The 2022 World Cup playoffs UEFA section Explained to the Best of My Ability
| Seed | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Seeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A |  Portugal | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 17 | Seeded in semi-final draw |
| 2 | F |  Scotland | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 17 | |
| 3 | C |  Italy | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 16 | |
| 4 | H |  Russia | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 16 | |
| 5 | B |  Sweden | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 15 | |
| 6 | E |  Wales | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 15 | |
| 7 | G |  Turkey | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 15 | Unseeded in semi-final draw |
| 8 | I |  Poland | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 14 | |
| 9 | J |  North Macedonia | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 12 | |
| 10 | D |  Ukraine | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 12 |
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1. Points; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Away goals scored; 5. Wins; 6. Away wins; 7. Lower disciplinary points total; 8. Position in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.[40]
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1. Points; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Away goals scored; 5. Wins; 6. Away wins; 7. Lower disciplinary points total; 8. Position in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.[40]
| UNL | Rank | UNL group winner | Qualifying group |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 |  France & | D |
| 2 |  Spain & | B | |
| 3 | Italy  | C | |
| 4 |  Belgium & | E | |
| B | 17 | Wales | E |
| 18 |  Austria  | F | |
| 19 |  Czech Republic | E | |
| 20 |  Hungary | I | |
| C | 33 |  Slovenia | H |
| 34 |  Montenegro | G | |
| 35 |  Albania | I | |
| 36 |  Armenia | J | |
| D | 49 |  Gibraltar | G |
| 50 |  Faroe Islands | F |
Unusual times call for unusual explanations. The top chart is a list of the ten Group Runner Ups and how the rankings for the seeded and unseeded teams were determined . As stated below the graphic only results against the top five teams in the group were counted as some groups had five teams and some had six teams.
Next the two NL teams and why only two instead of four as in the Euros. Well, only thirteen European teams qualify for the WC compared to twenty four for the Euros. As explained in the NL graphic the top teams in League A finished in the top two of their qualifying group, so next to group B . Wales finished as a group runner up , so the the next best teams in League B were Austria and the Czechs , who qualified as the two best NL teams since they finished lower than second in their group. These rankings are the results of the Nations League played last year and continued after the break due two the pandemic.
That is how the dozen playoff teams were decided . The ten runners up and Austria and the Czechs as the two NL teams . Now the question of Paths A, B , and C for the playoffs. Below is Path A. Each Path has four teams consisting of two seeded and two unseeded teams . The semis are one off matches as is the final. In the semis , the seeded teams are at home and in the final the host team has yet to be determined.Listed below is the bracket for Path A with the dates of the semis and the final in late March. Paths B and C work the same exact way and are played on the same dates.In each Path the winner qualifies for the WC, which determines the three playoff teams that qualify. Any questions?
Path A[edit]
Bracket[edit]
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 24 March 2022 | ||||||
| Seeded team | ||||||
| 29 March 2022 | ||||||
| Unseeded team | ||||||
| Winner semi-final 1/2 | ||||||
| 24 March 2022 | ||||||
| Winner semi-final 1/2 | ||||||
| Seeded team | ||||||
| Unseeded team | ||||||
Summary[edit]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-finals | ||
| Seeded team | 24 Mar (SF1) | Unseeded team |
| Seeded team | 24 Mar (SF2) | Unseeded team |
| Final | ||
| Winner semi-final 1/2 | 29 Mar | Winner semi-final 1/2 |
Semi-finals[edit]
posted by manunitedrules @ 7:36 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks, David - that really clarifies all of the issues I had in my head. I'll look forward to those matches in March, as I'll be on my long-awaited sabbatical leave!
I think the venue of the final in each path will be determined at the draw on Nov 26
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