FIFA World Cup 2022: Rule Change For Qualifiers Play-offs, Date Set For Draw

While confirming the dates to decide who plays whom, FIFA revealed that the World Cup qualifying format for the intercontinental playoffs will be single-leg games at a neutral venue, instead of two-legged (home-away) fixtures. Two-legged intercontinental playoffs were introduced for the 1986 World Cup.

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"The play-offs were originally scheduled to take place in March 2022 but were rescheduled to June 2022 as a result of the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the scheduling of FIFA World Cup qualifiers globally," FIFA said in a release.

The playoffs will involve teams from Asia (AFC), South America (CONMEBOL), Oceania (OFC) and the North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).

"Following the draw, a dramatic conclusion to the FIFA World Cup 2022 preliminary competition looms with the two intercontinental play-off matches to take place over a single leg on 13 and 14 June 2022," the release added.

Four Asian teams will get a direct berth. One more team can earn a World Cup ticket through the inter-confederation play-off. Hosts Qatar got the automatic qualification.

Four CONMEBOL teams will get a direct berth, with the fifth-place team in the 10-team South American Qualifiers getting a chance through the inter-confederation play-offs, versus a team from another confederation. Brazil and Argentina have already got direct qualifications.

Three CONCACAF teams will get direct World Cup 2022 slots, with one getting a chance via the inter-confederation play-off.

There's one inter-confederation play-off slot available for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

Four years ago, Australia and Peru secured passage to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia via the intercontinental play-offs with wins over Honduras and New Zealand respectively.