ESPN shows how the disputes for the last World Cup places are going and which teams can still qualify, either directly or through the playoff
Most of the 32 places for the World Cup Qatar 2022 they are already busy. With 19 teams already guaranteed, 33 countries remain in the qualifiers. Of these, only 13 will be in the biggest competition in world football.
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Conmebol (South America)
The four qualified directly for the Conmebol World Cup were defined last Thursday (24), when Ecuador and Uruguay stamped their passports for Qatar, along with Brazil and Argentina, classified in advance.
With that, the fight in the last round will be for a place in the repechage. Peru (21 points), Colombia (20) and Chile (19) compete next Tuesday (29) for fifth place in the table, which guarantees a place in the playoffs.
UEFA (Europe)
In Europe, the situation is quite simple, with three keys defining a team that qualifies directly for the World Cup. One of the disputes will be between Portugal and North Macedonia, while the other will be between Poland and Sweden already on this FIFA date, next Tuesday.
The other key, however, will wait a bit longer. Due to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the match of the Ukrainian national team against Scotland was postponed to June. Whoever wins will face Wales, for the third direct place in the World Cup through UEFA.
AFC (Asian)
Who also has defined the majority of its classifieds is Asia, which has already occupied the four direct places with Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Iran Y Japan, and will continue to automatically guarantee Qatar as the host country. Now, the dispute is for a place in the playoffs.
In knockout format, Australiathird place in group B, will face the third place in group A, who can be United Arab Emirates, Iraq either Lebanon. The winner of the dispute will be the rival of Peru, Colombia or Chile in the playoffs, in a confrontation that will be worth one of the last places in the World Cup.
CAF (Africa)
In the African qualifiers, the situation is as simple as it gets: 10 teams compete for five direct places in the World Cup in a playoff format, and the winner of each match seals their passport to Qatar.
After the first round this Friday (25), the following matches will define the qualifiers for next Tuesday: Nigeria against Ghana, Senegal against Egypt, Algeria against Cameroon, Morocco against Congo and Tunisia against Mali. The dispute promises excitement, since none of the clashes has more than a goal difference.
Concacaf (North America and Central America)
The playoffs of Concacaf have a format similar to Conmebolwith all the countries facing each other in turn, the three best classified directly and the 4th place disputing the playoff against the winner of the Oceania qualifiers.
With two rounds remaining, there are still no Concacaf qualifiers. Canada (25 points) is on track, while the United States (22) and Mexico (22) are also close to qualifying. The trend is for Costa Rica (19) and Panama (18) to fight for the place in the playoffs.
OFC (Oceania)
The only continent that does not have a direct place for the World Cup, Oceania sends a representative to the playoffs. As there is only one vacancy, the dispute is carried out with a group stage and knockout stages, like a small tournament.
The semifinals, which will be next Sunday (27), are defined. Solomon Islands a place in the final is disputed with Papua New Guineawhile New Zealand Y Tahiti look for the other classification. The winner of the decision will be in the repechage.