The world football governing body FIFA has decided to carry out the draws for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in December on April 1.
The reports are yet to be confirmed as FIFA has not released a statement however many reports from the Spanish press claim that FIFA has communicated this to all of its 211 member federations.
The FIFA Congress for the World Cup will be holding in Doha, Qatar on March 31st and if the reports are true that draws will be held the next day which is April 1st.
“Although the world continues to struggle against the ravages caused by the pandemic, FIFA has noted, not without optimism, certain signs throughout the world that point to the gradual improvement of the situation.
“Like our hosts in Qatar, we are convinced that by then it will be possible to hold the Congress in person,” a FIFA correspondence is quoted as saying.
However, delegates who cannot attend due to travel restrictions due to the pandemic or for other reasons will apparently be guaranteed their participation remotely.
Brazil vs Argentina to be replayed
Argentina and Brazil will have to replay their match from September 2021 following the issue which saw health officials from Brazil storm onto the pitch to stop the match due to some players reportedly failing to quarantine according to covid-19 guidelines.
The players involved, all from the Premier League, have been banned from playing the matches and both the Brazilian and Argentine football federations have also been fined for their actions which led to the abandonment of the match back in September 2021.
Both teams have already qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, however the mandatory replay of the match will throw a wrench into their preparations for the World Cup later this year.
FIFA qualification match schedules and dates
March is going to be a busy month for all FIFA member federations as qualifiers across all confederations will be taking place on various stages across the world.
The UEFA qualifiers are in its final stretch and we will see some upsets coming out of it, as one of Portugal or Italy will be missing out on the World Cup.
A replay of the 2021 African Cup of Nations final will also be taking place in the CAF qualifiers playoffs as Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will be taking on Sadio Mane’s Senegal.
Meanwhile, the Americas will be playing their last qualifier games which will see the team’s who just missed out on direct qualification go on to face the third placed teams of other confederations.
Asia’s third placed team will face off with the fifth placed team from the South American qualifiers while Oceania’s third placed team will face off with the third placed team from the CONCACAF region.
Both inter-confederation qualifiers will hold in the World Cup host nation of Qatar in June.
