WALES GET THEIR CALL, WHILE AUSTRALIA, UAE, PERU AND NEW ZEALAND AWAIT THEIRS
So, after Wales beat Ukraine 1-0 in a Cardiff monsoon, Yr Draig Goch (the red dragon) will flutter at the World Cup finals in Qatar this winter.
Barring injury or suspension, Gareth Bale, one of the world's best players of his generation, will now not join the unlucky list of soccer stars who never played at the World Cup such as Alfredo di Stefano, George Best, George Weah and Eric Cantona.
Now Wales have made the World Cup finals, they can look forward to three matches in the 40,000 capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan.
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| Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
Delighted at their first World Cup finals since 1958, the dragons will relish a British derby with England, who beat them 2-1 at Euro 2016 and will fancy their chances against the USA and Iran.
Should they finish in the top two, the Welsh would play one of Qatar, Senegal, Ecuador, and the Netherlands in the second round.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 B
- Wales v USA 21/11/22 19:00 Al-Rayyan
- Wales v Iran 25/11/22 10:00 Al-Rayyan
- Wales v England 29/11/22 19:00 Al-Rayyan
Wales are the final European qualifier for Qatar, but there are still two places for Qatar up for grabs with teams from four confederations in the mix.
The first match in the repechage will be the AFC 4th Round eliminator between Australia and the U.A.E. on Tuesday. The winner of that match will play Peru, who finished fifth in South America, for the first final place in Qatar, on Monday week.
The following night sees the fourth-placed CONCACAF team, Costa Rica, against Oceania winners New Zealand for the 32nd and final place at the World Cup.
AFC 4th Round
Australia v United Arab Emirates 07/06/22 18:00 Al-Rayyan
Qualifier 31 - AFC v CONMEBOL Playoff
AFC 4th Round Winner v Peru 13/06/22 18:00 Al-Rayyan
Qualifier 32 - CONCACAF v OFC Playoff
Costa Rica v New Zealand 14/06/22 18:00 Al-Rayyan
(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile