Spain in World Cup 2022: Schedule, Bracket, Potential Opponents

After winning their first-ever World Cup trophy in 2010, Spain’s World Cup run hasn’t been impressive. However, the Spaniards are qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and will visit Qatar in November.

The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 has been done in Qatar; all the groups, brackets, and fixtures are set. Here in this article, we will predict Spain’s potential opponents in the Qatar World Cup, and try to figure out their Round of 16, Quarter-Finals, and Semi-Finals opponents, should they advance.

What to expect from Spain in the World Cup 2022?

2010 World Cup winners Spain has confirmed their tickets to Qatar directly from the UEFA region from Group B. They beat Sweden and sent them to the playoffs in the qualifiers.

Spain played in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 (held in 2021), losing to Italy on penalties. Since their winning campaign, Spain’s World Cup run hasn’t been impressive. They were knocked out from the group stage in the 2014 World Cup, following back-to-back defeats against Netherlands and Chile. The World Cup host Russia sent them home from the 2018 campaign from the Round of 16.

The Spaniards are a team of beautiful football. With so many young talents like Pedri, and Gavi along with the veteran Thiago Alcantara playing all across Europe, Spain will be a promising team in the World Cup 2022.

Currently the 7th best team according to FIFA rankings, Luis Enrique’s men will visit Qatar to bag their second World Cup glory. Spain is one of the top contenders and is expected to shine in the World Cup this year.

Spain’s Group and Match Schedule in World Cup 2022

The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar, in November this year. The groups, brackets, and fixtures for this huge event are already set. Spain is in Group E along with Germany, Japan, and the 4th team among Costa Rica and New Zealand (will be confirmed in June).

World Cup Group of Spain

Top two teams will qualify for the Round of 16 from each group – group winners and runners-up. Every team will play 3 matches in the Group Stage. A win brings 3 points, a draw 1, and no points for a defeat.

The Group E winners will play the runners-up of Group F in the Round of 16, and the Group E runners-up will play the Group F winners. Hence, E1 vs F2,  and E2 vs F1 in the Round of 16. Check out all the groups of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Match Schedule, Kickoff Time, Venue

Spain will go underway in the World Cup 2022 against Costa Rica or New Zealand, a 4th team in the group yet to be confirmed. Luis Enrique’s men should get a comfortable win in their first match to get a boost ahead of the Germany clash.

They will face Germany in their second match, which should be the most exciting battle of the Group Stage. Spain will finish the group stage by facing Japan.

Let’s check out Spain’s match schedule, kickoff time, and venue for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

All the times are in GMT, so you can convert it easily into your local time.

Here you can check out the full schedule and fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar.

Who will be the Round of 16 Opponents for Spain in the World Cup 2022?

We have analysed the groups, paths, and brackets along with the teams’ strengths and forms to predict the possible opponent for Spain in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar.

We all like to think positively about our favourite teams. Maybe you are thinking about the potential opponents of Spain in the Qatar World Cup 2022. You are at the right place. Let’s discuss Spain’s World Cup chances.

Spain’s World Cup brackets involve the groups E, F, G, and H till the quarter-finals. So, they cannot face any team from groups A, B, C, and D before the semi-finals.

Spain is in Group E. The Group E winners will play the runners-up of Group F in the Round of 16, and the Group E runners-up will play the Group F winners. Hence, E1 vs F2,  and E2 vs F1 in the Round of 16.

Group E features the most exciting battle of the group stage in the World Cup this year, Spain vs. Germany. The two top guns of the UEFA region will go head-to-head in their second match of the tournament. This battle should be the decider of the group winners. Our experts predict that this battle should be a close one with each team sharing a point. We pick Spain as the winner of Group E (E1). Germany should claim the second spot in Group E (E2).

Now, the Group E winners and runners-up will face the runners-up and winners of Group F, respectively. So, Spain’s Round of 16 opponent can be any team from Group F.

• E1 F2
• E2 F1

Group F consists of Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. This group would be one of the toughest ones with so many promising teams. Nonetheless, Belgium is the favourite to win Group F (F1).

The tournament runners-up of the 2018 World Cup, Croatia will face difficult challenges in the form of Canada and Morocco to go through to the knockout stages. Canada has qualified for the World Cup this year from the CONCACAF region ahead of Mexico and USA in the table. Morocco has promising players like Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech. We pick Canada as the surprise runners-up from Group F (F2).

So, Spain’s Round of 16 opponent should be Canada, if not Croatia, Morocco, or Belgium.

If Spain finishes as the runners-up of Group E (E2), there will be a strong possibility of Spain vs. Belgium in the Round of 16.

However, if they top the group (E1), we predict Spain’s Round of 16 opponent should be Canada or Croatia, or Morocco.

Who can be Spain’s Quarter-Final Opponent in the World Cup 2022?

Now, we will pick from too far ahead of time. Let’s analyse the brackets and find Spain’s potential opponents in the World Cup.

Spain’s quarter-final opponent will be among the following brackets.

• Match no. 53 (E1 vs F2) vs. Match no. 54 (G1 vs H2). It is when Spain finishes as the winners of Group E, and wins against the runners-up of Group F (in the Round of 16), for a spot in the quarter-finals. 

• Match no. 55 (E2 vs F1) vs. Match no. 56 (G2 vs H1). It is when Spain finishes as the runners-up of Group E, and wins against the winners of Group F (in the Round of 16), for a spot in the quarter-finals.

So, if Spain wins in the match no. 53 in the Round-of-16 stage, which should be against Canada according to our picks, they will face the winners of G1 vs H2 in the quarter-finals. Let’s check out Group G and Group H at this point.

As things stand, the match no. 54 in the Round of 16 should be Brazil (G1) vs. Uruguay (H2). We predict Brazil should win this tie for a spot in the quarter-finals. Hence, if Spain wins in the match no. 53, which should be against Canada according to our picks, they will face Brazil in the quarter-finals.

• Spain’s Probable Quarter-Final Opponent: Winners of 53 vs. Winners of 54, which should be Spain and Brazil, according to our picks.

However, if Spain finishes second in the group as E2, and beats Belgium (F1) in the Round of 16 to play in the quarter-finals, they could meet the winners of G2 vs H1 in the quarter-finals, which could be Serbia or Portugal.

Hence, in either way, if Spain goes through to the quarter-finals, their probable opponent can be Brazil, Portugal, Serbia, or even Uruguay, should they all qualify according to our picks.

Who can be Spain’s Semi-Final Opponent in the World Cup 2022?

The World Cup brackets certainly confirm that Spain will not face anyone from groups A, B, C, and D including Netherlands, England, Argentina or France before Semi-Finals.

So, Spain can face any team among Netherlands, England, Argentina and France in the semi-finals.

Related:

• England in World Cup 2022: Schedule, Bracket, Potential Opponents