World Cup 2022: Schedule, Fixtures, Groups, Dates And Kick-off Times

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will kick off on Sunday 20 November when hosts Qatar take on Ecuador in Group A.

The game marks the beginning of almost an entire month of international football, with the World Cup final set to take place on 18 December.

So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s being taking a look at all of the key facts you need to know about the tournament, which only comes around every four years.

When Does The 2022 Fifa World Cup Start And What Is The Schedule?

As mentioned above, World Cup 2022 starts on Sunday 20 November, with Qatar taking on Ecuador in the only game on that day. The match will kick off at 16:00 GMT.

The game marks the start of a month-long tournament, with the final scheduled for 18 December.

Here is the full 2022 World Cup schedule in terms of rounds:

• Group stage: 20 November to 2 December
• Round of 16: 3 December to 6 December
• Quarter-finals: 9 and 10 December
• Semi-finals: 13 and 14 December
• Final: 18 December

You may be wondering why the World Cup is being played in winter. This is because that the extreme temperatures in Qatar in June and July were deemed to be too hot for players.

In November, the average temperature in Qatar is likely to be around 25C or 77F. Because Qatar has a desert climate, temperature in the summer months often peak above 40C, which would be too hot for players and fans alike.

What Are The World Cup 2022 Kick-Off Times?

For the group stage, there are a number of different kick-off times. The final round of fixtures in each group are then played at the same time.

• Group stage kick off times: 10:00 GMT, 13:00 GMT, 16:00 GMT, 19:00 GMT
• Final group stage games kick-off times: 15:00 GMT and 19:00 GMT

Beyond the group stage, the rest of the 2022 World Cup games will kick off at either 15:00 GMT or 19:00 GMT, with the final taking place on 18 December 2022 at 15:00 GMT.

What Are The Groups?

There are a total of 32 teams competing for the title in Qatar, and they have been split into a total of eight groups as follows:

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

What Are The World Cup Group Stage Fixtures?

The 2022 World Cup group stage kicks off on Sunday 20 November when Qatar take on Ecuador in the Group A opener. That fixture marks the start of 13 days of successive fixtures until the completion of the group stage.

Sunday 20 November

• Qatar v Ecuador: Al Bayt Stadium, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

Monday 21 November

• England v Iran: Khalifa International Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time, 08:00 ET

• Senegal v Netherlands: Al Thumama Stadium, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• USA v Wales: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Tuesday 22 November

• Argentina v Saudi Arabia: Lusail Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Denmark v Tunisia: Education City Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Mexico v Poland: Stadium 974, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• France v Australia: Al Janoub Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Wednesday 23 November

• Morocco v Croatia: Al Bayt Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Germany v Japan: Khalifa International Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Spain v Costa Rica: Al Thumama Stadium, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• Belgium v Canada: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Thursday 24 November

• Switzerland v Cameroon: Al Janoub Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Uruguay v South Korea: Education City Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Portugal v Ghana: Stadium 974, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• Brazil v Serbia: Lusail Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Friday 25 November

• Wales v Iran: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Qatar v Senegal: Al Thumama Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Netherlands v Ecuador: Khalifa International Stadium, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• England v USA: Al Bayt Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Saturday 26 November

• Tunisia v Australia: Al Janoub Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Poland v Saudi Arabia: Education City Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• France v Denmark: Stadium 974, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• Argentina v Mexico: Lusail Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Sunday 27 November

• Japan v Costa Rica: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• Belgium v Morocco: Al Thumama Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Croatia v Canada: Khalifa International Stadium, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• Spain v Germany: Al Bayt Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Monday 28 November

• Cameroon v Serbia : Al Janoub Stadium, 10:00 GMT / 13:00 local time / 05:00 ET

• South Korea v Ghana: Education City Stadium, 13:00 GMT / 16:00 local time / 08:00 ET

• Brazil v Switzerland: Stadium 974, 16:00 GMT / 19:00 local time / 11:00 ET

• Portugal v Uruguay: Lusail Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Tuesday 29 November

• Netherlands v Qatar: Al Bayt Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Ecuador v Senegal: Khalifa International Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Iran v USA: Al Thumama Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

• Wales v England: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 7pm

Wednesday 30 November

• Australia v Denmark: Al Janoub Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Tunisia v France: Education City Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Poland v Argentina: Stadium 974, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

• Saudi Arabia v Mexico: Lusail Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Thursday 1 December

• Croatia v Belgium: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Canada v Morocco: Al Thumama Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Japan v Spain: Khalifa International Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

• Costa Rica v Germany: Al Bayt Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

Friday 2 December

• Ghana v Uruguay: Al Janoub Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• South Korea v Portugal: Education City Stadium, 15:00 GMT / 18:00 local time / 10:00 ET

• Serbia v Switzerland: Stadium 974, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

• Cameroon v Brazil: Lusail Stadium, 19:00 GMT / 22:00 local time / 14:00 ET

What TV Channels Is The World Cup On In The UK?

In the UK, the World Cup will be broadcast on the BBC and ITV. All matches will be shown on free-to-air channels and fans in the UK will also be able to stream them online on BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.

Which Teams Are The Favourites To Win The 2022 World Cup?

At the time of writing, Brazil are the bookmakers’ favourites to win the tournament, ahead of Argentina, France, Spain, England and Germany (odds from Paddy Power correct at the time of publishing).

Meanwhile, Argentina’s Lionel Messi is the favourite to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, ahead of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Kevin De Bruyne.

Elsewhere, England’s Jude Bellingham is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the young player of the tournament award ahead of Spain’s Pedri, Germany’s Jamal Musiala and England’s Bukayo Saka.