Scotland confirmed their place in the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup with Portugal also joining them, so who else can is in line and how does it work?
How do the play-offs work?
The winners of each group automatically qualify for the World Cup finals, which run from November 21 to December 18 2022, and three more teams will seal their place at the end of the playoffs in March.
The play-offs take place from March 24 to 29 2022, with 10 group runners-up joined by the two best group winners from the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League overall ranking that have neither qualified directly as group winners nor entered the playoffs already as group runners up.
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During a play-off draw on November 26 2021, those 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths for one-off semi-finals and a final, with the three path winners then qualifying for the tournament in Qatar.
The draw will be seeded based upon qualifying-round points, with the six best runners-up being seeded, while the two UEFA Nations League teams are unseeded, meaning both Wales and Scotland need to avoid defeat in their final games to boost their chances of being seeded for the draw and so playing at home in the playoff semi-finals.
The order of preference for the two teams to enter the play-offs (if required) via the Nations League, of teams who are still able to use this route, is France, Wales, Austria, Czech Republic, meaning Robert Page’s side are already guaranteed a play-off berth via their Nations League rankings.
As Austria, and either Wales or Czech Republic, are guaranteed to finish outside the top two in their group, no other country is in contention for one of the two additional places.
Meanwhile, for each play-off final, a draw is conducted in advance to determine which semi-final winner will play at home.
Who are the current group runners-up?
Group A: Serbia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Azerbaijan
Group B: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo
Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Lithuania
Group D: France, Finland, Ukraine, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Group E: Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Estonia, Belarus
Group F: Denmark, Scotland, Israel, Austria, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group G: Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group H: Croatia, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus
Group I: England, Poland, Albania, Hungary, Andorra, San Marino
Group J: Germany, North Macedonia, Romania, Armenia, Iceland, Liechtenstein
What is the World Cup format and schedule?
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will feature 32 teams in eight groups of four.
Four matches will be played each day during the group stage, which will run over a 12-day period and see winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16.
Matches will only be assigned to particular venues after the finals draw, so organisers can choose optimal kick-off times to suit television audiences in different countries, as well as supporters out in Qatar.
The finals draw is scheduled to take place in April 2022, after the March window for international fixtures.
Unlike at Euro 2020, there will be a third-place play-off game on December 17.
Group stage: November 21- December 2
Round of 16: December 3-6
Quarter-finals: December 9/10
Semi-finals: December 13/14
Final: December 18
When will the matches kick off?
FIFA has confirmed the first two rounds of matches will kick off at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time (10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm in the United Kingdom).
Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knock-out round matches will be at 6pm and 10pm local time (3pm and 7pm UK time).
The final is scheduled to kick off at 6pm local time (3pm UK time)
What are the venues?
The group games will take place across eight stadia: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium.
2022 World Cup play-offs: All you need to know
Source: Pinoy Portal Articles