2022 World Cup Quarter-Finals: France Triumphs Over England; New Draw Procedures Announced for 2023

In a thrilling quarter-final match of the 2022 World Cup, France emerged victorious over England with a score of 2-1.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, FIFA has announced that the top four seeded countries will not face each other until the semi-finals of next year’s World Cup.

Spain (1st seed) and Argentina (2nd seed) will be ‘paired’ and assigned to groups in opposite halves of the draw. Similarly, France (3rd seed) and England (4th seed) will also be paired, ensuring that England cannot compete against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and against France until the final, provided all four nations win their respective groups.

When two teams are paired, they are placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket, preventing them from meeting until the final. This method is consistent with practices seen at Wimbledon and in the new Champions League format, where seeded teams are kept apart in pairs.

FIFA aims to preserve the excitement of potential matchups among top-ranked teams later in the tournament by implementing this structure. The same ranking system was employed during the Club World Cup held in the summer.

In the 2022 World Cup, France eliminated England with their quarter-final win, while Spain triumphed over England in the Euro 2024 final.

The final draw for the upcoming World Cup, scheduled for Friday, December 5th at 17:00 GMT, will have the four pots confirmed. Scotland will be placed in pot three, while six playoff winners, which may include teams from Wales, Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland, will be in pot four. Debutants Uzbekistan will also be in pot three, joined by fellow newcomers Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curacao in pot four.

Each of the 12 World Cup groups will consist of one team from each of the four pots, beginning with the draw from pot one. Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1), and the United States (D1) will feature colored balls with their flags to signify their special status, as their group positions are predetermined to ensure they play all matches in their home countries.

Following the initial draw, teams will be placed into the first available group in alphabetical order. The draw computer will guarantee that Spain, Argentina, France, and England are allocated to the correct sections of the bracket.

The process will then continue with pots two, three, and finally pot four. In a shift from previous procedures, and to expedite the process, countries will not be drawn into specific group positions. All seeded countries will occupy position one, while a predetermined random grid will dictate how the remaining nations are organized into the groups.

No group can contain more than one nation from the same confederation. For instance, if Colombia is drawn from pot two, they cannot be placed in a group with Argentina or Brazil. This rule extends to all pots, although four groups will include two European nations due to the 16 European qualifiers available for 12 groups.

The inter-confederation playoffs will face limited group options; for example, Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo) cannot be drawn into groups with Concacaf or African teams, while Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq) must avoid South America, Concacaf, and Asia.

Although the date and order of matches will be revealed during the draw, the specific venues and kick-off times will be announced on Saturday, December 6th.