On Monday (December 7), the Seleção found out who they will take on in their attempt to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA held the UEFA group qualifying draw in a virtual event at the Federation's headquarters in Zurich. All 55 nations that make up UEFA discovered what their "Road to Qatar" will look like, with Portugal being the first nation called to begin the draw. The defending European champions were drawn from Pot 1 into Group A (five-team group), along with the following four nations:
- Serbia (Pot 2)
- Republic of Ireland (Pot 3)
- Luxembourg (Pot 4)
- Azerbaijan (Pot 5)
Group matches will begin on either March 24 or March 25, 2021 (full schedule yet to be released), with the final group matches to take place in November 2021.
Here is a breakdown of the Seleção's opponents:
Serbia
FIFA Ranking: 30 (as of latest rankings - Nov. 2020)
Portugal's Record vs. Serbia: 6 Matches: 3 Wins, 3 Draws
Last Meeting: Sept. 7, 2019: EURO 2020 Qualifying Match (Group B) in Belgrade (Serbia 2-4 Portugal)
Republic of Ireland
FIFA Ranking: 42
Portugal's Record vs. Ireland: 9 Matches (4 Wins, 2 Draws, 3 Losses)
Last Meeting: June 6, 2014: Friendly in New Jersey, USA (Portugal 5-1 Ireland)
Luxembourg
FIFA Ranking: 98
Portugal's Record vs. Luxembourg: 17 Matches (15 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss)
Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 2019: EURO 2020 Qualifying Match (Group B) in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg 0-2 Portugal)
Azerbaijan
FIFA Ranking: 109
Portugal's Record vs. Azerbaijan: 6 Matches (5 Wins, 1 Draw)
Last Meeting: March 26, 2013: FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifying Match (Group F) in Baku (Azerbaijan 0-2 Portugal)
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Photo Cred: UEFA.com
