19:45 – FAREWELLThanks for joining us today, we’ll have much more reaction and analysis on our website. Bye for now.
19:20 – USA NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATEDWorld Cup
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Former England international and Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes USA will be Gareth Southgate’s toughest opponents in the group stage in Qatar.
19:05 – BERHALTER PLEASED WITH GROUPUSA boss Gregg Berhalter to BBC Sport: “We think it’s a good group. Every opponent in the World Cup is difficult.
“With England it’s an exciting match-up, Iran are a diverse opponent who did well in qualifying and then we’ll have to wait to see our third opponent.
“Overall I’m pleased with the group and excited to get started.”
18:55 – SOUTHGATE REACTS”USA and Iran are teams we’ve not played for a while and the third is an unknown but throws up a possible British derby,” Gareth Southgate told the BBC.
“We’ve got to get out of the group. Out first objective is to get out of the group and then we build from there.
“In this situation all of our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, so when that tie is played out is irrelevant really.
“When you’re seeded you get the advantage of missing out on those big six or seven teams. Most of the first seeds would be pleased with the group they get. There are some highly ranked teams in pot two. The USA are an interesting one. They’ve got some very good players and we know what they could be capable of, so that one in particular is an intriguing one.”
18:35 – SHEARER IS PLEASEDSpeaking on BBC, former England captain Alan Shearer is “pleased” Scotland, Wales or Ukraine are in England’s group. “It adds that little bit more excitement”, he says. Also feels Gareth Southgate will be delighted with the draw.
18:30 – A FIRST FOR ENGLANDEngland will play Iran in their Group B opener on Monday, November 21, followed by the USA on November 25 and either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine on Tuesday, November 29.
Gareth Southgate will be quietly pleased with this draw, but a mouth-watering prospect lies in wait with the potential for a British derby against either Wales or Scotland in the final group game.
18:25 – HERE’S THE DRAW IN FULLGroup A – Qatar, Senegal, Netherlands, Ecuador
Group B – England, USA, Iran, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Group C – Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia
Group D – France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia/UAE/Peru
Group E – Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica/New Zealand
Group F – Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Group G – Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
Group H – Portugal, Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana
18:19 – GROUP HPortugal
Uruguay
South Korea
Ghana
18:18 – GROUP FBelgium
Croatia
Morocco
Canada
18:17 – GROUP GBrazil
Switzerland
Serbia
Cameroon
18:16 – GROUP BEngland
USA
Iran
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
A British derby in store unless Ukraine qualify!
18:15 – GROUP ESpain
Germany
Japan
Costa Rica/New Zealand
18:14 – GROUP CArgentina
Mexico
Poland
Saudi Arabia
18:13 – GROUP AQatar
Senegal
Netherlands
Ecuador
*The opening game of the 2022 World Cup will be Qatar vs Ecuador
18:12 – GROUP DFrance
Denmark
Tunisia
Australia/UAE/Peru
18:11 – TIME FOR POT 4The remaining teams: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Scotland/Ukraine/Wales, Australia/UAE/Peru, Costa Rica/New Zealand
18:10 – GROUP HPortugal
Uruguay
South Korea
18:09 – GROUP F Belgium
Croatia
Morocco
18:08 – GROUP ESpain
Germany
Japan
18:07 – GROUP DFrance
Denmark
Tunisia
18:06 – GROUP GBrazil
Switzerland
Serbia
18:06 – GROUP CArgentina
Mexico
Poland
18:05 – GROUP AQatar
Netherlands
Senegal
18:04 – GROUP BEngland
USA
Iran
18:03 – TIME FOR POT 3Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Tunisia are now the teams to enter
18:02 – GROUP GBrazil
Switzerland
18:01 – GROUP HPortugal
Uruguay
18:00 – GROUP FBelgium
Croatia
17:59 – GROUP ESpain
Germany
Potential group of death?
17:58 – GROUP DFrance
Denmark
17:57 – GROUP CArgentina
Mexico
17:56 – GROUP BEngland
USA
17:56 – GROUP AQatar
Netherlands
17:55 – NOW FOR POT 2Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, United States and Croatia will enter the draw.
17:54 – GROUP HPortugal
17:53 – GROUP GBrazil
17:52 – GROUP FBelgium
17:52 – GROUP ESpain
17:51 – GROUP DFrance – the reigning champions
17:51 – GROUP CArgentina
17:50 – GROUP BEngland
17:48 – THE DRAW BEGINS!Carli Lloyd announces the teams in pot one. Cafu takes out the first ball and there should be no surprises… Qatar are into Group A in position A1.
17:45 – NEARLY THERE…An explanation of the draw’s procedure is currently being shown on the big screen.
17:40 – HERE COME THE LEGENDSThe ex-players – all introduced individually – are coming now. In order – Cafu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Lothar Matthaus, Ali Daei, Adel Ahmed MalAllah, Tim Cahill, Bora Milutinovic and finally Rabah Madjer.
17:35 – HERE COME THE CONDUCTORSThe draw conductors Carli Lloyd, Jermaine Jenas and Samantha Johnson take their place on the stage.
17:30 – IT’S ALMOST TIME…The manager of reigning World Cup champions France Didier Deschamps carries the trophy to the stage. He will answer some questions before the draw begins.
17:25 – MESSAGE FOR PEACEGianni Infantino has asked leaders to “stop the conflicts and the wars” in his speech. The President adds: “This will be the best World Cup ever.”
17:20 – WE HAVE SINGING!Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha are performing the official 2022 World Cup soundtrack – ‘Hayya Hayya (Better Together)’.
17:10 – CEREMONY UNDERWAYThe ceremony is underway and hopefully shouldn’t last all that long. Although we are already about five minutes behind schedule!
17:05 – A REMINDER OF THE POTSPot 1 – Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal
Pot 2 – Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, United States, Croatia
Pot 3 – Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia
Pot 4 – Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Scotland/Ukraine/Wales, Australia/UAE/Peru, Costa Rica/New Zealand
Qatar, of course, will be drawn out first – in Group A – and the remaining seven top-seeded teams will be automatically drawn into Groups B-H. No group will have more than one team from any qualification zone except Europe, which will have no more than two.
17:00 – BECKHAM: ‘FANS ARE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE’David Beckham has been working as an ambassador for Qatar and told the BBC: “It’s a massive moment for everyone in Qatar and very inspiring. I’ve always talked about the legacy of the World Cup for Qatar – but also the legacy of the World Cup everywhere.
“That’s what the World Cup brings to a nation – it’s an inspiring moment. For Qatar, it’s a chance to show off the country and its love of football, its history and culture. Having some of the biggest players in the sport descend on Qatar is a huge moment for the country and region.
“Fans are going to have a great experience. In the past, fans have had to travel between games but in Qatar, they’re going to be able to go to more than one match a day because it is such a compact tournament.
“I think the fans will enjoy what Qatar has to offer. There will be great food, a warm welcome from the local people and lots to see and enjoy besides the football.”
16:50 – ALMOST THERE!17:25 is the time the draw will start, according to the BBC. If reports are to be believed, the draw will take approximately 40 minutes and will follow a 20-minute ceremony hosted by Idris Elba.
16:45 – JUST LOOK AT THAT TROPHY!A thing of beauty.
16:40 – WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE DRAW?A number of ex-players will be drawing the balls, including Cafu, Lothar Matthaus, Ali Daei, Jay-Jay Okocha and Tim Cahill. That would be quite the five-a-side team, if slightly unbalanced!
Adel Ahmed MalAllah, Bora Milutinovic and Rabah Madjer are also helping out.
The eight draw assistants will be supported by a conducting team comprised of two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Carli Lloyd, Jermaine Jenas and Samantha Johnson.
16:35 – WHO MAKES ENGLAND’S SQUAD?Will Magee steps into the shoes of England manager Gareth Southgate and picks his 23-man squad for the World Cup. Conor Coady will not be happy!
16:30 – WHEN WILL THE MATCHES BE PLAYED IN THE UK?The UK will be three hours behind Qatar by the time November rolls around meaning the first two rounds of group stage fixtures have kick-off times of 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm here.
The final round of group stage fixtures and the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will kick off at 3pm and 7pm, and the final (and the third-place play-off) will start at 3pm.
16:15 – Can we rule Belgium out already?Belgium may well have already squandered their best chance of winning silverware, with their ‘golden generation’ bowing out at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2020 to eventual winners Italy and exiting the World Cup four years ago at the semi-final stage to reigning champions France – and now you throw this at them? Can Roberto Martinez – who is Spanish, of course – buck the trend?
16:10 – THE EARLY ODDSOf course, there are still 234 days until it all kicks off at Qatar and a lot can change between now and then, but the bookies have Brazil and France down as early joint-favourites at 11/2.
2018 semi-finalists and Euro 2020 runners-up England are 7/1 to finally end 56 years of hurt. Spain are 8/1 and Germany are 9/1. Fancy Lionel Messi to finally get his hand’s on the coveted trophy? Argentina can be backed at 10/1, followed by Belgium at 11/1 and Portugal at 12/1.
Speaking of France, Didier Deschamps has just been pictured making his way into the Doha Exhibition & Conference Centre. The excitement is starting to build.
16:00 – AN HOUR TO GOThe draw gets underway in an hour. That’s all from me, but the rest of the Eurosport team will see you through to the end of the ceremony.
15:40 – ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’Several prominent fan groups, including Football Supporters Europe and Pride In Football, have issued a joint statement criticising FIFA and Qatar for failing to engage seriously with questions about the safety of LGBTQ supporters and human rights more broadly. One line stands out: “We cannot, in good faith, tell our members, LGBT+ people, or allies that this is a World Cup for all.”
15:25 – RAINBOW FLAGS COULD BE CONFISCATEDIn another worrying development for LGBTQ supporters, a senior security official in Qatar has said that rainbow flags could be confiscated to head off homophobic attacks. While Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari claimed that LGBTQ couples would be welcome at the World Cup, he told the Associated Press: “If he [a fan] raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him. Because, if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack [him]… I cannot guarantee the behavior of the whole people. And I will tell him: ‘Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point.'”
In response, FARE, the anti-discrimination network, released a statement which read: “The reassurances of safety we are seeking from the Supreme Committee and government of Qatar are categorical. The LGBTIQ+ community should be allowed freedom of expression and be protected in exercising those rights. This is the international norm.
“The rainbow flag will be worn by thousands of people in Qatar, by LGBTIQ+ visitors and regular supporters. The idea that the flag, which is now a recognised and universal symbol of diversity and equality, will be removed from people to protect them, will not be considered acceptable, and will be seen as a pretext.
“From our experience of Qatar and the work we have done there we do not expect the local Qatari population or visiting fans to be attacked for wearing the rainbow flag, the bigger danger comes from state actions.”
15:00 – THE WELSH PERSPECTIVEIf they win their play-off final against either Scotland or Ukraine this summer, Wales will feature at a World Cup for the first time since 1958. Here are the best and worst possible scenarios for the Dragons according to Welsh football culture fanzine Alternative Wales.
14:35 – HOW LONG WILL THE DRAW TAKE?While draws for international tournaments can often be dragged out to the point of absurdity, Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol reports that this one is only (only!) going to take 40 minutes with an hour in total for the ceremony. Well, that’s a relief.
14:05 – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSNeed a refresher on how the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, what the tournament format looks like and how the Premier League will accommodate the disruption to its winter schedule? We’ve got you covered.
13:45 – THE ULTIMATE PRIZEThe trophy has been set upon its pedestal in preparation for the draw and looks, well, extremely golden.
13:25 – ALL EYES ON SOUTH AMERICA’S BIG TWOAfter a spell in the World Cup wilderness, Brazil and Argentina are resurgent at the moment. Here’s Ibrahim Mustapha with the lowdown on their quest to bring the trophy back to South America for the first time since Brazil won the tournament in 2002.
13:00 – SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY FOR LGBTQ FANSFollowing her speech at the FIFA Congress, Klaveness went on to discuss her concerns for LGBTQ supporters at the tournament given that homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
“I think it’s a minimum, and I know FIFA agrees, that all LGBTQ people should come to World Cups and feel safe,” she said. “To have a World Cup here you have to lift that [homophobic] legislation before you sell tickets, and they haven’t yet. This is the problem.”
‘LGBTQ people not safe in Qatar’ – Norway FA president criticises FIFA
12:30 – DARK HORSESWhile your Brazils, your Belgiums, your Frances and your Englands have all been widely tipped to win the tournament, less has been said about your Canadas, your Ecuadors(es?) and your Waleses(es?!). Here’s Ben Snowball with five unheralded teams who might just have an outside chance of World Cup glory. Or not, as the case may be.
12:05 – A GLIMPSE OF TODAY’S VENUEThe draw will take place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, which is set to a familiar backdrop of palm trees, blazing sunshine and glassy skyscrapers.
Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2022 draw in Qatar
11:45 – THE WARM-UPIn case you missed it, here’s Andi Thomas’ take on today’s World Cup draw and Infantino’s wild historical detour at the FIFA Congress. Warning: includes amazingly tone deaf references to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
11:30 – INFANTINO GETS HIS BOOTS ONFancy watching the FIFA president take part in an exhibition game against Andrea Pirlo, Youri Djorkaeff and others? No, us neither in all honesty, but these “highlights” are awkward enough to be worth a watch anyway.
Infantino takes part in exhibition tournament ahead of World Cup draw
11:15 – WORLD CUP DRAW NOSTALGIAIs that a thing? It is now.
10:50 – FIFA WORLD RANKINGSWhile there’s plenty of time for the standings to change between now and the start of the tournament, Brazil are the No 1 side in the world ahead of the draw. They are in Pot 1, meaning they can’t be drawn against England at the group stage, but whoever gets the Selecao will be left quietly ruing their luck.
Here are the world’s top 10 sides, in order, as things stand.
BrazilBelgiumFranceArgentinaEnglandItalySpainPortugalMexicoThe NetherlandsGiven that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing 1-0 to North Macedonia in their play-off semi-final, it’s worth noting that Denmark, who have qualified, are 11th in the world rankings.
10:30 – POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR ENGLANDWhen England are drawn later on, there will, inevitably, be some teams they would rather avoid. We’ve mapped out the permutations for Southgate’s men here but, as ever, that comes with the caveat that even a favourable draw on paper could throw up some nasty surprises.
10:05 – KANE HAS ‘CONFLICTING EMOTIONS’Klaveness is not the only person to have addressed Qatar’s human rights record in recent days. Asked how he felt about the prospect of playing in Qatar given the wider context of the tournament, Harry Kane said: “A World Cup is professionally one of the greatest tournaments I will play in, so there is the excitement of being there. But there are some issues you can’t hide away from so I have conflicting emotions around it.”
Kane confirmed that England had a team meeting on Tuesday, led by Southgate, in which the players touched on human rights issues. Jordan Henderson had previously admitted that the players were “shocked” at some of the human rights abuses that have taken place in Qatar, saying: “It’s horrendous really when you look at some of the issues that are currently happening and have been happening over there.”
09:45 – CRITICISM OF QATAR AT FIFA CONGRESSIn a break from Gianni Infantino’s scripted PR agenda, Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness gave a high-profile speech at the FIFA Congress on Thursday in which she was fiercely critical of the process which led to Qatar being awarded the World Cup. “Our game can inspire dreams and break down barriers but as leaders we must do it right and to the highest standards,” she said. “We cannot ignore the calls for change and how FIFA runs the game has so much to say for how the game is perceived. FIFA must act as a role model.
“In 2010 World Cups were awarded by FIFA in unacceptable ways with unacceptable consequences. Human rights, equality and democracy – the core interests of football – were not in the starting XI. These basic rights were pressured on to the field as substitutes, mainly by outside voices. FIFA has addressed these issues but there is still a long way to go.”
Klaveness also called for migrant workers injured building stadium infrastructure and the families of those who have died in the build-up to the tournament to be cared for. Following her speech the general secretary of the Honduran FA, Jose Ernesto Mejia, said it was not “the right forum or the right moment” to discuss the issues raised.
09:30 – SOUTHGATE IN IT TO WIN ITIn England-related news, Gareth Southgate has shown admirable optimism/terrible hubris (delete as applicable) in suggesting that, having come so close at Euro 2020, his side are ready to win a major tournament. “What have we said to the team this week? That if we can get to a semi-final, we can get to a final – which we did,” he said, following England’s 3-0 win against Ivory Coast. “And if we can get to a final, we can win.”
09:00 – WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH UKRAINE?As things stand, the plan is for Scotland to play their postponed World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine in June. The winner will then play Wales a few days later, with Rob Page’s side beating Austria 2-1 in the other semi-final for Path A thanks to a spectacular brace from Gareth Bale.
That plan is entirely dependent on events in Ukraine over the next few months, however, with Russia’s invasion ongoing. Speaking ahead of his side’s 1-1 draw with Poland last week, Scotland manager Steve Clarke said: “Obviously, it’s not looking great at this moment. If you’re asking me now will the game go ahead in June then it’s going to be difficult. But it’s a situation we can’t control… it’s difficult to see how we’ll be playing them in June and it’s not just about the fixture – it’s the fact that they need to get together, have a training camp and get all their players on the pitch with a proper period of time to prepare for such an important game.”
08:30 – HOW DID WE GET HERE?If you’re struggling to remember how the teams which have already qualified made it this far – and, in fairness, there are 29 of them, with three more of Scotland, Ukraine, Wales, Australia, the UAE, Peru, Costa Rice and New Zealand to join them – we’ve covered all bases here.
08:15 – WORLD CUP DRAW ON THE WAYGood morning and welcome to our coverage of the draw for Qatar 2022. While, ultimately, this is a tournament which will be defined by issues off the pitch – not least Qatar’s human rights record and the dire conditions of migrant workers who have built much of the country’s World Cup infrastructure – there will also be some football going on, with today’s draw set to give us a clearer picture of how things will shape up on the field.
08:00 – WHEN IS THE DRAW? Today at 17:00 BST.
We’ll have live text commentary of the entire ceremony, so stick with us.
07:55 – WHEN IS THE WORLD CUP? Qatar 2022 takes place in an unfamiliar winter slot, with the tournament running from November 21 to December 18.
07:45 – WHO IS IN WHAT POT?Pot 1
QatarBrazilBelgiumFranceArgentinaEnglandSpainPortugalPot 2
MexicoNetherlandsDenmarkGermanyUruguay SwitzerlandUnited StatesCroatia Pot 3
Senegal Iran JapanMoroccoSerbiaPolandSouth KoreaTunisiaPot 4
CameroonCanadaEcuadorSaudi ArabiaGhanaScotland/Ukraine/WalesAustralia/UAE/PeruCosta Rica/New ZealandWorld Cup
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