World Cup 2022

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      World Cup 2022 fixtures: What dates do England play? Kick-off times for group stages, knockouts and final plus results

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      TIME to be excited football lovers as the World Cup is officially UNDERWAY – and SunSport is here to bring you the ENTIRE fixture list.The Three Lions have Wales and USA to still come up against in the group stages having comfortably dispatched of Iran 6-2.

      This will be the first time in the tournament’s history that it will be contested for during winter, with the big event starting on November 20.
      It is set to be a condensed schedule with Qatar kicking things off on the opening day.
      Whilst there will be three matches played on the second day of the showpiece event.
      However, fans of the competition will not have to miss a single minute of the action with all the details of the encounters detailed below.
      What are the most important dates for the World Cup?

      The group stages got underway on Sunday, November 20.
      Round of 16 will be on December 3 – December 6.
      Quarter-final stages begin on December 9 – December 10.
      Semi-finals are taking place on December 13 – December 14.
      The World Cup final will be participated on Sunday, December 18.

      Read more on World Cup
      World Cup full fixture dates
      The fixture list has been revealed for the World Cup 2022, following the big draw.
      Group stage
      Sunday, November 20

      Monday, November 21

      Tuesday, November 22

      Wednesday, November 23

      Thursday, November 24

      World Cup 2022Everything you need to know about the World Cup

      Friday, November 25

      Saturday, November 26

      Sunday, November 27

      Monday, November 28

      Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (10am)
      Group H: South Korea vs Ghana (1pm)
      Group G: Brazil vs Switzerland (4pm)
      Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay (7pm)

      Tuesday, November 29

      Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar (3pm)
      Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (3pm)
      Group B: Wales vs England (7pm)
      Group B: Iran vs United States (7pm)

      Wednesday, November 30

      Group D: Tunisia vs France (3pm)
      Group D: Australia vs Denmark (3pm)
      Group C: Poland vs Argentina (7pm)
      Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (7pm)

      Thursday, December 1

      Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (3pm)
      Group F: Canada vs Morocco (3pm)
      Group E: Japan vs Spain (7pm)
      Group E: Costa Rica vs Germany (7pm)

      Friday, December 2

      Group H: South Korea vs Portugal (3pm)
      Group H: Ghana vs Uruguay (3pm)
      Group G: Cameroon vs Brazil (7pm)
      Group G: Serbia vs Switzerland (7pm)

      Last 16
      Saturday, December 3

      Match 49: Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B (3pm)
      Match 50: Winners Group C vs Runners-up Group D (7pm)

      Sunday, December 4

      Match 52: Winners Group D vs Runners-up Group C (3pm)
      Match 51: Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B (7pm)

      Monday, December 5

      Match 53: Winners Group E vs Runners-up Group F (3pm)
      Match 54: Winners Group G vs Runners-up Group H (7pm)

      Tuesday, December 6

      Match 55: Winners Group F vs Runners-up Group F (3pm)
      Match 56: Winners Group H vs Runners-up Group G (7pm)

      Quarter-finals
      Friday, December 9

      Match 58: Winners of Match 53 vs Winners of Match 54 (3pm)
      Match 57: Winners of Match 49 vs Winners of Match 50 (7pm)

      Saturday, December 10

      Match 60: Winners of Match 55 vs Winners of Match 56 (3pm)
      Match 59: Winners of Match 51 vs Winners of Match 52 (7pm)

      Semi-finals
      Tuesday, December 13

      Match 61: Winners of Match 57 vs Winners of Match 58 (7pm)

      Wednesday, December 14

      Match 62: Winners of Match 59 vs Winners of Match 60 (7pm)
      Third/Fourth place play-off

      Saturday, December 17

      Losers of Match 61 vs Losers of Match 62 (3pm)

      Final
      Sunday, December 18

      Winners of Match 61 vs Winners of Match 62 (3pm)

      Based on UK time zone
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      What are the kick-off times for the World Cup?
      The Qatar time zone is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time which means that games will be played earlier in the UK than locally.
      FIFA have stated that the first two rounds of games will kick-off at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time – 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm UK time.
      However, the kick-off timings in the final round of group fixtures and knock-out ties will be at 6pm and 10pm local time – 3pm and 7pm UK time.
      Leaving the final to be scheduled at 6pm local time – 3pm UK time. More

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      How many penalties has there been at the World Cup 2022?

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      THERE’S nothing more nerve racking in football than a penalty kick – and the winter World Cup has had its fair share of them already.The huge tournament in Qatar was always destined to throw up some major talking points.
      Ecuador’s Enner Valencia scored the first penalty of the tournamentCredit: PA
      And alongside the semi-automatic VAR system, controversial penalty decisions has been on the lips of most fans.
      Even legendary footballers Graeme Souness and Roy Keane got into a heated argument over the spot-kick during Saudi Arabia’s upset over Argentina.
      Find out how many penalties there has been at the World Cup so far below…
      How many penalties has there been at the World Cup 2022?
      Ecuador were awarded a penalty on the opening match of the tournament.
      Read more on World Cup 2022
      And since then, there has been a few more incidents which includes a spot-kick at the death of England’s thrashing over Iran.
      In total, there has been four penalties awarded at the World Cup so far as follows:

      Enner Valencia (scored) – Qatar vs ECUADOR
      Mehdi Taremi (scored) – England vs IRAN
      Gareth Bale (scored) – USA vs WALES
      Lionel Messi (scored) – ARGENTINA vs Saudi Arabia

      Most read in Football
      How many penalties were awarded at the World Cup 2018?
      There were a record number of penalties given to teams as the World Cup Russian edition was the first to use VAR.
      In 64 matches, there were a total of 29 penalties – with 22 scored and seven either saved or missed. More

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      Roy Keane and Gary Neville’s pre-World Cup comments on Saudi Arabia come back to haunt them after epic Argentina win

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      ROY KEANE and Gary Neville laughing off Saudi Arabia’s World Cup chances have come back to haunt them. The pair of Manchester United legends and Micah Richards rated the 32 teams in this year’s Winter World Cup in Qatar.
      Roy Keane and Gary Neville discussing Saudi Arabia’s World Cup chancesCredit: Sky Bet
      On Saudi Arabia, Neville, 47, said: “They’ll bring tens and tens of thousands of fans. Because they can drive over the border.”
      Keane, 51, responded: “And can they play for them?”
      Neville, cracking up with Richards, joked: “It’s 10,000 vs 11.”
      Keane added: “Have you ever seen a fan score a goal? It doesn’t matter.”
      READ MORE WORLD CUP NEWS
      As it happened, the Irishman was on punditry duty at the Lusail Stadium where Lionel Messi’s Argentina were expected to breeze past Saudi Arabia.
      And they ramped up the heat just ten minutes into the game when Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
      The PSG superstar also watched on in frustration as Argentina had THREE goals disallowed.
      Saudi Arabia then caught the Argentine’s cold as Saleh Alshehri levelled on 48 minutes with an excellent finish into the bottom corner.
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      It set the scene for an upset for the ages.
      Winger Salem Aldawsari took home the spoils with a stunning goal to win the game.
      He cut in on his right foot on 52 minutes to curl home what is already going to be a contender for goal of the tournament.
      Argentina knocked on the door for well over 40 more minutes but Saudi Arabia remained solid at the back to hold out for a famous 2-1 win.
      LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 22: Saleh Al-Shehri of Saudi Arabia, left, celebrates scoring his side’s equalising goal with Firas Al-Buraikan to make the score 1-1 during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on November 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Sebastian […]Credit: Getty More

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      Inside Polish Ultras who host mass brawls & hack rivals to death with machetes ahead of Mexico clash at Qatar World Cup

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      FROM organising bare-chested fights in the forests to rioting in the streets with knives and bats, Poland has some of the most notorious hooligan firms of any nations competing in the World Cup. While hooliganism in the United Kingdom has largely been consigned to the dustbin of history, Polish Ultras firms have drawn comparisons with the bad old days of the 1980s in Britain.
      Polish hooligan firms are some of the most fearsome in the world – hosting training fights in forestsCredit: Hooliganstv
      Polish cops have often seized knives, machetes and axes from hooligansCredit: Reddit
      Poland has been cracking down on the culture of violenceCredit: Hooliganstv
      With their first World Cup match today against Mexico, Qatari authorities will be hoping the match passes off without any trouble off the pitch.
      Hooligan trouble is not expected during the game with many Ultras subject to bans – but the hoolies still carry a fearsome reputation.
      Murders and brutal attacks have been associated with the firms – including one hooligan was stabbed 64 time with knives and machetes, and another who had his hand CHOPPED OFF.
      Famous hoolie firms in Poland include Destroyers, Sharks, Terror Corps, Teddy Boys and Young Freaks ’98.
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      Poland’s most infamous ultras firms come from Krakow, where fans of rival teams Wisla and MKS Cracovia maintain an often-violent derby.
      Such is the level of hostility between the two sides, that the Krakow derby is referred to as the Holy War.
      Unlike the beery hooligan stereotype in England, Polish ultras often maintain a straight-edged lifestyle with no drinking or even smoking, claiming that it makes them “weak”.
      In the runup to a match between England and Poland in 1999 in the Polish capital Warsaw, seven English fans were hospitalised after fierce clashes.
      Most read in The Sun
      At least two supporters were stabbed after thugs threw bottles, bricks, and metal poles at each other.
      The brawl in central Warsaw’s Saski Park was reportedly prearranged, with one Polish hooligan claiming the clashes were set up by mobile phone.
      Two more England fans were taken to hospital following a separate incident where thugs hurled bricks and bottles at rival supporters near a pub in the Old Town.
      Running battles also took place inside the stadium itself, despite a heavy police presence.
      A Polish hooligan known as “Jack” said at the time: “The Polish fans will do anything for a fight. They speak to each other on mobiles all the time. It’s all pre-arranged.
      “Supporters of Legia Warsaw have been going around the last two nights looking for trouble.”
      Krakow is by far the most notorious city for ultras in Poland, even earning the nickname City of Knives.
      This is because the Wisla and Cracovia firms are the only ones who didn’t sign the so-called “Poznan Agreement”.
      The peace treaty, signed by all other Polish firms nationwide, agrees that they won’t use weapons during fights.
      In 2010, police in Lodz searched a train of Wisla supporters and recovered a terrifying haul of weapons.
      They included 25 machetes, a military bayonet, three axes, four knives, and two 70cm-long wooden handles.
      Football violence exploded in Poland in the 1990sCredit: Football hooligans
      The rise in hooliganism was associated with economic problemsCredit: Football hooligans
      Hooligan firms often have fearsome names and equally mean reputationsCredit: Hooliganstv
      The hooligans are often a far cry from the traditional image of beer-swilling thugsCredit: Hooliganstv
      However, despite their fearsome reputation, Polish ultras can also have a softer side.
      Krzysztof, a hooligan supporter of Slask Wroclaw, met grandmother Mariola through a class, and even though she supported rival team Ruch Chorzow, the two fell in love.
      They made an unlikely couple. She was a grandma and ran her own business, he was a convicted hooligan who had served eight years in prison for robbery and football-related violence.
      Their romance was even the subject of an HBO documentary, “Love Without Argument”, in 2012.
      But a devastated Mariola revealed last year that they had split up after her toyboy ultra lover cheated on her with an older woman.
      However, with a slightly more muted atmosphere than normal at the World Cup and a strong use of a football banning orders, no hooligan trouble is expected.
      Qatar has drafted in an impressive ragtag police force made up of cops from around the world – including notorious French riot police and tough Turkish commandos.
      But there have already been some crowd problems – with riot police deployed to manage a fan crush outside the Fifa Fan Festival zone in Doha.
      Qatar has already faced questions over organisation of the World Cup – with reports weeks before the start that the nation simply was not ready.
      Confusion over the sale of beer, infrastructure problems and reports of crowd trouble at the fanzone have already surfaced.
      Read More on The Sun
      The tiny country is expected to welcome more than one million fans during the tournament – when the country only has a population of 2.9million.
      Billions have been spent to try and ready the nation for its first attempt at holding an event of this scale.
      One famous Polish ultra – Krzysztof – appeared in the documentary ‘Love Without Argument’ More

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      We spent more than £80 on TINY cold burgers & bottled beer in Qatar hotel… even the chips were dry, says World Cup fan

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      WORLD CUP fans have told how they spent £80 on five bottled beers and two hilariously tiny burgers at a luxury hotel in Doha. Wales fans piled into the ritzy bar and managed to drink it dry as they endured the expensive booze and food.
      Pictures shared of the grey-looking mini served in QatarCredit: news.com.au
      The fans spent £80 five beers and the two small burgersCredit: news.com.au
      The high price and questionable quality of food and drink in Qatar is becoming a major talking point for fans at the World Cup.
      And one group of fans revealed their experience as 1,600 fans packed into a lavish hotel bar with just two toilets, reports news.com.au.
      Booze has become even more of a precious commodity after it was banned from stadium complexes on orders of the Qatari Royals.
      So fans either have to wait for it to go on sale at the one of the fanzones – with the bars opening at 6.30pm.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
      Or they have to hunt out the licenced hotel bars dotted around the cities which can sell alcohol to foreigners and non-Muslims.
      Welsh fans endured the high prices as they watched national hero Gareth Bale thump home a penalty to net them a 1-1 draw with the US.
      But one group of fans paid £79 for five bottles of beer – or around £16 a bottle.
      It did come with some food, but they ended up with some unappetising looking cold “mini-burgers” and a small portion of dry wedges.
      Most read in Football
      “It is what it is really,” said Wales fan Ieuan.
      “We’d rather pay this than walk around struggling to find somewhere to have a drink.
      “We’re staying on a cruise ship where the drinks are about the same price, so it’s just nice to get off that today.”
      Fans queued up from 1.30pm to get inside the bar before the Wales game kicked off at 10pm.
      The tiny burgers are the latest piece of scran to cause a stir at the World Cup.
      Fans were left baffled by a £9 “Greek” salad being served in a fanzone – which looked like a bag of supermarket salad with one olive.
      And they were stunned by the breakfast allegedly being served at the near £200-a-night ten accommodation.
      It was a hodgepodge of items that was compared to a child’s packed lunch from a school trip.
      Qatar has already faced questions over organisation of the World Cup – with reports weeks before the start that the nation simply was not ready.
      Confusion over the sale of beer, infrastructure problems and reports of crowd trouble at the fanzone have already surfaced.
      Read More on The Sun
      The tiny country is expected to welcome more than one million fans during the tournament – when the country only has a population of 2.9million.
      Billions have been spent to try and ready the nation for its first attempt at holding an event of this scale. More

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      Inside unfinished £175-a-night Qatar fan village with sweltering 37C container cabins and builders are still at work

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      WORLD Cup fans are facing sweltering 37C container cabins with broken air conditioning units, dirty water and builders still working on the unfinished camps. Qatar has a popped up a number of temporary villages to help accommodate the more than one million fans expected to descend for the sporting extravaganza.
      Sun man Oliver Harvey stayed at one of the £175-a-night cabins near DohaCredit: Dan Charity
      Temperatures inside our cabin hit highs to 37C – and the air conditioner was brokenCredit: Dan Charity
      The tube connecting the air con unit to the outside wasn’t set up – leaving a gaping hole in the wallCredit: Dan Charity
      Parts of the fan village simply looked unfinishedCredit: Dan Charity
      Workmen were still on site even as fans moved in for the World CupCredit: Dan Charity
      But despite billions of pounds being ploughed into infrastructure – including an entirely new city – some of it appears to have been hastily knocked together on a tight budget.
      Sun man Oliver Harvey forked out £175 to spend the night at the Fan Village Cabins Free Zone just outside of Doha.
      The tiny container-style cabins house two people in a cramped bedroom with an en suite shower – and the metal structures are left baking beneath the blazing sun.
      “[It is] constructed on a site which resembled an unfinished car park,” said Oliver.
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      Staying in cabin E11-15, the site is wedged between two busy roads and is around 30 minutes away from the luxurious hotel being enjoyed by England.
      After opening up his digs for the night, our reporter was met with a blazing wave of hot air as he stepped inside the “shipping container” cabin.
      He found the air conditioner was not even hooked up – with the tube connecting it to the outside world not even attached and a gaping hole left in the wall of his cabin.
      The container did have a desk-style fan attached to the wall – but it only offered light relief from the insufferable heat.
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      Our man came prepared, and the sweating Oliver got out his thermometer to measure the staggering temperature.
      The mercury quickly climbed to nearly 38C.
      “It [was] really stifling,” said Oliver, “We are going to be ‘oven ready’ England fans after a night in here.”
      When he did manage to get the aircon working, it was incredibly noisy and would made it hard to sleep.
      And it only managed to drop the temperature down to 31C.
      Oliver went to test the shower and sink, only to find it was piping hot and the water appeared to be dirty.
      Finding he could not spend another “sweltering second” inside his cabin, Oliver headed out to explore the rest of the fan village.
      What he found was rows upon rows of hundreds of metal boxes arranged on a flat, barren piece of land which appeared to be little more than a disused car park.
      Beyond hunkering down between the rows of cabins, there was very little shade.
      And that made sitting on prearranged bean bags around the village’s big screen extremely unappealing as the sun beat down.
      Low-flying planes roared overhead in the blue skies in what was quite a strange and bleak World Cup experience.
      Worth the price for a baking hot room? Probably not, says our reporter Oliver HarveyCredit: Dan Charity
      The fan village looks more like an ‘unfinished car park’Credit: Dan Charity
      At least there was ice cream to help you cool offCredit: Dan Charity
      The water in our cabin’s bathroom ran dirty when we first got thereCredit: Dan Charity
      And the pepperoni pizza – with just four pieces of pepperoni – cost £15Credit: Dan Charity
      There are beanbags to watch the big screen – if you can endure the sweltering heat and baking sunCredit: Dan Charity
      Oliver managed to find some other fans, running into two men from Japan.
      They agreed their room was “tiny, hot and expensive”.
      “I don’t like it”, one said.
      And the two Japan fans admitted they had a staggering 16 NIGHTS at the camp to endure, questioning whether they would even be able to get to sleep.
      “Outrageous,” they laughed.
      Oliver also ran into two Mexican fans who, despite being in good spirits, agreed it was incredibly hot in their cabin.
      Continuing to explore, our man decided to settle down for a meal.
      He picked himself up a pepperoni pizza for £15.
      And despite the grub being quite small with just four pieces of pepperoni on it, Oliver admitted it was “not too bad”.
      After enjoying his lunch, he then found himself in a massive unfinished grey gravel expanse in the middle of the village.
      Workers were still setting up the giant marquee – which Oliver wasn’t sure it was exactly meant to be, maybe a dining area?

      Qatar has already faced questions over organisation of the World Cup – with reports weeks before the start that the nation simply was not ready.
      Confusion over the sale of beer, infrastructure problems and reports of crowd trouble at the fanzone have already surfaced.
      The tiny country is expected to welcome more than one million fans during the tournament – when the country only has a population of 2.9million.
      Billions have been spent to try and ready the nation for its first attempt at holding an event of this scale.
      Japanese fans at the box village, Naota Endo and Daisuke Kusaba, were also unimpressedCredit: Dan Charity
      Oliver also ran into Mexican fans at the villageCredit: Dan Charity
      Other fans agreed with him the rooms were incredibly hotCredit: Dan Charity More

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      England stars return to training with James Maddison OUT but Kyle Walker closing in on return against USA

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      ENGLAND’S players returned to training following their huge 6-2 win over Iran in their opening World Cup match.But James Maddison still didn’t feature as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
      Jack Grealish was in training after netting for England yesterday while Kyle Walker (right) will be a welcome sight for Three Lions supportersCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      James Maddison is not yet ready to return to trainingCredit: Reuters
      Maddison was a last minute call-up from Gareth Southgate but was not cleared to feature against the Iranians after undergoing a scan.
      Kyle Walker was also absent from the fixture having not played since being forced off injured in Man City’s 6-3 win over Man Utd on October 2.
      IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP AND WIN A SHARE OF £50k
      Southgate confirmed before the Iran match that Walker was back in training, but stated that the opening game had come “a little bit early ” for him.
      However, he added that the Man City ace was still in line to return ahead of schedule.
      Grealish scored England’s sixth goal after a generous assist from Callum Wilson, who did not trainCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Kalvin Phillips also trained having been declared fit by Gareth Southgate as he steps up his return from injuryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Marcus Rashford in training after opening his World Cup 2022 account just seconds after coming on against IranCredit: PA
      Apart from Maddison, Callum Wilson was the only England non-starter not to feature in today’s warm-down sessionCredit: Getty
      The England boss said on Sunday: “In terms of player availability, everybody’s available bar James Maddison for tomorrow [against Iran].
      “It’s a little bit early for Kyle Walker but he is training with the team, so that’s ahead of where we thought he might be at this stage. Very positive.”
      None of the England starting line-up that faced Iran were involved in training.
      READ MORE ENGLAND NEWS
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      But goalscorers Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish both featured, along with Walker’s Man City team-mate Kalvin Phillips, who recently recovered from injury to make the bench against the Iranians.
      Callum Wilson, who generously assisted Grealish’s goal, was the only England star other than Maddison who did not start the game and did not feature in today’s training session. More

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      Fans all say the same thing as Saudi Arabia score stunner against Argentina in World Cup… and it’s only 11am

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      FOOTBALL fans have all been left saying the same thing after Saudi Arabia scored a screamer to take a shock lead against Argentina. The South Americans went into the break 1-0 up thanks to a Lionel Messi penalty, but a quick-fire double including a stunner from Salem Al Dawasari saw the game turned on its head.
      Salem Al-Dawasari scores a sensational goal vs ArgentinaCredit: Getty
      Saudi Arabia players celebrate after taking the leadCredit: Getty
      Al Dawasari, who plays for Al Halil in the Saudi Pro League, got on the ball on the left side of the penalty area and managed to bring it under his control despite pressure from the Argentine defence.
      He then did a Cruyff turn before jinking past another defender and curling an effort into the far post beyond the grasping claw of Emiliano Martinez.
      And fans have been left stunned by this sequence of events.
      One fan said: “Goal of the Tournament so far.”
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      A second user added: “This is a fantastic goal. What a classic finish.Goal of the tournament contender.”
      A third said: “Goal of the Tournament so far! Take a bow, son.”
      Meanwhile, with the clash between these two as the early kick-off for today’s World Cup games fans believe they are in for a rollercoaster ride for the rest of the day.
      One user said: “World Cup drama came way too early😭😭.”
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      Another joked: “Don’t bet on the ‘early kick-off’ applies at the World Cup too. Okay okay okay.”
      Saudi Arabia managed to hold on to the result to claim a historic victory thanks to some stoic defending and cause a huge World Cup upset. More