World Cup 2022: What the USMNT can expect from the draw

The United States qualified for the World Cup after missing out on the finals in 2018. Here’s what the team can expect from Friday’s draw.

The United States is back in the World Cup after qualifying Wednesday night following a third-place finish in the Octagonal behind Canada and Mexico.

How the USMNT will do in Qatar come November will come into sharper focus on Friday when the World Cup draw will be held and the eight opening-round groups and schedule finalized.

“Being the youngest team in the world to qualify for the World Cup is no easy task,” U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter told reporters after his team’s 2-0 defeat to Costa Rica that still got them through to Qatar 2022. “It’s a proud moment for the team, proud moment for U.S. Soccer, and we’re looking forward to competing in the World Cup again.”

The United States is currently ranked 15th in the world, according to the latest FIFA rankings, meaning they will be placed in Pot 2.

The USMNT should receive a favorable draw in World Cup

That means the USMNT will avoid nations such as Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland and Croatia.

Excluding Mexico (since the USMNT can’t be placed in the same first round group with a fellow CONCACAF nation), avoiding the likes of Croatia, runners up four years ago, Germany, a four-time World Cup winner and the Netherlands is certainly helpful.

The draw will take place Friday at noon ET from Doha. The 32-nation World Cup opens on Nov. 21. The final will take place on Dec. 13.

It is the first time since the World Cup was first contested in 1930 that it will take place in the Middle East. It is also the first time in the tournament’s history that it will be played in the winter.

The United States will end up in a group with one of the following teams (who are all placed in Pot 1): Host nation Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, defending champions France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal.

Ideally, the Americans would end up in Group A, alongside Qatar, which would make the U.S. a heavy favorite to finish first among that quartet given how weak the hosts are.

Another team the U.S. could be paired with that wouldn’t be as scary is England and Portugal. The US has found ways to be competitive against those nations at recent tournaments.

Any pairing with France, Brazil, Belgium, Argentina and Spain would be tough, especially if the US ends up in a group with tough Pot 3 sides like Senegal, Japan or Serbia.

The teams in Pot 4, meanwhile, include: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and Ghana. There are still a series of tie-breakers that will take place to determine the other three finalists between Wales, Scotland, Ukraine, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Peru, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

Russia was recently banned by FIFA from taking part in the finals following the invasion of Ukraine.