The US Men’s National Team may have stumbled with a 2-0 loss at Costa Rica on Wednesday night, but the match was essentially a formality. The Americans claimed the third spot in CONCACAF and learned their placement in the World Cup draw on Friday.
The US is No. 15 in FIFA world rankings. They will be in Group B with:
- England (No. 5 in the FIFA rankings)
- No. 21 Islamic Republic of Iran
- and the winner of the European playoff. The war in Ukraine caused some delay in the pairing. The winner of a delayed match between No. 27 Ukraine and No. 39 Scotland reaches the European playoff to face No. 18 Wales.
The USMNT plays on the opening day of the World Cup.
- That’s Monday, Nov. 21 against the European playoff qualifier.
- Their second game in the group stage will be vs. England on “Black Friday” — Nov. 25.
- Their final game in the group stage will be Tuesday, Nov. 29 vs. Iran.
The top two teams in Group B would face two teams from Group A in the round of 16. Group A includes host Qatar, The Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.
2022 draw results
The World Cup draw took place during primetime Friday in Doha, the capital of Qatar. It’s an international spectacle and the announcement show began with 45 minutes of animation, speeches and some stage performances.
The 32 World Cup teams were assigned to 1 of 8 groups of four through the drawing. Each group has a team from Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4.
They separate teams in the same confederation, so the USMNT knew it wouldn’t be in a group with another CONCACAF team.
- The host country and the top seven teams in the world went into Pot 1.
- FIFA placed teams 8-15 into Pot 2.
- Pot 3 includes teams 16-23.
- Pot 4 includes teams 24-28, plus placeholders for two intercontinental playoff winners and a UEFA playoff winner.
| World Cup Group Draw | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | No. 51 Qatar (Host) | No. 10 Netherlands | No. 20 Senegal | No. 46 Ecuador |
| Group B | No. 5 England | No. 15 United States | No. 21 IR Iran | No. 18 Wales |
| Group C | No. 4 Argentina | No. 9 Mexico | No. 26 Poland | No. 49 Saudi Arabia |
| Group D | No. 3 France | No. 11 Denmark | No. 35 Tunisia | No. 42 Australia |
| Group E | No. 7 Spain | No. 12 Germany | No. 23 Japan | No. 31 Costa Rica |
| Group F | No. 2 Belgium | No. 16 Croatia | No. 24 Morocco | No. 38 Canada |
| Group G | No. 1 Brazil | No. 14 Switzerland | No. 25 Serbia | No. 37 Cameroon |
| Group H | No. 8 Portugal | No. 13 Uruguay | No. 29 Korea Republic | No. 60 Ghana |
The process started with the FIFA World Rankings, which were released a day earlier on Thursday, March 31. Mexico is No. 9 in CONCACAF followed by the USMNT at No. 15. Canada earned the top spot in the World Cup qualifying and landed at No. 38.
A fourth CONCACAF team could get in: No. 31 Costa Rica faces No. 101 New Zealand on June 13 in an intercontinental playoff for a World Cup spot. That match takes place in Qatar.
World Cup 2022 schedule
The World Cup draw is like NCAA basketball’s “Selection Sunday,” but on a global scale.
The four teams in the groups play a round-robin, with three points awarded for a win and a point for draws. Goal differentials break ties and the top two teams from each group advance to the 16-team knockout round. The knockout round is like the single-elimination March Madness bracket we’re used to seeing this time of year:
- World Cup play kicks off Nov. 21. Group play continues through Dec. 2
- The round of 16 begins Dec. 3-6. The quarterfinals follow Dec. 9-10.
- Semifinals take place Dec. 13-14.
- The third-place match is Saturday, Dec. 17 and the championship is Sunday, Dec. 18.
The global event is usually a summer highlight, but organizers moved the World Cup to colder months because of the oppressive heat in Qatar.
Why Iowa is a good state for World Cup futures bets
Moments after the draw was announced, Iowa’s 18 sportsbook operators went to work adjusting World Cup futures odds based on the group pairings. Iowa sportsbook customers have some of the country’s widest range of odds to choose from. Only Colorado (26) and New Jersey (23) have more sportsbooks.
It’s also easy to set up an account in Iowa. The state has remote registration, meaning you can set up your first bet from anywhere within the state using a desktop or mobile device.
