January Window Sees FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers Resume

The January international window is due to start shortly, and with it, the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifier competitions for three of the six football confederations will recommence. The qualification tournaments for Asian, North, Central American, Caribbean, and South American teams are in their final stages. By the end of the break, some of the remaining squads may have qualified; some will be one step closer to their World Cup dreams; others may be resigned to their next chance of World Cup glory in 2026.

Find out who is playing, where and when this January break:

Competition Stage

The qualification tournaments for AFC, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL each have two windows left to finalise their teams for the World Cup in Qatar this November.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams are currently in the midst of the third and final round of qualifiers, with just four matchdays until completion. Twelve teams, divided into two groups of six, are contesting the top four slots to win their places at the 2022 tournament. The two third-placed teams will meet again in a fourth-round in May/June to determine who goes through to the inter-confederation playoffs for another chance at qualifying. The Asian teams will play out two of their final four matches during the January break. The last bouts of the tournament will be played in March. Currently, The Standings are as follows:

The North, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) teams are also in their concluding round with just six matches from fourteen left to play. The third round consists of the continent's top five football teams, as of July 2020, and the three winners of the competition's earlier second round. The eight squads are playing a series of home and away round-robin matches. The top three teams will take their place at the 2022 tournament. The fourth-placed team will enter the June 2022 inter-confederation playoffs. The January window will see CONCACAF teams play three of their final six matches. The last games of the competition will be played in March. Currently, The Standings are as follows:

The South American (CONMEBOL) teams, organised into a league playing a round-robin of eighteen home and away matches, have just four matchdays remaining. Two of CONMEBOL’s teams, Brazil and Argentina, have already won their qualification spots to Qatar on points and several games left to play. Two slots remain open for direct qualification to the 2022 tournament and one for the June playoffs. CONMEBOL teams will play two of their final four games this January window. The last matches of the competition will be played in March. Currently, The Standings are as follows:

January Matchdays

The qualifier competition matches for the AFC, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL this January will be played by the following opponents, at the following venues and times, and on the following dates (times and dates given in local time in Qatar):

AFC

The January break for the AFC qualifiers begins on the 27th for Matchday 1 and will be completed on February 1st, Matchday 2:

CONCACAF

January’s window sees another three matchdays for the CONCACAF qualifiers begin on the 28th and end on February 3rd:

CONMEBOL

CONMEBOL’s qualifiers continue on January 28th, Matchday 1 and will be completed on February 2nd, Matchday 2: