Road To Qatar: The USMNT Timeline To The 2022 Fifa World Cup
With a World Cup Berth Secured, Take a Look at What Lies Ahead for the USMNT in the Journey to Qatar
The journey through World Cup Qualifying has been long and difficult, and after months of arduous challenges and a tight battle for qualification against the best in Concacaf in the Octagonal, the U.S. Men’s National Team achieved its goal of returning to the FIFA World Cup. Now, with a World Cup berth secured, here’s what lies ahead for the team as it prepares for the final steps in the road to Qatar.
The World Cup Draw
On April 1, the Final Draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Doha, Qatar. This event is where fans and teams find out their paths to possible glory in the tournament. The draw involves four team pots and eight group pots. The eight groups are determined by drawing a ball from the team pot followed by a draw from the group pots. More information on the Final Draw is available here.
The Concacaf Nations League Draw
On April 4, the Concacaf Nations League Draw will be held in Miami, Fla. to place teams ahead of the tournament group stage, which will feature all 41 Concacaf member associations and will take place during the FIFA match windows of June 2022 and March 2023. The groups are subdivided into Leagues A, B and C based on the 2019 results. As the reigning champion, the USA will be in League A along with Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, and Suriname. More information on the Concacaf Nations League Draw is available here.
The Summer International Window
From May 30 through June 14, the USMNT will continue preparations to Qatar with two friendly matches as well as the team’s first two group stage matches in the Concacaf Nations League, which will be determined on April 4 at the aforementioned draw. Details for the friendly matches will also be confirmed at a later date.
Determining the World Cup Roster
In the final weeks leading up to the World Cup, all 32 participating countries will be required to finalize and submit their final roster to FIFA. The due date for submission as well as the number of players who will represent the United States are still to be determined.
Players Released by Clubs
Once USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter names his roster, the players traveling to Qatar will be released by their clubs on November 14. With just over a week from the start of the tournament, players will report to training camp as fine-tuning begins and travel together to Qatar in the subsequent days.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup
On November 21, it finally begins. After a long wait and with a set roster, confirmed groups, and a mission to change the way the world views American soccer, the USMNT will return to the world’s biggest stage in Qatar, ready to represent our country in the best way possible while always looking in one direction: Only Forward.