The 2022 Soccer World Championships are around the corner. Fans and bettors everywhere are excited for the upcoming tournament, which serves as the most prestigious tournament for the soccer world every four years.
This year, the Soccer World Championships will be held in Qatar, the first time it'll be held in an Arab nation. The date is also different from when it traditionally is in the past, due to the hot summers in Qatar.
Below is all the information you'll need to know about the upcoming tournament in our 2022 Soccer World Championship Betting Guide.
Where will the Soccer World Championships be held?
The Soccer World Championships will be held in Qatar, starting on November 20 and concluding on December 18. As mentioned before, it's the first tournament that will ever be held in a host nation in the Arab world. It's also only the second Soccer World Championships that will be held entirely in the continent of Asia, after one was held in Japan and South Korea 20 years ago in 2002.
The tournament is traditionally held in June, but because of the oppressive summer heat in Qatar, it had to be moved to November and December, which is autumn in the northern hemisphere. This will be the first tournament that won't be held in either May, June or July.
Who Won the Last World Championships?
France is the defending champion heading into the 2022 Soccer World Championships, having won the 2018 version that was held in Russia. It was the second-ever title for France, which is entering the 2022 version as one of the favorites again.
France advanced out of Group C with seven points in its three matches. In the Knockout Stages, France defeated Argentina (4-3) in the Round of 16, Uruguay (2-0) in the Quarterfinals, Belgium (1-0) in the Semifinals and then Croatia (4-2) in the Finals.
Who Qualified for the Soccer World Championships 2022?
There are 32 teams that qualified for the Soccer World Championships 2022. It will be the last tournament that will feature 32 teams, as the field will expand to 48 teams for the 2026 version and beyond.
Group A will feature Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands. Group B will feature England, Iran, United States and Wales. Group C features Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. Group D features France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.
Group E will feature Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan. Group F will feature Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia. Group G will feature Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. Finally, Group H will feature Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
The Soccer World Championship Tournament Structure
The Soccer World Championship tournament has multiple stages. The first is called the Group Stage. Each of the 32 teams were split into groups of four teams each, as mentioned in the last section. Each team plays every other team in its group during this stage.
After each team plays three matches within its group, the top two teams from each group will advance to the next stage, which is the Knockout Stage. This is a single-elimination tournament at this point, with the winner advancing and the loser going home.
The Knockout Stage consists of four rounds, the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and then the Finals. The losers of the two Semifinal matches will play each other in the Third Place game.
In the Group Stage, matches can end in a draw. There is extra time, but no penalty shootout if the match is still tied at that point. During the Knockout Stages, there are no draws. Therefore, if a match is still tied after regulation and extra time, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.
How teams qualify from the groups
Teams receive points for every match they play in the Group Stage, based on the outcome of each match. The teams are then ranked according to their point totals. The top two teams from each group according to these points will then qualify to move on to the Knockout Stage.
Points awarded
Teams are awarded points in the Group Stage matches based on the outcome. For every win, a team will be awarded three points. For every tie, they will be awarded one point. Teams do not receive any points for a loss.The teams in each group will be ranked according to the total points they are able to accumulate during their three Group Stage matches.
What happens if two teams tally from the group before going to the round of 16?
There is the possibility that two teams in a group could end up earning the same number of points in Group Stage matches. If this happens, there are tie-breaking rules in place that will determine which teams move onto the Knockout Stage.
Criteria are:
Goal difference
Each team will have their goal difference calculated during Group Stage matches, and then ranked according to that from best to worst. For example, if a team scores 10 goals and gives up 5 goals, their goal differential will be +5.
Goals scored
If the teams are still tied after points and goal difference, then they will be ranked by the total number of goals they scored during all Group Stage matches.
Points from group stage matches involving the tied teams
If teams are still tied in the standings at this point, the next criteria is the number of points the teams gained playing against each other during the Group Stage. If one team defeated the other, for instance, that winning team would be the one to advance.
Goal differential in group stage matches involving the tied teams
The next criteria is the goal difference in the matches during Group Stages between the two teams that are tied.
Goals scored in group stage matches involving the tied teams
If still tied, the total number of goals scored in the match will be used as the determining factor as to which team advances.
Did Canada ever win the Soccer World Championships?
Canada has never won the Soccer World Championships before. In fact, their qualification for 2022 is only the second in the nation's history.
When did they make their first appearance in the World Championships?
Canada made its first appearance in the World Championships back in 1986. That year, they didn't advance out of the Group Stage.
Canada Soccer National Team
The Canada Soccer National Team is riding high entering the 2022 tournament, as they finished at the top of CONCACAF during qualification.
Some Facts about the team and the players
Canada is led by their head coach John Herdman and is captained by Atiba Hutchinson. The biggest accomplishments in history is winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000 and the 1985 CONCACAF Championship.
Hutchinson is the all-time leader in caps for the country, appearing in 97 matches from 2003 to now. The nation's all-time leading goalscorer is current player Cyle Larin, who has 25 goals in 54 caps. Current player Jonathan David isn't far behind, though, with 22 goals in 34 caps.
How to Bet on Soccer World Championships 2022
There are many ways to bet on the Soccer World Championships 2022. Below is a brief description of many of the most popular ways.
Pre match
You can place a bet before the match even begins. In the Group Stage, there is three-way betting available, since matches can end in a draw. You can bet on the moneyline, against-the-spread and total goals scored, among other bets.
In-play
Another option is to bet on in-play betting. Sportsbooks will update the lines for all the major bets available as the game progresses, and based on what's happening. The lines will move based on the score, how much time is left in the match and any other major developments.
Alternative Bets
There are also some alternative bets that you can make on the Soccer World Championships 2022. Some of the most common ones are listed below.
Accumulators
Accumulators are also known as parlays. These bets involve placing a single bet on multiple matches/outcomes at once. For instance, you would select multiple "legs" that could include the winner of three different matches.
The benefit of accumulators is that the payout odds are much greater than if you placed separate bets on each of the three different matches in question, for instance. The downside, though, is that all three of your selections must be correct in order for the accumulator to win. If even one of them loses, the entire bet loses.
Bet on Top Goalscorer
One of the top individual futures bet to make on the Soccer World Championships is which player will finish the tournament as the top goalscorer. The player who ends up scoring the most goals will win this bet for his backers.
Sportsbooks will set futures odds for each individual contender for this title, based on who is most likely to score the most goals.
Bet on Top Assists
You can place a similar futures bet on which individual player will finish the tournament with the most assists. Again, the sportsbook will set futures odds for each individual player who's a contender for this title, based on which player is most likely to finish the tournament with the most assists.