FIFA World Cup 2022 intercontinental play-offs: When, where, teams involved, how it works and past results

The final picture for the 2022 World Cup is beginning to take shape.

While a number of nations have already booked their place in Qatar, the full, final list will not be set in stone until June with two intercontinental play-off winners then finalizing the 32nd.

Intercontinental play-offs have thrown up some incredible games in recent memory, with nations from differing Confederations pushing for a place at the World Cup. In the past, the Playoffs have been played across two legs, but this year, the matches are single, 90-minute affairs, lending to potentially more exciting matchups.

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With four teams from four Confederations battling for just two World Cup spots, here’s how the intercontinental Playoffs will proceed.

Intercontinental play-off schedule

The two intercontinental World Cup play-off matchups in June will pit one Nation from four Confederations – AFC, CONCAF, CONMEBOL and OFC – against another in a one-off game.

The identity of the three playoff players will be known by the end of March, but the AFC representative will not be decided until June 7 with a playoff game between the two Asian nations who finished third in their groups scheduled for that date.

FIFA World Cup intercontinental play-off format

The structure of the FIFA World Cup play-off format has been Simplified in recent qualification cycles to bring it into a one-game format.

Based on the amount of traveling, often in the mid-domestic season for players, objects were raised with criticisms over unfair advantages to ‘Stronger’ Confederations.

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FIFA confirmed the intercontinental play-offs for 2022 will all be played at neutral Venues in Qatar with no controversy over venue choice. The governing body also confirmed that since the matches will be played in neutral Venues, they will be completed across one 90 minute game rather than two leg matches home and away.

The only Confederations without a spot in the intercontinental playoffs are UEFA and CAF, who confirm all their direct places Outright through their qualification Setups.

The matchups are re-drawn every cycle with a special Intercontinental Playoff draw, with the four participating Confederations (AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC) all drawn out of a pot and matched up against each other. This cycle’s draw, which took place in November of 2021, pitted the South American participant against the Asian participant, while the North American participant will take on the Oceania Winner.

How intercontinental play-off Qualifiers have fared at the World Cup

The intercontinental play-off structure has offered nations an additional route to the biggest competition in international football.

The majority of sides have bowed out in the group stages of the tournament itself but a shot at the World Cup has allowed fans from the nations outside of the established elite the chance to be involved in the Greatest show on Earth.

History of FIFA intercontinental play-offs

FIFA included intercontinental play-offs into the World Cup qualification cycles ahead of the 1974 tournament in West Germany.

However, the Inaugural game was dogged by political controversy after the Soviet Union side refused to travel to Chile for the return leg in Santiago following a coup d’etat in the country, with the Chileans given a walkover into the competition.

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Since then, the intercontinental play-off structure has been an ever present part of the World Cup Qualifying with 1982 the only exception with the match ups changing from 1986 onwards.

UEFA v CONMEBOL was replaced by UEFA v OFC or CONMEBOL v OFC, before becoming a four team set up ahead of the 1994 World Cup, except for another temporary reversal ahead of France ’98.