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The draw for qualification for the 2022 World Cup has taken place, with Ireland receiving a reasonably favorable group.
They will be in a group with Portugal, Serbia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. While there will be some tough games ahead, it’s fair to say that Stephen Kenny will be quite happy with that result.
All eyes will now be firmly on a path to the tournament in Qatar, but what will Ireland have to do to reach it?
While we are all quite familiar with how qualifying for the World Cup usually works, there have been some major changes to the format of this tournament.
In total, there will be 13 places available in the tournament for European nations.
There are ten qualifying groups, with the top ranked teams in each of them they will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup. This is how things have always been done, but there have been some changes in the play-off format where the three remaining places will be decided.
the ten group runners-up will enter the play-offsBut there will be no two-legged ties that Ireland has so often been involved in in the past.
This is where the UEFA Nations League comes in.
The ten teams ranked second will be joined in the play-offs by the two top ranked teams in the UEFA Nations League of the most recent tournament that No finish in the top two of their qualifying group.
We won’t know the identity of those teams until the end of the qualifying groups, but considering that Ireland finished third in a League ‘B’ group, it seems unlikely that we will be able to enter the play-offs via this method. .
Then the 12 teams will be included in three separate four-team tournaments, with unique semifinals and finals that decide the three winners of the tournament. Each of them will win a place in the 2022 World Cup.
This is the same format we recently saw used for the Euro 2020 play-offs, although those spots were based solely on the UEFA Nations League. Who plays home and away in the semi-finals will be decided based on an open draw.
In short, we will most likely have to finish in the top two in Group ‘A’ to get a playoff spot. With Portugal probably ranking first in the group, it leaves Ireland and Serbia battling for second place.
In summary:
- The ten group winners will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
- The ten group finalists will advance to the play-offs.
- They will be joined in the play-offs by the two highest ranked teams in the UEFA Nations League that did not finish in the top two of their groups.
- The 12 teams in the play-offs will be divided into three four-team tournaments, with the winner of each winning a place in the World Cup.
Simple truth?
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