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The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in less than a month's time and football fans around the world are already planning out their country's route to ultimate glory.
The tournament is set to begin on Sunday, November 20, when hosts Qatar face Ecuador in Group A. Following the opening clash, four games per day will generally take place during the group stage, with England taking on Iran in the competition's second clash.
On the third day of action, Lionel Messi will begin his fifth and final bid to win a FIFA World Cup as Argentina come up against Saudi Arabia, with the South American champions in red hot form. Defending world champions France kick off on the same day against Australia, with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal beginning their campaign against Ghana on Thursday, November 24.
Each of the 32 teams will play three group games, with their final fixtures of the first stage taking place simultaneously with the teams in the group.
What are the key dates for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The group stage of the Qatar World Cup will conclude on Friday, December 2, with the Round of 16 beginning a day later. The winners of each group will take on the second-placed team in the next group, meaning the winners of group A will play the runners-up in Group B and so on.
That could create some tasty second-round clashes that could include Argentina vs France, Belgium vs Germany, or even Brazil vs Portugal.
Below is a complete list of the teams' group stage clashes and the date they are scheduled to take place on:
The quarter-finals will be played on Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10, with the winners of those fixtures heading to the semi-finals on the 13th and 14th.
The third-place playoff match between the losing semifinalists is scheduled for December 17.
The World Cup final will commence on Sunday, December 18, at the Lusail Iconic Stadium at 6:00 pm local time.
