The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off with 64 matches, 32 nations, eight groups, up to four matches a day, and numerous permutations and tiebreakers for group stage qualifiers and subsequent knockout stage pairings.
It’s a lot to take in, but The Sporting News is here to help you keep it all straight for the full 29 days of the biggest tournament in the world.
We’ve created a downloadable bracket — or a wallchart, as it’s known in some parts — for various regions of the world. Further below you’ll find links to printable brackets (PDF) that feature times for select nations.
And if you’re not the type to write in results on a hard copy of a bracket, we’ll be doing just that in this very post throughout the tournament. Bookmark this URL to check back for the live updates.
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Downloadable World Cup bracket 2022
Here’s the list of printable brackets available for the following regions and time zones:
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World Cup bracket 2022: Knockout stage
Obviously, the bracket part of the tournament doesn’t actually come into play until the group stage wraps up and we get to the Round of 16 (December 3-6).
A total of 16 teams will advance from the group stage — only the top two teams from each group — and where they fall in the knockout bracket has been predetermined in advance.
Here’s the way the knockout bracket shapes up:
Where teams finish in their respective group (see table below for nations competing in each four-team group, listed in alphabetical order) will determine which side of the bracket they will occupy. The group stage commences on November 20.
| Group A: | Ecuador | Netherlands | Qatar | Senegal |
| Group B: | England | Iran | USA | Wales |
| Group C: | Argentina | Mexico | Poland | Saudi Arabia |
| Group D: | Australia | Denmark | France | Tunisia |
| Group E: | Costa Rica | Germany | Japan | Spain |
| Group F: | Belgium | Canada | Croatia | Morocco |
| Group G: | Brazil | Cameroon | Serbia | Switzerland |
| Group H: | Ghana | Portugal | South Korea | Uruguay |
Round of 16
| Date | Match | Time (GMT / ET) |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | A1 vs. B2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | C1 vs. D2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | D1 vs. C2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | B1 vs. A2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | E1 vs. F2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | G1 vs. H2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
| Tue, Dec. 6 | F1 vs. E2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Tue, Dec. 6 | H1 vs. G2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (GMT / ET) |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF1: E1/F2 vs. G1/H2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF2: A1/B2 vs. C1/D2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF3: F1/E2 vs. H1/G2 | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF4: B1/A2 vs. D1/C2 | 19:00 / 14:00 |
Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (GMT / ET) |
| Tue, Dec. 13 | QF2 Winner vs. QF1 Winner | 19:00 / 14:00 |
| Wed, Dec. 14 | QF4 Winner vs. QF3 Winner | 19:00 / 14:00 |
Third Place
| Date | Match | Time (GMT / ET) |
| Sat, Dec. 17 | Semifinal losers | 15:00 / 10:00 |
Final
| Date | Match | Time (GMT / ET) |
| Sun, Dec. 18 | Semifinal winners | 15:00 / 10:00 |
