The 2022 World Cup is fast approaching &#8211; but how will the tournament impact FPL? We take a look at everything you need to know about the tournament.

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Article last updated: 12/10/22
<h2>When does the World Cup 2022 start? </h2>
The World Cup starts at 16:00 GMT on Sunday, November 20, with hosts Qatar against Ecuador.
The first day of the event had initially been scheduled as Monday, November 21, with the first match featuring Senegal and the Netherlands. 
But in recent times, the tournament hosts have opened the World Cup and the schedule was altered by FIFA in August, paving the way for Qatar to kick-off the football spectacle. 
The tournament runs until the World Cup final on Sunday, December 18.
<h2>Why is the World Cup 2022 starting in November?</h2>
The World Cup is usually held in the middle of the calendar year, around May-July.
Temperatures in Qatar can hit upwards of 40 degrees Celsius in this time though, and while the country had planned to get around this issue through steps such as air conditioning in stadiums, the decision was eventually taken by FIFA to switch the dates of the World Cup. 
<h2>How will the World Cup 2022 affect the Premier League? </h2>
The change in dates for the 2022 World Cup was, again, not without controversy. 
It will cause disruption to domestic football leagues in Europe as a result, whereas had the World Cup taken place in its usual position, this would have coincided with the European off-season. 
The Premier League is therefore taking a break during the tournament and no games will be held during the event. 
The last round of Premier League fixtures before the World Cup will take place in FPL Gameweek 16, on Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13.
Premier League games will resume in FPL Gameweek 17, from Monday, December 26. 
<div id="attachment_50041" style="width: 493px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-50041" class="wp-image-50041 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FPL-Gameweek-16.jpg" alt="" width="483" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FPL-Gameweek-16.jpg 483w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FPL-Gameweek-16-192x300.jpg 192w" sizes="(max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px" />The last Premier League fixtures before the league breaks for the World Cup</div>
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<h2>How will the World Cup impact FPL, Sky, Telegraph and Sun Dream Team?</h2>
The World Cup will give FPL managers an extra opportunity to refresh their teams with an unofficial third Wildcard.
This was explained at the start of the season on the official FPL website.
It stated: “Unlimited free transfers can also be made between Sat 12 Nov 13:30 and Mon 26 Dec 13:30 when the Premier League season has been adjusted to accommodate the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
For more details about how this has affected FPL strategy, see our Wildcard piece <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-is-the-fantasy-premier-league-wildcard-and-when-to-use-it">here</a>.
Other fantasy formats are handling the World Cup differently.
Sky Sports Fantasy Football managers will be able to make unlimited changes to their team from the point the Premier League breaks for the tournament until matches resume on December 26.
This is the only Overhaul period in Sky this season, with the number of transfers upped from 40 to 50 to account for the loss of a second Overhaul period.
There have been no changes to Telegraph Fantasy Football, with the usual 40 transfers having to last managers the season.
And in Sun Dream Team, the game rules state: &#8220;Managers can make unlimited transfers until 7.59pm on 05/08/2022 and, due to the FIFA World Cup, from 7am on 18/11/2022 to 6.59pm on 202/12/2022.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_48381" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48381" class="wp-image-48381 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poker.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poker.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poker-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poker-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poker-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />FPL managers will get an unofficial extra Wildcard chip. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>Which FPL players are affected by the 2022 World Cup?</h2>
Squads for the 32 competing nations will soon be selected. We will then know which FPL players will be heading to Qatar.
Two high-profile stars will however be getting an extended rest period.
Erling Haaland may be leading the Premier League goalscoring charts but he has no chance of winning the World Cup&#8217;s Golden Boot, after Norway failed to qualify.
Equally, Liverpool&#8217;s Mohamed Salah will play no part, after then teammate Sadio Mane and his Senegal side knocked Egypt out in the third and final round of African regional qualifying.
Other popular premium picks are expected to travel to Qatar though. They include Harry Kane for England, Kevin De Bruyne for Belgium and Son Heung-min for South Korea.
With eight days in between the final and the Premier League&#8217;s Boxing Day return, even players whose countries who make it to the bitter end could feasibly be ready to return to FPL action straight away.
Despite this, many fantasy managers will see the likes of Haaland and Salah as leading picks in their fantasy teams, given the rest they will have enjoyed.
Fantasy Football Hub&#8217;s expert team revealers will explain how they plan to navigate the World Cup from an FPL perspective &#8211; check out their plans nearer the time <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-team-reveals">here</a>.
<div id="attachment_49597" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49597" class="wp-image-49597 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-South-Korea-Son.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-South-Korea-Son.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-South-Korea-Son-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-South-Korea-Son-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-South-Korea-Son-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Son in action for South Korea. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>Is there a World Cup fantasy football?</h2>
There are a number of games expected to be running for fantasy football fans during the World Cup.
The last two major tournaments have seen official games run by FIFA and UEFA, sponsored by McDonald&#8217;s, as well as games run by the likes of Fanteam, Telegraph and Sun.
The Hub will be your go-to place for tips to help you win your World Cup mini-leagues. More details will be released in the run-up to the World Cup as fantasy games are announced and released.
<h2>Where can I read more World Cup fantasy content?</h2>
Start by reading our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/qatar-world-cup-2022-complete-guide-to-the-pre-tournament-form-of-all-32-nations">team-by-team form guide</a>, featuring all the goalscorers, assisters, lineups and results from all the September international fixtures.
This period was many teams&#8217; last chance to play before the tournament begins, although some nations have lined up friendlies in November.
Our form guide will be updated to incorporate those games.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-49492 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide.jpg 1920w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-610x343.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-form-guide-1080x608.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />
<h2>Why is the World Cup being held in Qatar?</h2>
Qatar is a country with a population of around 2.9m people, located on the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. 
It was awarded hosting rights all the way back in 2010. Qatar was joined by Australia, Japan, South Korea and the USA in seeking to host the 2022 tournament. 
Qatar eventually triumphed, gaining 14 of a possible 22 votes from FIFA Executive Committee members. 
But the result was mired in controversy, with allegations of corruption bringing the selection process into disrepute. 
Despite this, Qatar retained hosting rights and will host the tournament as planned. 
<div id="attachment_48723" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48723" class="size-full wp-image-48723" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-2022.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-2022.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-2022-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-2022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-2022-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>Which countries are in the World Cup 2022?</h2>
A total of 205 countries entered qualifying for the World Cup 2022, with 31 places available. 
Qatar, as hosts, qualified automatically for the tournament, making a total of 32 teams. 
Qualification took place regionally, with the six football confederations organising qualification events. 
AFC (Asia): Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, Qatar (hosts)
CAF (Africa): Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia
CONCACAF (North, Central American and Caribbean): Canada, Mexico, USA, Costa Rica
CONMEBOL (South America): Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador
OFC (Oceania): No qualifiers
UEFA (European): Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England and Germany, Wales, Poland, Portugal. 
<h2>Who are the defending World Cup champions?</h2>
France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, defeating Croatia in the final 4-2. 
<div id="attachment_48722" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48722" class="size-full wp-image-48722" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mbappe-World-Cup-2022.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="681" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mbappe-World-Cup-2022.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mbappe-World-Cup-2022-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mbappe-World-Cup-2022-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mbappe-World-Cup-2022-610x406.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Kylian Mbappe holds the World Cup aloft after the 2018 final in Russia. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>Where can I watch the World Cup 2022?</h2>
BBC and ITV have the rights to broadcast the World Cup 2022 games in the UK.
<h2>World Cup 2022 draw: The groups </h2>
The draw for the 2022 World Cup took place in April in Doha, Qatar. 
The 32 nations were split into four pots, based on their FIFA World rankings. 
Qatar, as hosts, were the exception, being placed into pot one alongside the tournament’s seven top seeds. Based on ranking, they would have gone into pot four.
A team from each pot would make up each group, however teams from the same confederation could not be placed in the same group. In the case of European teams, there could be no more than two per group.
The groups were drawn as follows:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
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