FIFA World Cup schedule 2022: Complete match dates, times, fixtures and results from Qatar

Author Photo
FIFA 2022 World Cup - logo - Qatar - mobile

The 2022 FIFA World Cup closed with a bang as Argentina claimed their first title since 1986 with a penalty shootout victory over France which many are calling the greatest men's World Cup game in history.

It featured two goals by Lionel Messi, a hat-trick for Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe, two dramatic French comebacks, and a spectacular save by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez that foiled a late French winner at the end of extra time.

In the shootout, Argentina were perfect from the spot, while France failed to convert two, and the Albiceleste claimed the cup.

Meanwhile, Croatia beat surprise side Morocco in the third-place consolation match. It's the third time in six participations in the FIFA World Cup that the small European country finished among the top three.

MORE: Final top scorer rankings | Final World Cup country rankings

World Cup 2022 tournament format

The 2022 World Cup followed along the lines of recent editions, with a 32-team group stage that whittled the field down to 16 teams — only the top two teams from each of the eight groups survived.

Those 16 group-stage qualifiers advanced to the single-elimination knockout stages — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final — where the winner moved on and the loser went home. There had to be a winner on the day for every knockout-round match, and extra time and penalty kicks were used, if necessary, to determine the victor.

MORE: World Cup group tiebreakers and how they worked

What time did World Cup games start in Qatar?

There were up to four matches daily during the group stage with simultaneous matches held on the final day of the group-stage phase for competitive integrity. Throughout the knockout rounds, there were only a maximum of two matches per day up to and including the quarterfinals. There was only one featured contest in the final four matchdays that remained (two semifinal dates, third-place and the final).

Every time zone in the world got a chance to watch matches at decent times throughout their day, which was great for football fans. Here's a breakdown of how the local kickoff times in Qatar translate across various regions around the world.

MORE: Why was the 2022 World Cup played in Qatar?

World Cup 2022 kickoff times

Stage(s) Local
(Qatar)
USA & Canada
(ET)
UK
(GMT)
Australia
(AEDT)
India
(IST)
Group stage only 1 p.m. 5 a.m. 10 a.m. 9 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Group stage only 4 p.m. 8 a.m. 1 p.m. 12 a.m. 6:30 p.m.
Knockouts only 6 p.m. 10 a.m. 3 p.m. 2 a.m. 8:30 p.m.
Group stage only 7 p.m. 11 a.m. 4 p.m. 3 a.m. 9:30 p.m.
Group/Knockouts 10 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 6 a.m. 12:30 a.m.

Complete World Cup 2022 match schedule

Here's the final knockout round bracket after Argentina's final victory. The complete group stage standings follow at the end of this post.

2022 FIFA World Cup bracket December 18 update
(The Sporting News)

World Cup Round of 16

Date Match  
Sat, Dec. 3 Netherlands 3, USA 1 Highlights
Sat, Dec. 3 Argentina 2, Australia 1 Highlights
Sun, Dec. 4 France 3, Poland 1 Highlights
Sun, Dec. 4 England 3, Senegal 0 Highlights
Mon, Dec. 5 Japan 1, Croatia 1 (1-3 pens) Highlights
Mon, Dec. 5 Brazil 4, South Korea 1 Highlights
Tues, Dec. 6 Morocco 0, Spain 0 (3-0 pens) Highlights
Tues, Dec. 6 Portugal 6, Switzerland 1 Highlights

World Cup Quarterfinals

Date Match  
Fri, Dec. 9 Croatia 1, Brazil 1
(Croatia win 4-2 on pens)
Highlights
Fri, Dec. 9 Netherlands 2, Argentina 2
(Argentina win 4-3 on pens)
Highlights
Sat, Dec. 10 Morocco 1, Portugal 0 Highlights
Sat, Dec. 10 England 1, France 2 Highlights

World Cup Semifinals

Date Match  
Tues, Dec. 13 Argentina 3, Croatia 0 Highlights
Wed, Dec. 14 France 2, Morocco 0 Highlights

World Cup 3rd Place

Date Match  
Sat, Dec. 17 Croatia 2, Morocco 1 Highlights

World Cup Final

Date Match  
Sun, Dec. 18 Argentina 3, France 3
(Argentina win 4-2 on pens)
Highlights

World Cup 2022 group stage

World Cup Group A table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Netherlands-Q 7 3 2 0 1 5 1 +4
2. Senegal-Q 6 3 2 1 0 5 4 +1
3. Ecuador-E 4 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1
4. Qatar-E 0 3 0 3 0 1 7 -6
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group A match schedule

Date Match  
Sun, Nov. 20 Qatar 0, Ecuador 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 21 Senegal 0, Netherlands 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Nov. 25 Qatar 1, Senegal 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Nov. 25 Netherlands 1, Ecuador 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Tues, Nov. 29 Netherlands 2, Qatar 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Tues, Nov. 29 Ecuador 1, Senegal 2 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group B table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. England-Q 7 3 2 0 1 9 2 +7
2. USA-Q 5 3 1 0 2 2 1 +1
3. Iran-E 3 3 1 2 0 4 7 -3
4. Wales-E 1 3 0 2 1 1 6 -5
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group B match schedule

Date Match  
Mon, Nov. 21 England 6, Iran 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 21 USA 1, Wales 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Nov. 25 Wales 0, Iran 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Nov. 25 England 0, USA 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Tues, Nov. 29 Wales 0, England 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Tues, Nov. 29 Iran 0, USA 1 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group C table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Argentina-Q 6 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3
2. Poland-Q 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 0
3. Mexico-E 4 3 1 1 1 2 3 -1
4. Saudi Arabia-E 3 3 1 2 0 3 5 -2
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group C match schedule

Date Match  
Tues, Nov. 22 Argentina 2, S. Arabia 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Tues, Nov. 22 Mexico 0, Poland 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Sat, Nov. 26 Poland 2, S. Arabia 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Sat, Nov. 26 Argentina 2, Mexico 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 30 Poland 0, Argentina 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 30 S. Arabia 1, Mexico 2 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group D table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. France-Q 6 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3
2. Australia-Q 6 3 2 1 0 1 4 -1
3. Tunisia-E 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 0
4. Denmark-E 1 3 0 2 1 1 3 -2
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group D match schedule

Date Match  
Tue, Nov. 22 Denmark 0, Tunisia 0  HIGHLIGHTS
Tue, Nov. 22 France 4, Australia 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Sat, Nov. 26 Tunisia 0, Australia 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Sat, Nov. 26 France 2, Denmark 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 30 Tunisia 1, France 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 30 Australia 1, Denmark 0 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group E table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Japan-Q 6 3 2 1 0 4 3 +1
2. Spain-Q 4 3 1 1 1 9 3 +6
3. Germany-E 4 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1
4. Costa Rica-E 3 3 1 2 0 3 11 -8
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group E schedule, results

Date Match  
Wed, Nov. 23 Germany 1, Japan 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 23 Spain 7, Costa Rica 0  HIGHLIGHTS
Sun, Nov. 27 Japan 0, Costa Rica 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Sun, Nov. 27 Spain 1, Germany 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, Dec. 1 Japan 2, Spain 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, Dec. 1 Costa Rica 2, Germany 4 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group F table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Morocco-Q 7 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3
2. Croatia-Q 5 3 1 0 2 4 1 +3
3. Belgium-E 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 -1
4. Canada-E 0 3 0 3 0 2 7 -5
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

Group F match schedule

Date Match  
Wed, Nov. 23 Morocco 0, Croatia 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Wed, Nov. 23 Belgium 1, Canada 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Sun, Nov. 27 Belgium 0, Morocco 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Sun, Nov. 27 Croatia 4, Canada 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Thurs, Dec. 1 Croatia 0, Belgium 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Thurs, Dec. 1 Canada 1, Morocco 2 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group G table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Brazil-Q 6 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2
2. Switzerland-Q 6 3 2 1 0 4 3 +1
3. Cameroon-E 4 3 1 1 1 4 4 0
4. Serbia-E 1 3 0 2 1 5 8 -3
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

NOTE: Brazil edged out Switzerland for first place based on the first tiebreaker (goal difference) with +2 vs. +1 for Switzerland.

Group G schedule, results

Date Match  
Thu, Nov. 24 Switzerland 1, Cameroon 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, Nov. 24 Brazil 2, Serbia 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 28 Cameroon 3, Serbia 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 28 Brazil 1, Switzerland 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Dec. 2 Cameroon 1, Brazil 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Dec. 2 Serbia 2, Switzerland 3 HIGHLIGHTS

World Cup Group H table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Portugal-Q 6 3 2 1 0 6 4 +2
2. S. Korea-Q 4 3 1 1 1 4 4 0
3. Uruguay-E 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 0
4. Ghana-E 3 3 1 2 0 5 7 -2
  • Q = Qualified to Round of 16
  • E = Eliminated

NOTE: South Korea claim goals scored tiebreaker (second tiebreaker) over Uruguay (4 goals to 2).

Group H schedule, results

Date Match  
Thu, Nov. 24 Uruguay 0, S. Korea 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Thu, Nov. 24 Portugal 3, Ghana 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 28 S. Korea 2, Ghana 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Mon, Nov. 28 Portugal 2, Uruguay 0 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Dec. 2 S. Korea 2, Portugal 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Fri, Dec. 2 Ghana 0, Uruguay 2 HIGHLIGHTS
Author(s)
Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor for football/soccer at The Sporting News.