World Cup Semi Finals 2022: Teams qualified, bracket, match schedule, fixtures and how they work

It is hard to believe that we are still only days away from getting to know the teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The finals are the next level on tap early next week.

According to the FIFA World Cup tradition, the second half will take place on different dates with one semi-final on Tuesday, December 13 and the other on Wednesday, December 14.

It means one of the World Cup finalists will get a break before the final on Sunday, December 18.

The underdogs in the semis will have one last chance to end the tournament on a positive note with the third game taking place on the final night.

MORE: How to suspend players for a World Cup or final

World Cup Semifinal Schedule

There are eight teams competing in the finals. Two of the semifinalists were decided on Friday, December 9, and the others were scheduled for Saturday, December 10.

World Cup Quarter Final

Finals of the World Cup

MORE: When is the 2022 FIFA World Cup final?

Argentina vs Croatia

• Date: Tuesday, December 13
• Time: 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT / 10 pm local time in Qatar
• Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail, Qatar)

Croatia shocked the world by beating Brazil on penalty kicks in the quarter-finals to face Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.

Argentina may be favorites against Croatia, but this match will be competitive. The European team knows how to hold on aggressively as their five games so far in Qatar have shown.

Croatia beat Argentina 3-0 in the last World Cup match and the team’s record is even though they have won twice in each match. They only shared two World Cup matches with Argentina claiming a narrow 1-0 victory in 1998.

France vs Morocco

• Date: Wednesday, December 14
• Time: 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT / 10 pm local time in Qatar
• Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor, Qatar)

World Cup defending champions France are back in the semifinals and will be favorites against Morocco while the Atlas Lions will be the first African team to reach the semifinals.

Morocco have the longest run of the eight teams to reach the quarter-finals, but they haven’t been good enough yet. They have made it through their front three attacks with expert defense and inspired play.

With a group of people traveling and many traveling from Morocco to Qatar, the Moroccans have what it takes to give a big problem to France and the presence of many of their supporters can be the difference.

Morocco won only one match against France in 11 matches played all season and that came back in 1963. Their last meeting came in 2007 (1-2-2 friendly).

MORE: Who will win the 2022 World Cup? This is what the mess is saying

How the semifinals work

Just like the previous round of football, the semi-finals will be single elimination and there must be a winner after each match.

So if there is a draw after 90 minutes, these teams will get 30 extra periods to decide the winner. Overtime is not sudden death. (In other words, it’s not another goal-winning situation or a ‘golden goal’.)

How penalty kicks work

If the teams are still deadlocked after extra time, the game will go to a penalty shoot-out where each team tries to score through penalties. The team with the most successful conversions after five attempts is declared the winner. If the teams are still tied after five rounds, they will go round again until the tiebreaker.

World Cup News

In the eight men’s World Cup competitions held since 1994, 17 different countries have used the 32 holes in the 17th round listed below with six of the most impressive performances this season.

A total of 12 of the 17 countries are from Europe, three from South America, one from Africa (Morocco in 2022), and only one from Asia, surprisingly South Korea ran to the final four when they prepare the competition.

Among the quarter-finalists in 2022, Morocco were the only participants in the first half after defeating Portugal with a dramatic 1-0 victory.

MORE: Who is the greatest World Cup winner in history?