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A star-studded draw ceremony, starting from 1600 GMT, will include former World Cup winners Cafu and Lothar Matthaeus as assistants, as holders France and their rivals discover who they will face in the group stage.
It is the most controversial World Cup in history, with Qatar dogged ever since it was named host in 2010 by accusations of vote-buying –- which were hotly denied –- and questions over the country’s suitability.
From human rights concerns to the ongoing war in Ukraine, it has been impossible to keep the spotlight solely on the sport, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeated, as he did on Thursday, that it “will be a fantastic and unique World Cup”.
“We never will have another World Cup where eight stadiums are all within 50 kilometres, fans can watch several games in a day and there is no travel for teams,” he insisted ahead of the first World Cup to be played in the months of November and December.
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The move away from the usual June and July slot was enforced by the summer heat in the region at that time of year.
Germany not among top seeds
With the competition approaching, excitement has built around the draw.
As well as France, Pot One will be comprised of all the top seven qualified nations in the FIFA rankings as well as debutants Qatar, at 51st one of the lowest-ranked teams at the World Cup but with privileged status as hosts.
Brazil, Belgium, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, England, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are the other top seeds, with the latter benefiting from European champions Italy’s absence.
“We’ve definitely got respectability and I think we will be a team other teams wouldn’t look forward to playing,” said England manager Gareth Southgate of his side, who were semi-finalists four years ago in Russia.
Germany are the biggest name in Pot Two, which also contains the Netherlands and Croatia, runners-up in 2018
African champions Senegal, Japan and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland are among the names in the third pot, and Canada will be in the fourth pot in their first appearance since 1986.
Three places still to be decided
However, three qualifying spots have still to be decided in the last 32-team World Cup before it expands to 48 teams in 2026.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to Ukraine’s qualifying play-off semi-final against Scotland being postponed until June, with the winner of that match facing Wales for a place in Qatar.
There are also two intercontinental play-offs to come in Qatar in June, with either Australia or the United Arab Emirates facing Peru for one berth and Costa Rica playing New Zealand for the other.
Teams from the same continent will be kept apart except for those from Europe. Five groups will feature two European sides.
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Qatar, a tiny Gulf state of under three million people, stunned the world when it was awarded the hosting rights.
Seven of its eight venues have been newly built, while Doha also opened a new metro system in preparation for an influx of fans from around the world. However the city remains a building site in many places.
Over 800,000 tickets have already been snapped up, and by the time the matches get underway construction should be finished on the promenade on Doha’s Corniche.
Where is the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw details?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 draw will be held at Qatar’s Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
What time does the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw begin?
The draw starts at 9:30 pm IST on Friday, April 1.
Which TV channels will broadcast the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 draw will be telecast on the History TV18 channel in India.
How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw live streaming?
The online streaming of the FIFA World Cup 2022 draw will be available on Voot and JioTV mobile app and also on FIFA’s official website.
Which countries have qualified for FIFA World Cup 2022?
As of now, 29 teams, including hosts Qatar, have officially qualified for the upcoming mega event.
UEFA (Europe): Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Serbia, and Switzerland.
CONEMBOL: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador
AFC (Asia): Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
CONCACAF (North America, Central American and Caribbean): Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
CAF (Africa): Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cameroon
What are the pots for the FIFA World Cup 2022?
All participating teams will be placed in Pots 1 to 4 based on their FIFA World Rankings.
Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal.
Pot 2: Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, United States, Switzerland, Croatia and Uruguay.
Pot 3: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Tunisia.
Pot 4: Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Ghana, Cameroon, Canada plus the Winners of AFC vs CONMEBOL playoff, Winners of OFC vs CONCACAF playoff, Winners of UEFA playoff.
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