World Cup 2022: Dates you should book off and when will England be playing?

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place this winter, with the first game landing on November 21, 2022. It’ll be Senegal vs The Netherlands – the first game of the tournament is often a spectacle and one that everyone wants to watch. However, it is set to take place at 10am GMT, so make sure you’ve got an alarm set if you don’t want to miss it!

When will England be playing?

As for where England’s group games are concerned, the first will also be on November 21 – in fact, it’s the second game of the entire tournament. England will play Iran in their inaugural game of the World Cup, with the kick off time being at 1pm GMT.

England’s second group game falls on November 25, with a much more convenient kick off time of 7pm GMT. England will play the USA, marking the first time the Three Lions have played the Stars and Stripes in a competitive fixture since the infamous 1-1 draw back in 2010.

England’s final group game will be against one of three opponents – Wales, Scotland or Ukraine. We’ll find out who in June, when the last of the World Cup playoffs are played. The group game itself is scheduled for November 29 at 7pm GMT.

As for the knockout rounds, England are expected to top their group – therefore, their Round of Sixteen game will most likely take place on December 4 at 7pm GMT. However, if England finish second in Group B, they will instead play on December 3 at 3pm GMT. Of course, this all assumes that England escape their group to begin with!

According to bookmakers Bet365, England are currently 11/2 to win the World Cup, making them joint-second favourites, alongside France. Only Brazil have better odds, standing at 9/2. As such, it’d be a massive shock if England failed to escape their group.

What other big games will be on for the World Cup 2022?

There’s some mouth watering games to be watched in the group stages – for starters, Spain vs Germany promises to be an unmissable clash. It’ll take place on November 27, with a kick off time of 7pm GMT.

The following day, November 28, will see a clash between two big hitters – Portugal and Uruguay. With players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Luis Suarez sharing a pitch, this also isn’t a match to miss.

The host nation, Qatar, will play their first game against Ecuador on November 21 at 4pm GMT. Unusually, it isn’t the first game of the tournament – the first game almost always includes the hosting country.

The Round of 16 will begin on December, with two games being played every day from December 3 to December 6. Following this, the Quarter Finals will commence, with all four games being played on December 9 and December 10.

The first Semi Final will kick off on December 17 at 7pm GMT, with the second being held on December 14 (also at 7pm GMT). The final will be hold on December 18, with a kick off time of 6pm GMT.