Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022: How does the draw work?

Tonight's the night every footy fan has been waiting for - it's the Fifa World Cup 2022 draw!

At 16:45 this evening, England (along with 31 other teams) will find out who they will face in the group stages in Qatar. You'll be able to watch it live on BBC 1 (with the final half hour being shown on BBC 2) or on BBC iPlayer.

So far, 29 teams have qualified, with some more postponed qualifiers taking place in June.

One of these will decide whether Wales, Scotland or Ukraine will be heading to the competition.

But how does the draw work, and why aren't all 32 teams decided yet? Read on to find out!

Who would be in your dream draw? Let us know in the comments!

How does it work?

The teams are first divided into four 'pots' of eight.

Pot 1 includes the host nation (who's drawn first) and the top 'seeded' teams, which are the teams that rank the highest on the Fifa world rankings released on 31 March.

The rest of the pots work downwards through the rankings, with the lowest seeded teams appearing in Pot 4.

This year, Pot 4 also includes the teams that have yet to be decided, such as Costa Rica or New Zealand.

There are eight groups of four that the countries could eventually end up in.

Next, it's time to draw!

The England squad are through to the competition in Qatar, and they're among the top seeded teams

The teams are in one bowl, and the groups in another. Starting from the top pot and working down, each team is drawn, and then the group they're to play in.

Teams from the same continent are mostly kept apart, except for European countries, where a maximum of two can be in a group.

Unlike in previous World Cups, the match schedule will be decided afterwards and will not happen automatically depending on how teams are drawn out.

Fifa says they hope this will "provide a more beneficial kick-off time for audiences at home".

Why don't we know all the teams?

Most years, we'd know all the 32 teams that are through qualifiers before the draw.

However, this year three teams in Pot 4 are yet to be decided.

This is for two different reasons - the first being the Covid pandemic, and the second the war in Ukraine.

Costa Rica, New Zealand, Peru, the United Arab Emirates and Australia are all going to play their matches in June, after they were initially suspended in March due to Covid restrictions.

Scotland are very close to being in the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, but it's not certain yet

Wales, Scotland and Ukraine's route to the World Cup was paused when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Scotland's semi-final against Ukraine at Hampden Park was postponed from March until an unspecified date in June when it is hoped Ukraine will be in a position to play.

The winner of that game will face Wales, who beat Austria in their semi-final, in Cardiff a few days later.

When will the tournament take place?

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on 21 November, and will run through until 18 December. The competition is taking place in the winter because of the hot temperatures in the country.

This is one of the eight stadiums being used to host World Cup matches in Qatar

The tournament is going to be held across eight different venues.

This will also be the last World Cup with 32 countries before the competition expands to 48 teams.