The UEFA Second Round of the qualification tournament for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, also known as the UEFA play-offs, is contested by twelve teams from the UEFA segment of qualifying.
The play-offs will determine the final three European teams that will join the group winners at the World Cup in Qatar.
The ten runners-up from the UEFA First Round groups participate in the play-offs, along with two group winners from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.
The teams were divided into three paths, each containing four teams, with each play-off path featuring two single-leg semi-finals, and one single-leg final.
The nine matches will take place in March 2022.
Format
The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019.
The play-offs will depend, in part, on results from the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, although to a lesser degree than play-offs of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament.
Unlike previous editions, the play-offs will not be contested in two-legged ties.
Instead, the twelve teams were split into three play-off paths, each containing four teams.
Each play-off path will feature two single-leg semi-finals on 24 March, and one single-leg final on 29 March 2022.
The winner of the final in each play-off path will then qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The semi-finals will be hosted by the six best-ranked runners-up of the qualifying group stage, while the host of the final was determined by a draw.
The play-offs will be played in single-leg knockout matches.
If scores are level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time is played, where each team is allowed to make a sixth substitution.
If the scores remain tied, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner.
Following approval from the UEFA Executive Committee in December 2019, the use of the video assistant referee system was approved for the entire World Cup qualification tournament.
Qualified teams
Twelve teams advanced to the play-offs.
Unlike previous editions, all participants were not decided solely on the results of the first round.
Two of the twelve spots were allocated to group winners of the 2020–21 edition of the UEFA Nations League.
Second-placed teams (all ten advance)
The ten runners-up from the UEFA First Round advanced to the play-offs.
Based on the results from the qualifying group stage, the six best-ranked teams were seeded, while the bottom four were unseeded in the semi-final draw.
Nations League group winners (best two advance)
Based on the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League overall ranking, the best two Nations League group winners that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group advanced to the play-offs and were unseeded in the semi-final draw.
Key
Team qualified directly for World Cup as qualifying group winner
Team advanced to the play-offs as qualifying group runner-up
Team (in bold) advanced to the play-offs as one of the best two Nations League group winners outside top two of their qualifying group
Draw
Following the completion of the UEFA First Round, the twelve teams that advanced to the play-offs were drawn into three paths of four teams on 26 November 2021, 17:00 CET, in Zürich, Switzerland.
The following procedure was applied in the draw:
The six seeded teams were allocated to semi-finals 1 to 6 as the host team in the order drawn.
The six unseeded teams were allocated to semi-finals 1 to 6 as the away team in the order drawn.
Play-off Path A was formed by semi-finals 1 and 2, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final A.
Play-off Path B was formed by semi-finals 3 and 4, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final B.
Play-off Path C was formed by semi-finals 5 and 6, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final C.
The semi-final winners that host play-off finals A, B and C were decided by a draw.
For political reasons, matches between Russia and Ukraine were considered prohibited clashes, unable to be drawn into the same play-off path.
Armenia / Azerbaijan, Gibraltar / Spain, Kosovo / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo / Serbia and Kosovo / Russia were also identified as prohibited clashes, but one or both of the teams did not advance to the play-offs.
The six runners-up with the best group stage performance were seeded in the semi-final draw, while the remaining four runners-up and two teams advancing via the Nations League were unseeded.
The seedings were as follows:
Schedule
The semi-finals will take place on 24 March, and the final matches on 29 March 2022.
The kick-off times were confirmed on 26 November 2021 following the draw.
Times are CET/CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Path A
Bracket
Summary
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Semi-finals
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Final Semi-finals
---- Final
Path B
Bracket
Summary
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Semi-finals
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Final Semi-finals
---- Final
Path C
Bracket
Summary
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Semi-finals
|- | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:whitesmoke;" | Final Semi-finals
---- Final
Discipline
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:
Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions are carried forward to the play-offs, but not the finals or any other future international matches)
The following suspensions will be served during the second round qualifying matches:
Notes
References
External links
Qualifiers – Europe, FIFA.com
European Qualifiers, UEFA.com
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