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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

World Cup 2022 start date and how Everton and Liverpool will be affected

There were a fair share of dramatic twists during last night's qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup.

Algeria and Nigeria were both favourite to progress against Ghana and Cameroon respectively, though suffered surprise exits at the final hurdle to miss out on the upcoming tournament in Qatar. Mohamed Salah will also play no part after Egypt were denied a place at the World Cup by Sadio Mane's Senegal on penalties.

This year's competition, going against the usual format, will take place in winter due to the heat of summer months in Qatar. As a result, domestic campaigns will be placed on pause while the tournament is played and will resume once all matches have been completed.

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We have rounded up the key details ahead of the World Cup below.

When will the 2022 World Cup take place?

The first match will be played on November 21, which will feature the host country. Four weeks of action will then follow, with the final set to be staged a week before Christmas on December 18.

Which teams have qualified so far?

As hosts, Qatar have received automatic qualification to next year's tournament.

Europe: Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal.

South America: Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay.

Africa: Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia.

North America: Canada.

Asia: South Korea, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia.

When is the draw for the World Cup?

At the end of the current month, 29 of the 32 participants will have been decided. The final three places up for grabs will be decided in the intercontinental play-offs in June as well as the final European play-off final, which has been delayed due to the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

The draw for the tournament takes place on April 1, 5pm BST.

How will the tournament affect the Premier League season?

With this the first World Cup to be played in the winter, the Premier League season is never usually made to adjust its schedule in the same way it will be on this occasion.

The 2022/23 campaign will get underway on August 6, one week earlier than normal to accommodate for the reshuffling in the footballing calendar to follow later in the year. The sixteenth game will be the final fixture played for all teams in the top-flight, on the weekend of November 12/13, before stars on international duty prepare to jet off to Qatar.

Once the World Cup has reached its conclusion on December 18, the league season will resume eight days later on Boxing Day. The final day of the Premier League will be on May 28, two weeks later than sides would ordinarily complete their 38th fixture.

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