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World Cup 2022 tables: Group stage standings and England’s route to the final

Kylian Mbappe - World Cup 2022: Group standings and England's route to the final - Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Kylian Mbappe - World Cup 2022: Group standings and England's route to the final - Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Will England and Gareth Southgate end 56 years of hurt at the Qatar 2022 World Cup? Will Brazil live up to their favourites tag and lift the trophy? Or will a dark horse emerge triumphant?

The long-awaited tournament kicked off on November 20 with the host nation losing to Ecuador in Group A. That was the first of 64 games taking place during a feast of football that runs all the way until December 18.

You can pick your most likely winner with The Telegraph's World Cup predictor. Select which of the 32 teams will finish first, second and third place in each group. Then choose the winner of each knockout round to find out who you think will be crowned World Cup champions.

How many groups are there?

There are eight groups of four teams at this year's World Cup.

How many teams are there?

There are 32 teams competing in Qatar.

What are the latest standings?

What are the permutations in each group?

Before the final round of fixtures in each group...

In Group A

Ecuador-Senegal  (29 November, 3pm)
Netherlands-Qatar (29 November, 3pm)

Qatar were the first team knocked out of the World Cup. Netherlands must win or draw to qualify and can lose and still qualify if Ecuador beat Senegal. Ecuador must win or draw to go through but could still qualify if they lose and Netherlands are beaten by Qatar. Senegal must win to qualify but are still in contention if they draw and Qatar beat the Netherlands.

In Group B

Wales-England (29 November, 7pm)
Iran-USA (29 November, 7pm)

England go through with either a win or a draw against Wales. If they lose, they are still likely to qualify on goal difference. Wales must win to reach the knockouts. Iran will definitely go through if they beat the USA and could go through with a draw as long as Wales do not beat England. The USA are through if they beat Iran, out if they lose or draw.

In Group C

Saudi Arabia v Mexico (30 November, 7pm)
Poland v Argentina (30 November, 7pm)

Poland go through with a win or a draw but are out if they lose and Saudi Arabia win. Should Poland lose and the Saudis draw, it'll come down to goal difference, as it will if Poland lose and Mexico win. If Argentina win they go through, but a draw would be enough if there's no winner in the other match. A draw and a Saudi victory would end Argentina's World Cup, while a draw combined with a Saudi loss would mean the group is decided on goal difference. Lose and Argentina are out. Saudi Arabia will go through if they win and will go out if they lose. A draw would also send them through if Poland beat Argentina but draws in both games mean they are out. It'll be down to goal difference if Argentina beat Poland and Saudi Arabia draw. Mexico must win. If Poland also win, Mexico are through. If Poland draw, or if Argentina win it'll be down to goal difference.

In Group D

Tunisia-France (30 November, 3pm)
Australia-Denmark (30 November, 3pm)

France are through. Australia will go through if they win. If they draw, they'll still go through unless Tunisia beat France. Denmark will go through with a win, unless Tunisia beat France, in which case it'll be down to goal difference. Tunisia caa still theoretically go through if they beat France and Denmark do not lose to Australia.

In Group E

Japan-Spain (1 December, 7pm)
Costa Rica-Germany (1 December 7pm)

Spain top the standings with four points and now need only a draw in their final Group E game against Japan to progress. A win would send them through to the knockout round in first place. Germany, who claimed a vital draw with Spain, are bottom of the table on one point. They need to win against Costa Rica on Thursday and their hopes then depend on Japan losing. If Japan draw it would come down to goal difference or goals scored by Germany and Japan.

In Group F

Croatia-Belgium (1 December, 3pm)
Canada-Morocco (1 December, 3pm)

A thumping victory over Canada moved Croatia to the top of Group F on four points. They now need only a draw in their final game against third-placed Belgium, who are a point behind after losing to Morocco, to guarantee a knockout spot. Belgium must beat Croatia to stay in the competition. Morocco can guarantee their progress by beating Canada, who are now out.

In Group G

Serbia-Switzerland (2 December, 7pm)
Cameron-Brazil (2 December, 7pm)

Permutations TBC

In Group H

South Korea-Portugal (2 December, 3pm)
Ghana-Uruguay (2 December, 3pm)

Permutations TBC

Which groups are England and Wales in?

England and Wales were both drawn in Group B. England started with a 6-2 win over Iran while Wales drew 1-1 with the USA. Wales lost their second game, to Iran before England drew 0-0 with the USA.

What are the other teams to keep an eye on?

Other leading teams include reigning champions France, who have won Group D, and who England could meet in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Germany and Spain are battling it out alongside Costa Rica and Japan in Group E. While Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea vie for supremacy in Group H.

Brazil, the five-time champions face Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G.

Fellow South Americans Argentina are also tipped to go far in this year’s tournament, but were stunned by Saudi Arabia in their opening game in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.

What is the World Cup 2022 schedule?

If England win Group B

In the round of 16 England would play the runners-up of Group A, which features Qatar, Holland, Ecuador, and Senegal.

The quarter-final would be against either the winners of Group D, France, or against the runner up in Group C, which contains Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico or Poland.

If England reached the semi-finals, they could meet either Belgium or Portugal, strong contenders in Group F and H, and a potential final could see England meet Spain, Brazil, or Germany.

If England finish as runners-up in Group B

This would set up a clash with the winner of Group A: probably Holland. After that, the quarter-final would probably be against Argentina or Denmark.

In this scenario, should England make it to the semi-finals, their opponents might be one of either Spain, Germany, or Brazil, the cream of the crop from Groups E and G, to set up a possible final against France, Belgium, or Portugal.

Quarter-finals

The first two quarter-finals will take place on Friday, December 9, at 3pm, with the other two fixtures on Saturday, December 10, at 3pm and 7pm.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, December 13 and Wednesday, December 14.

Final

The World Cup final will take place on Sunday, December 18 at 3pm at Lusail Iconic Stadium.