While England will have to wait even longer to lift a meaningful trophy for only the second time in their history after yet another lost penalty shoot-out, they won’t have to wait long for another opportunity. They’d usually have to wait another two years to compete in the next major competition, but due to the pandemic delaying the World Cup for a year, Gareth Southgate and co can turn their attention back to the qualifiers.
That also holds true for fans, who have the chance to put the pain of the Euros final behind them. They can watch the matches and place a wager or two on England having another good run. Of course, if they can’t wait until then for some online entertainment. There are plenty of casino slots to have a go at too, and with freebies from Bonusfinder UK to claim, it’s a nice way to get started. Fortunately, though, the World Cup is only next year.
It will be a longer wait than 12 months, however, as Qatar 2022 will take place during the winter to alleviate the intense heat in the country. The first match, which will feature the host nation, will take place at the Al Bayt stadium on Monday, November 21. The final will take place on December 18 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, just one week before Christmas day.
12 Days of Group Stage Football
The 32 teams competing in the tournament will feature eight groups comprising four teams each. During the group stage, fans will be treated to four games each day. The first phase of the competition will last for 12 days, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the round of 16.
Once the finals draw has taken place, matches will be assigned to their venues. This will allow organisers to decide on the best kick-off times to suit television audiences in multiple countries, along with spectators in the host country.
The draw will take place in April next year after the March international fixtures window. While there was no third-place play-off game at Euros 2020, there will be one for the World Cup on December 17.
Kick-Off Times
The first two rounds of the action will start at 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm local time (10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm UK time). The final group stage and the knock-out matches will kick off at 6 pm and 10 pm local time (3 pm and 7 pm UK time). The final will get underway at 6 pm local time (3 pm UK time). The group matches will be played across eight venues.
England Look to Win Qualifying Group
England’s qualifying group sees them pitted against Yann Marino, Andorra, Albania, Poland, and Hungary. Having won all three of their group matches so far, England are prime to finish top of the group. Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland are also hopeful of qualifying and will restart their campaigns when the next set of matches commence in September.
What About the Premier League?
Competition in the top-flight English domestic league will take time off when the World Cup gets underway, although the schedule for the Premier League 2022/23 season has yet to be confirmed. Draft proposals were sent to clubs in 2019, suggesting there could be a nine-day period of premiership matches from November 12 to the start of the tournament on November 2.
The league could make its return as soon as December 26. In the meantime, domestic fans will always have the lower leagues and non-league football to look forward to if watching the best players in the world doesn’t do it for them.
