April 1 is the most anticipated date of those National Teams, and their fans, that already have assured theirspot in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: the Final Draw will be celebrated in Doha, one day after the72ndFIFA Congress. Pure drama, pure suspense.
The Final Draw is the event that conditions the road to reach the FIFA World Cup glory for every one of the qualified National Teams. So, if you are concerned about the chances your favorite squad has to conquer the most desired trophy in soccer, it is key to understand how this event works.
For sure, there are teams that nobody wants to face, at least, in the very first matches of a FIFA World Cup. In the Final Draw, the considered by FIFA as the most powerful squads, the Top Seeds, avoid each other in the group stage, not so for the rest of the contenders.
How will the Top Seeds of Qatar 2022 Final Draw be defined?
From all of the 32 qualified teams to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, there are 8 meant to be the Top Seeds of every one of the groups of the tournament’s first stage. These National Teams are included in the Final Draw’s pot 1 guaranteeing that they will not be in the same group, in an attempt to balance the forces of the competition.
So, the teams to be considered as the Top Seeds are 8: the first one is known for a long time ago,the host country of theWorld Cup. The other seven members of this elite group are those who occupy the highest positions inthe FIFA World’s Ranking among the World Cup’s qualified teams.
The late Argentinian legend Diego Armando Maradona was part of the last World Cup Final Draw. (Sandra Montanez. (Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images)
How does FIFA World’s Ranking work?
Since August 2018, the model to calculate the points earned of a National Team that define its position in the World’sRanking is known as “SUM”.According to FIFA, this model “relies on adding/subtracting points won or lost for a game to/from the previous point totals rather than averaging game points over a given time period as in the previous version of the World Ranking. The points which are added or subtracted are partially determined by the relative strength of the two opponents, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the ranking should fare better against teams lower in the ranking.”
The Russia 2018 Final Draw. (Sandra Montanez – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
