With the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup approaching, national teams are competing in their region-based qualifiers to secure their spot in the tournament.
Worldwide, millions of fans tuned in to the international matches, with Europe and the Americas drawing the most popularity, which can be attributed to the success of nations from these regions historically dominating the sport on a global scale.
12 nations have already qualified and secured their spot for the World Cup, and these teams include: Qatar (as they are hosting the tournament they automatically qualify), Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Argentina and the Netherlands.
All eyes lie on Italy and Portugal, as both have failed to automatically qualify through the group stages and will have to play through the playoffs sequence. As Italy recently won the European Championship last year and have broken a record for the longest consecutive undefeated streak for a national team, they still failed to accumulate enough points to safely secure their spot. Portugal, boasting some of the best attacking talents in the world including superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, also will have to qualify via the playoffs, which comes as a shock as they were tipped as favorites heading into the international break.
