It’s crunch time on the road to Qatar 2022 for European nations – who has qualified and who is in position to reach next year’s World Cup finals?
Two of Europe’s 13 FIFA World Cup spots have been secured and eight more teams can book their spots during the final set of group fixtures.
The winners of each group automatically qualify for the tournament, which runs from November 21 to December 18, 2022, and three more teams will seal their place at the end of the play-offs in March.
Here, we run through the state of play in each of the 10 groups at the business end of the qualification process, with several heavyweights under pressure.
Who has qualified?
GermanyDenmark
What are the groups?
Group A: Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
Group B: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo
Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Group D: France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Group E: Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia
Group F: Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group G: Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group H: Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta
Group I: England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino
Group J: Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein
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Group A – Can Ronaldo’s Portugal avoid play-offs?
Serbia’s win over Azerbaijan means they remain a point ahead of Portugal, having played a game more.
The group winner will be one of those two sides as Luxembourg and Republic of Ireland now sit 10 and 11 points behind Portugal respectively.
Azerbaijan remain stranded at the bottom of the group on one point.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Azerbaijan vs Luxembourg – kick-off 5pm
November 11: Republic of Ireland vs Portugal – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Luxembourg vs Republic of Ireland – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Portugal vs Serbia – kick-off 7.45pm
Group B – Work to do for Spain
Sweden moved two points clear of Spain at the top of Group B thanks to their 2-0 win over Greece.
Greece are not out of the frame for a second-placed finish, being four points behind Spain with two to play.
Kosovo and Georgia are out of contention in fourth and fifth with four points each.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Georgia vs Sweden – kick-off 5pm
November 11: Greece vs Spain – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Greece vs Kosovo – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Spain vs Sweden – kick-off 7.45pm
Group C – Italy-Switzerland showdown
Switzerland moved level on points with Italy thanks to a 4-0 win over Lithuania but remain in second place due to the Azzurri’s superior goal difference.
Northern Ireland’s hopes of a play-off place were ended as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Bulgaria, who are also out of contention.
Lithuania remain bottom having only taken three points from their seven games.
Remaining fixtures:
November 12: Italy vs Switzerland – kick-off 7.45pm
November 12: Northern Ireland vs Lithuania – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Northern Ireland vs Italy – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Switzerland vs Bulgaria – kick-off 7.45pm
Group D – France in pole position
Ukraine’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina means France are three points clear at the top with a game in hand, putting them on the brink of winning the group.
Ukraine are followed in the standings by Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the three nations only separated by two points and therefore all still in with a shout of securing a top-two finish.
Kazakhstan, however, have too much to do.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Finland – kick-off 2pm
November 13: France vs Kazakhstan – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Finland vs France – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Ukraine – kick-off 7.45pm
Group E – Can Wales seal the deal?
Belgium sit at the top of the group, but they are not yet certain of qualification as Wales are five points behind them with two games to play.
Czech Republic sit above Wales on goal difference in second place, but cannot overhaul Belgium as they have played a game more.
Belgium can seal their qualification with victory over fourth-placed Estonia, with Wales taking on bottom side Belarus in their next game as they continue to fight for a place at the tournament.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Wales vs Belarus – kick-off 7.45pm
November 13: Belgium vs Estonia – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Wales vs Belgium – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Czech Republic vs Estonia – kick-off 7.45pm
Group F – Scotland on course for second
Denmark became the second European team to book their place at the 2022 World Cup as their 1-0 win over Austria last time continued their perfect record in Group F.
Scotland are well-placed to secure second place in the group thanks to their victories over Israel and Faroe Islands.
Israel now sit four points behind Scotland in third place with two games to play, while Austria are now out of qualification contention, along with Faroe Islands and Moldova.
Remaining fixtures:
November 12: Moldova vs Scotland – kick-off 5pm
November 12: Austria vs Israel – kick-off 7.45pm
November 12: Denmark vs Faroe Islands – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Israel vs Faroe Islands – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Scotland vs Denmark – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Austria vs Moldova – kick-off 7.45pm
Group G – Netherlands closing in
The Netherlands are closing in on automatic qualification after beating Gibraltar last time out, but they are still only two points ahead of Norway with two games to play.
Louis van Gaal’s side complete their qualifiers away against Montenegro and home to Norway.
Turkey snatched a 2-1 win against Latvia last time out as Burak Yilmaz scored from the penalty spot deep into injury time to revive their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
The victory left them four points behind Group G leaders the Netherlands and two points behind Norway with two matches left to play.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Norway vs Latvia – kick-off 5pm
November 13: Turkey vs Gibraltar – kick-off 6pm
November 13: Montenegro vs Netherlands – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Gibraltar vs Latvia – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Montenegro vs Turkey – kick-off 7.45pm
November 16: Netherlands vs Norway – kick-off 7.45pm
Group H – Russia, Croatia to do battle
Croatia dented their hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2022 World Cup after a 2-2 home draw with Slovakia that left them trailing Russia by two points in a two-team race for the top spot.
The Russians, who have 19 points from eight games, beat Slovenia 2-1 away to leapfrog Croatia, who came from behind twice against the Slovakians and had a late goal scrapped after a VAR check.
Russia host Cyprus and Croatia visit Malta in the penultimate round of games before the top two clash three days later in what is likely to be a decisive battle for an automatic berth.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Russia vs Cyprus – kick-off 5pm
November 11: Malta vs Croatia – kick-off 7.45pm
November 11: Slovakia vs Slovenia – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Malta vs Slovakia – kick-off 2pm
November 14: Slovenia vs Cyprus – kick-off 2pm
November 14: Croatia vs Russia – kick-off 2pm
Group I – England’s top-spot task clear
England need four points from their remaining two games, at home to Albania and away to San Marino, to be certain of top spot following their 1-1 draw with Hungary last time out.
Poland are in a strong position for a play-off spot after they beat Albania 1-0 to move into second place.
Hungary impressed in their 1-1 draw with England at Wembley but their hopes of reaching a second successive major tournament are over.
Remaining fixtures:
November 12: Andorra vs Poland – kick-off 7.45pm
November 12: England vs Albania – kick-off 7.45pm
November 12: Hungary vs San Marino – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: San Marino vs England – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Albania vs Andorra – kick-off 7.45pm
November 15: Poland vs Hungary – kick-off 7.45pm
Group J – Germany through, second up for grabs
Germany became the first European team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup by crushing North Macedonia 4-0 away to secure top spot in Group J with two games to spare.
North Macedonia and Armenia are locked in a battle for second place, with Romania not out of the equation yet.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Romania vs Iceland – kick-off 7.45pm
November 11: Germany vs Liechtenstein – kick-off 7.45pm
November 14: Armenia vs Germany – kick-off 5pm
November 14: Liechtenstein vs Romania – kick-off 5pm
November 14: North Macedonia vs Iceland – kick-off 5pm
World Cup 2022 Euro Qualifiers: All you need to know
How many European nations qualify?
A total of 13 slots in the final tournament are available for UEFA teams. The 55 teams have been split into five groups of five and five groups of six.
The winners of the 10 groups will qualify automatically for the finals, which for the first time will be played in November and December of 2022 to avoid the punishing summer heat in the Middle East.
What happens if you finish second in your group?
A further three places will be fought out between the 10 group runners-up and the two highest-ranked teams from the Nations League who have not already qualified or finished in a runners-up spot.
These 12 teams will be divided into three play-off paths, each featuring four countries, to determine the final three European berths. The format will consist of two knockout rounds from which the three additional teams qualify.
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.