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Spain have been drawn into Group E against fierce rivals Germany at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The will join 2019 Asian Cup finalists Japan and the winner of the intercontinental playoff match scheduled for June between Costa Rica and New Zealand.
The draw produced a rematch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, where a Carles Puyol effort sent Spain through to the tournament final in Johannesburg as they eventually won the prestigious trophy.
Japan will also see a chance to qualify for the knockout stage, having advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup on three of the last five occasions.
Either Costa Rica or New Zealand will be bottom of Group E, starting their action against Luis Enrique’s Spain on Wednesday, November 23.
The full World Cup draw ⚽️ 🍿 pic.twitter.com/qEpWmD6Zdy
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World Cup Group E table and schedule
| Team | pls | generalist | O | I | D | GF | Georgia | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1: Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E2: CRC/NZ* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E3: Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E4: Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* = Winner of the intercontinental qualifiers (Costa Rica against New Zealand)
Group E match schedule
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed 23 Nov | Germany versus Japan | 8am | Khalifa International Airport |
| Wed 23 Nov | Spain v CRC/NZ | 11am | Al Thumama |
| Sun 27 Nov | Japan v CRC/NZ | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun 27 Nov | Spain v Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Thursday, December 1 | Japan vs Spain | 2 p.m. | Khalifa International Airport |
| Thursday, December 1 | CRC/NZ v Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
The four teams selected from the pool will play a round robin format with each nation facing the other three. The group standings are based on the points from those three group stage matches – three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWN:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group F | Group G | Group H
The top two teams from each group based on total points qualify for the Round of 16. If the teams are tied on points, goal difference is the first tiebreaker followed by goals scored. If teams are also tied in these categories another tiebreaker game is applied.
World Cup Group E draw
Spain have been drawn to play in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar alongside Germany, Japan and Costa Rica winner against New Zealand in Intercontinental Qualifiers Two . Here’s a quick look at each team in Group E ahead of the World Cup.
Spain
Spain remain in something of a transitional phase heading into Qatar 2022, as they finally seek to emulate the success they last enjoyed on the world stage at the 2010 World Cup.
The emergence of prospects such as Pedri, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati bodes well for the future, but it remains to be seen whether Spain will be strong enough to go all the way in Qatar. That said, the Nations League run – where La Roja were only beaten in the final by France – is another good sign.
Coach Luis Enrique hasn’t been afraid to drop big names such as David de Gea and Sergio Busquets from recent squads, emphasizing creativity that could make Spain very difficult to defend against.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 7 (March 2022)
- Regional classification: 5th (UEFA)
- World Cup titles: 1
- World Cup appearances (last): 15 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: UEFA Group B winner: 6W-1L-1D
- General assessment (all competitions and friendly matches):
- 2022: 2V-0L-0D (Goals: 7 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: 10V-2D-6D (Goals: 35 scored / 14 conceded)
- Coach: Luis Enrique (Spain) since November 2019
- Featured players: Jordi Alba (Barcelona / Spain), Rodri (Manchester City / England), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City / England)
Germany
Germany have also been drawn to play in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Germany will be keen to make amends for a nightmarish spectacle trying to defend the title at the 2018 World Cup as they enter a major tournament without Joachim Low for the first time in nearly two decades.
Low served as Jurgen Klinsmann’s assistant when Die Mannschaft carved a path to the semi-finals on home soil in 2006, before beginning his own acclaimed 15-year tenure as head coach.
The highlight of that era came when Germany won a fourth world title at Brazil 2014 and, after a disappointing European Championship campaign that marked Low’s farewell last year, his former assistant Hansi Flick will lead an exciting new generation eager to make amends
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 12 (March 2022)
- Regional classification: 9th (UEFA)
- World Cup titles: 4
- World Cup appearances (last): 19 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: UEFA Group J winner: 9W-1L-0D
- General assessment (all competitions and friendly matches):
- 2022: 1V-0L-1D (Goals: 3 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: 11V-3D-2D (Goals: 50 scored / 13 conceded)
- Coach: Hansi Flick (Germany) since July 2021
- Featured players: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich / Germany), Kai Havertz (Chelsea / England), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich / Germany)
Japan
Japan’s national team have never made it past the Round of 16 stage of the World Cup but will hope to enjoy a long run at this year’s tournament.
There’s a lot of experience in their squad, but there are also talented young prospects, like Real Madrid winger on loan at Mallorca, Takefusa Kubo. Moreover, Japan has players with Premier League credentials, and many fans around the world already know Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino.
Japan’s preparations for the tournament have gone well, having fended off Australia’s challenge to qualify automatically in the AFC region, but it remains to be seen how the Samurai Blue will fare when they come up against to stronger opposition.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 23 (March 2022)
- Regional classification: 2nd (CAF)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances (last): 7 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: (AFC Third Round Group B Winners: 7W-2L-1D)
- General assessment (all competitions and friendly matches):
- 2022: 3V-0D-1D (Goals: 7 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: 10W-2L-0D (Goals: 39 scored / 5 conceded)
- Coach: Hajime Moriyasu (Japan) since August 2018
- Featured players: Takumi Minamino (Liverpool/England), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal/England), Maya Yoshida (Sampdoria/Italy)
Costa Rica / New Zealand
Costa Rica and New Zealand will meet in June in a one-off intercontinental playoff game to decide which team will occupy one of the last remaining spots in the final.
Costa Rica’s fate will be decided by the playoffs after finishing fourth in CONCACAF qualifying. Veteran internationals Keylor Navas and Bryan Ruiz will be hoping to work their tournament magic again to get Los Ticos through.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 31 (March 2022)
- Regional classification: 3rd (CONCACAF)
- World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
- General assessment (all competitions and friendly matches):
- 2022: 5W-0L-1D (Goals: 7 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: 5W-6L-7D (Goals: 14 scored / 18 conceded)
- Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez (Colombia) since July 2021
- Featured players: Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain / France), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense / Costa Rica), Joel Campbell (Monterrey / Mexico)
New Zealand will also have the opportunity to reach the World Cup for the third time in the country’s history, having come through the OFC region. A 5-0 victory over Solomon Islands set up the clash of the winner, with target man Chris Wood scoring in the game, held in Doha. The Newcastle man – with 33 national team goals at senior level – will likely have to make the difference again if the All Whites are to finish the job.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 101 (March 2022)
- Regional classification: 1st (OFC)
- World Cup appearances (last): 2 (South Africa 2010)
- General assessment (all competitions and friendly matches):
- 2022: 5W-1L-0D (Goals: 19 scored / 4 conceded)
- 2021: 3W-0L-0D (Goals: 5 scored / 1 conceded)
- Coach: Danny Hay (New Zealand) since August 2019
- Featured players: Chris Wood (Newcastle United / England), Joe Bell (Brondby / Denmark), Winston Reid (Without club)
Teams will move up from Group E of the World Cup
Shortly after the World Cup draw, sportsbooks are expected to suspend group odds for each team to advance from the group stage.
MORE WORLD CUP 2022:
Full Draw Results | TV program | Recent news
The first- and second-place finishers from Group E will advance to the Round of 16 and compete against the two teams to advance from Group F on Monday, December 5 and Tuesday, December 6.
the official FIFA World Cup 2022 match schedule describes the following knockout pairs for the round of 16 through the final:
World Cup Round of 16
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat. 3 Dec. | 1A versus 2B | 10am | Khalifa International Airport |
| Sat. 3 Dec. | 1C versus 2D | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun 4 Dec | 1D versus 2C | 10am | Al Thumama |
| Sun 4 Dec | 1B versus 2A | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Mon 5 Dec | 1E versus 2F | 10am | Al Janoub |
| Mon 5 Dec | 1G versus 2H | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Tuesday, December 6 | 1F versus 2E | 10am | city of education |
| Tuesday, December 6 | 1H versus 2G | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
World Cup quarter-finals
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Fri 9 Dec | QF1: 1E/2F versus 1G/2H | 10am | city of education |
| Fri 9 Dec | QF2: 1A/2B versus 1C/2D | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Sat 10 Dec | QF3: 1F/2E versus 1H/2G | 10am | Al Thumama |
| Sat 10 Dec | QF4: 1B/2A versus 1D/2C | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup semi-finals
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tuesday, December 13 | QF2 against QF1 | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Wed 14 Dec | QF4 against QF3 | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup 3rd place
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat 17 Dec | Semi-final losers | 10am | Khalifa International Airport |
World Cup Final
| Dated | Meet | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sun 18 Dec | Winners of the semi-finals | 10am | Lusail |
