first time 26-man squads have been allowed at a World Cup but managers will still only be allowed to pick 23 players in their matchday squads which means three players will miss out in every game.
Secondly, as we have seen across domestic leagues in the last couple of years, five substitutions are allowed. However, there is one stipulation to that rule as the changes can only be made in three separate windows.
That means that if a manager wants to make five subs, he must make three in one of the windows or two pairs of changes in two separate windows.
Should a knockout match go to extra-time, managers will be allowed to make one extra substitution. Another substitution window will be made available to allow for that extra change.
Which match officials will be at the World Cup?
The group consists of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials (24); 129 in total. They have been selected from 29 countries based on their quality and performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as other domestic and international competitions.
Here is the full list of all the officials.
Who are the referees in Qatar?
- Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar)
- Ivan Barton (El Salvador)
- Chris Beath (Australia)
- Raphael Claus (Brazil)
- Matthew Conger (New Zealand)
- Ismail Elfath (USA)
- Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
- Alireza Faghani (Iran)
- Stephanie Frappart (France)
- Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
- Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
- Victor Gomes (South Africa)
- Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
- Ning Ma (China)
- Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
- Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
- Said Martinez (Honduras)
- Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
- Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera (Uruguay)
- Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed (UAE)
- Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)
- Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal)
- Michael Oliver (England)
- Daniele Orsato (Italy)
- Kevin Ortega (Peru)
- Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
- Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)
- Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
- Daniel Siebert (Germany)
- Janny Sikawaze (Zambia)
- Anthony Taylor (England)
- Facundo Tello (Argentina)
- Clement Turpin (France)
- Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
- Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
- Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
What changes will be made for the 2026 World Cup?
For the first time, the World Cup will be hosted across three countries; USA, Canada and Mexico.
Instead of eight groups of four teams, the current plan is to have 16 groups of three teams.
That means there will be 80 matches, an increase of 16 games. Sixty of them will be hosted in USA (including every game from the quarter-finals) while Canada and Mexico will host 10 each.
Finalists in 32-team tournaments only play seven matches altogether which will be increased to eight games for the two teams who make the final in 2026. That is because an extra last-32 round will be added. The top two teams from each three-team group will progress to the last 32 before the tournament resumes its traditional schedule from the last 16 onwards.
Those are the main changes that have been proposed but more could follow.
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(Photo: FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
