2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
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Interest in “2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-20.
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Key Takeaways
- The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
- Entrants All 55 FIFA-affiliated national teams from UEFA entered qualification.
- However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applies to the World Cup proper as a world championship.
- An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed, but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban.
- If Russia had qualified for the tournament, its players would not have been able to use their country's name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation's two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports.
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Source summary
WikipediaThe European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). A total of 13 slots in the final tournament were available for UEFA teams.
All 55 FIFA-affiliated national teams from UEFA entered qualification.
On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency initially handed Russia a four-year ban from all major international sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators. However, the Russia national team could still enter qualification, as the ban only applies to the World Cup proper as a world championship. The WADA ruling allowed athletes who were not involved in doping or the coverup to compete, but prohibited the use of the Russian flag and anthem at major international sporting events. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was filed, but WADA's decision was upheld though reduced to a two-year ban. The CAS ruling also allowed the name "Russia" to be displayed on uniforms if the words "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" have equal prominence. If Russia had qualified for the tournament, its players would not have been able to use their country's name alone, flag or anthem at the World Cup, as a result of the nation's two-year ban from world championships and Olympic Games in all sports.
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