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Thirteen teams have secured qualification to this winter’s World Cup in Qatar, but there are still plenty of spots — 19, to be exact — up for grabs. Only the host nation, 10 UEFA teams and two CONMEBOL teams have mathematically secured a spot in the upcoming tournament.

Every confederation has remaining slots, and some, such as CONCACAF, CAF and AFC, still have all their places up for grabs.

Between now and the end of the March international breaks, all but two of the World Cup spots will be confirmed, with only the intercontinental playoffs to conclude as the World Cup draw commences on April 3.

MORE: Premier League players in World Cup qualifying

Below is a comprehensive rundown of who remains in World Cup contention, and how each nation can qualify amid its confederation’s qualification setup.

What teams have qualified for the World Cup?

To this point, 13 teams have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar, the host nation qualifying automatically and making its first World Cup appearance, joins 12 other nations qualifying via competitive berths.

Below is a list of all countries that are guaranteed a spot in the 2022 World Cup, organized by date qualified.

AFC World Cup qualifying

The final round of Asian World Cup qualifying features two groups of six teams each. The top two teams in each group qualify automatically, while those finishing third will play a one-game playoff to determine Asia’s representative in the intercontinental playoff.

Vietnam, China, and Syria have been mathematically eliminated from a World Cup spot, while Lebanon, Iraq, UAE, and Oman can all only qualify via the intercontinental playoff spot.

In Group A, Iran and South Korea have already secured qualification, opening up a giant gap at the top. The third spot is far more murky, with three nations still very much in the mix.

In Group B, things are a little less clear. Saudi Arabia and Japan appear on their way towards confirming a spot, while Australia looks set for the intercontinental playoff decider, although it has matches against both teams above it in the final March international window, a pair of games that couuld decide the Aussies’ fate.

Group A

* = qualifies for intercontinental playoff
​W = clinched top 3 spot, X = clinched qualification, Y = eliminated from top 2, but can advance to fourth round, Z = eliminated from contention

Group B

* = qualifies for intercontinental playoff
​W = clinched top 3 spot, X = clinched qualification, Y = eliminated from top 2, but can advance to fourth round, Z = eliminated from contention

CAF World Cup qualifying

The African confederation is in the midst of the African Cup of Nations, taking a break from World Cup qualification.

MORE: AFCON 2022 full schedule

No teams from Africa have fully qualified, as the draw for the final round has just commenced. The final 10 teams remaining after the previous round have entered the last stage, each paired with another nation to compete in a two-leg matchup, with each winner earning a spot.

High-powered meetings such as Egypt vs. Senegal, Nigeria vs. Ghana, and Cameroon vs. Algeria highlight the final round of CAF qualifying. Already eliminated from contention are the likes of Ivory Coast, South Africa, Gabon and Burkina Faso, among many other, smaller nations.

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying

In the final round of CONCACAF qualification, the Hexagonal features the eight nations that remain in contention for a spot at the 2022 World Cup. The top three finishers qualify directly, while the fourth-placed finisher qualifies for the intercontinental playoff.

MORE: How the USMNT can qualify for the World Cup

With four matches remaining, Canada currently tops the group, hoping to qualify for its first World Cup since 1986, while the United States and Mexico are neck-and-neck behind Les Rouges. It’s tight at the top, but Canada has opened up a gap thanks to its win over the United States. A gap has also developed between fourth and fifth, leaving the top four teams in great position to secure qualification soon, or at leaset confirm a spot in the intercontinental qualifier. Costa Rica is a nation in limbo, not out of the hunt but also not feeling confident of its place.

MORE: How Mexico can qualify for the World Cup

Honduras is the only side so far in the Octagonal that is mathematically eliminated with four matches to go, but a comeback by Jamaica and El Salvador at this stage would be nothing short of legendary. Nations such as Haiti, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Guatemala have already been eliminated in previous rounds.

* = qualifies for intercontinental playoff
​W = clinched top 4 spot, X = clinched qualification, Y = eliminated from top 2, but can advance to fourth round, Z = eliminated from contention

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying

CONMEBOL only sports one round of World Cup qualifying, with all 10 registered confederations eligible to take part.

South American qualification has been dominated thoroughly this cycle by the top three teams. Only three of the 10 sides currently sport positive goal differentials, a result of Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador providing multiple thumpings each. It’s to the point where Brazil and Argentina have already clinched spots at the 2022 World Cup, and Ecuador could be close behind after already securing at least a spot in the intercontinental qualifier.

The rest of the table is in complete disarray, and chaos reigns. It is eye-popping to see South American powers Chile, and Colombia so far down the table this late in qualifying, and Uruguay hasn’t been convincing either. Bolivia, Paraguay, and Venezuela are in the dust, the the latter two mathematically eliminated and Bolivia nearly there.

* = qualifies for intercontinental playoff
​W = clinched top 5 spot, X = clinched qualification, Y = eliminated from top 4, but can advance to fourth round, Z = eliminated from contention

UEFA World Cup qualifying

Ten of the available 13 European places in the 2022 World Cup have been secured, but there is still plenty of drama remaining. Topping their groups to earn places are Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland.

Of the remaining 12 countries still in the mix, each will participate in a mini four-nation bracket, each with a winner emerging to secure a place in this winter’s field. Each match will be one game, with the winner advancing to the next spot.

Shockingly, Italy and Portugal were both drawn into the same bracket, meaning at least one is guaranteed to miss out on a spot in the World Cup. Also taking part are the likes of Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Scotland and others who finished second in their groups during the last round.

Group A

Semifinals

Finals

Group B

Semifinals

Finals

Group C

Semifinals

Finals

Oceania

The Oceania qualification format, which works to nominate a member for the intercontinental playoff, is somewhat behind, with a qualifier between Tonga and Cook Islands to take place in mid-March before a small group stage takes place.

The remaining nations are: Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu plus the winner of the aforementioned qualifier. The group stage sees three matches for each nation, to be played throughout mid-March. The top two finishers advance to a small four-team knockout bracket, with the final played on March 30.

That champion will earn a spot in the intercontinental playoffs. New Zealand is usually considered the overwhelming favorite in this group of small island nations, which has been the case since Australia made the switch to the AFC.

Intercontinental playoffs

Once everything else has been finished, and even after the World Cup draw on April 3, the final two spots at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be determined.

A pair of intercontinental playoffs pit those on the cusp of qualification from the around the world against each other in a pair of winner-take-all matchups. The fourth-place finisher in the Asian confederation meets the fifth-place finisher in the South American table, while North America’s fourth-place finisher meets the winner of the Oceania region.

These playoff assignments rotate each cycle, as to switch up the assigned confederations for competitive balance. While this used to be a two-leg affair, it has been shortened into just one match for this cycle, and those matches will be contested in Qatar, the site of the World Cup finals. They were originally scheduled for March, but as a result of changes to the FIFA calendar stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, they will be played in June, a few months after the World Cup draw.

AFC vs. CONMEBOL

CONCACAF vs. Oceania

As hockey fans brace for a second consecutive Olympic cycle without active NHL players, Team USA provides one of the best chances to get a glimpse as to what the future of American hockey may look like.

The men’s team has three NHL first-round picks on it who could break out and six former NHLers who are near the end of their careers and looking to go out with a bang.

The men’s ice hockey team hasn’t medaled since 2010 and has medaled just twice since winning gold in 1980.

As Team USA looks to reverse that trend and come home with some hardware, The Sporting News has you covered on how to catch them in action.

Here’s all the info you need to watch the tournament when the puck drops for Team USA on Feb. 10.

MORE: Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics live on fuboTV

USA men’s hockey 2022 Olympics schedule

Team USA is one of the 12 teams that qualified for the Beijing Olympics. It will be playing in Group A. Its group-play opponents will be Canada, China and Germany.

How to watch Olympic hockey games

• TV channels: NBC, USA Network, CNBC
• Live streams: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, fuboTV

All three of Team USA’s preliminary round games can be watched on USA Network. As the tournament progresses, all men’s games will air on USA, Peacock or NBCOlympics.com. All but one game from Feb. 15 — the men’s bronze medal game — will air on USA Network, including the gold medal game.

Viewers will be able to stream Team USA on Peacock, NBC’s Olympics website, the NBC Sports app and fuboTV, which offers a free trial in the U.S.

USA Olympic men’s ice hockey roster

USA Olympic ice hockey coaching staff

Men’s Olympic hockey schedule 2022

Wednesday, Feb. 9; Preliminary round

Thursday, Feb. 10; Preliminary round

Friday, Feb. 11; Preliminary round

Saturday, Feb. 12; Preliminary round

Sunday, Feb. 13; Preliminary round

Monday, Feb. 14; Qualification round

Tuesday, Feb. 15; Qualification round & Quarterfinals

Wednesday Feb. 16; Quarterfinals

Thursday, Feb. 17; Semifinal

Friday, Feb. 18; Semifinal

Saturday, Feb. 19: Medal games

With the Feb. 10 trade deadline quickly approaching, NBA fans all over the world are spending countless hours pretending to work during the day while crafting the perfect fake trade that will get them instantly hired by their favorite team.  

Most of these fake trades suck, but they could be made a lot better with a few adjustments. 

MORE: NBA trade rumors: Latest updates, possible deals

With that in mind, here are some tips to make your fake trades suck less. 

Use Fanspo’s trade machine

ESPN’s trade machine was revolutionary when current Timberwolves general manager Sachin Gupta created it as an ESPN employee back in 2006. Nowadays, there are newer and better options. 

Fanspo’s trade machine (formerly known as TradeNBA) allows you to trade draft picks and even allows protections on those picks. It also uses BBall Index’s LEBRON rating system to give a ballpark of what the value is for each side. 

Stop trading six players for one to make the salaries work

Technically, this trade works. 

Realistically, it will never happen midseason. Conducting imbalanced trades would involve waiving a significant amount of players because of roster spot limitations. 

Two players for one, three for two, etc. is kosher. Any more than that and your trade sucks. 

MORE: What Daryl Morey’s Five Percent rule tells us about a Ben Simmons trade

Learn the Stepien Rule

The Stepien Rule, named for former Cavs owner Ted Stepien, prevents teams from trading first-round picks in consecutive years. For example, the Lakers have already shipped out their 2022 and 2024 first-round picks. The Stepien rule means that they can’t trade their 2023 or 2025 picks either. 

You can see all the future pick obligations of every team over at RealGM. 

Bottom line, double-check to make sure your trade doesn’t leave any team without its first-rounders for two years in a row. If you run into that problem, try involving first-round pick swaps instead, or multiple second-round picks. Those two moves won’t violate the Stepien rule. 

Three teams max

Four-team trades almost never happen. There’s been one in the past 22 years, and you can probably guess who pulled it off. 

Answer: Daryl Morey got Robert Covington to the Rockets in 2020 as part of a 12-player, four team swap. 

Three-teamers are much more reasonable. A minor one just happened earlier in January to get Bryn Forbes to Denver. Keep your trades down to three, or else it sucks. 

Don’t put teams in the tax

Because of outrageous spending by the Warriors, Nets and Clippers this year, the tax is a big factor in trades. Owners will get a windfall, between $10-12 million, if they keep their teams under the tax line at the end of the year. 

Boston and Portland are right above the tax and are looking desperately to get under. The Nuggets, Heat, Timberwolves, Raptors and Wizards are all right below the luxury tax line and aren’t going to be adding any money

Trades involving any of those seven teams (Celtics, Blazers, Nuggets, Heat, Wolves, Raptors, Wizards) shouldn’t involve them taking on any more money, or else your trade sucks. 

MORE: Surging Celtics making push for playoffs

Include realistic targets

You already know the big names such as Ben Simmons, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner that have been rumored in trade talks. But what about the role players who can fill big holes in a roster?  

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of decent rotation players who also make some sense to get moved at the deadline:

• Guards: Dennis Schroeder, Marcus Smart, Collin Sexton, Corey Joseph, Donte DiVicenzo, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kemba Walker, Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon, DJ Augustin, Eric Bledsoe, Tyus Jones, De’Anthony Melton, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson
• Wings: TJ Warren, Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Torrey Craig, Josh Richardson, Terrence Ross, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, PJ Washington, Gary Harris, Evan Fournier, Kenrich Williams, Harrison Barnes, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, David Nwaba, Kyle Anderson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Talen Horton-Tucker, Josh Green
• Bigs: Robin Lopez, John Collins, Jerami Grant, Kelly Olynyk, Davis Bertans, Thomas Bryant, Montrezl Harrell, Paul Millsap, Nic Claxton, Mike Muscala, Derrick Favors, Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Hartenstein, Daniel Theis, Serge Ibaka, Jusuf Nurkic, Larry Nance Jr., Brandon Clarke, Thad Young, Chris Boucher, Mo Bamba, Nerlens Noel

The final test: Check the response on Twitter 

There aren’t many fleecings going on these days. The value has to be pretty close for trades to actually go through. 

One good measure to check whether your fake trade is balanced is to post it on Twitter and see the response. If both fan bases hate it equally, then congratulations are in order! Your fake trade does not suck.

The 76ers embarked on one of the most ambitious rebuilds in recent memory, tearing down their roster in search of the next great NBA star in the draft.

Built on the foundation of fielding non-competitive teams, general manager Sam Hinkie’s project saw the 76ers tumble down the standings, accumulate draft picks and emerge from “The Process” with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid — two of the best young stars in the league. 

NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)

Sure, there’s no exact science to the draft, as the selections of Jahlil Okafor (No. 3, 2015) and Markelle Fultz (No. 1, 2017) can attest, but on paper, getting a pair of multiple-time All-Stars was worth it. 

Fast forward to 2022 and while Embiid is putting forth a second consecutive season worthy of MVP consideration, Simmons now finds himself as a member of the Brooklyn Nets after a drawn-out offseason saga where he went toe-to-toe with the organizations front office in search of a move. 

He eventually got his wish.

After reportedly accumulating north of $20 million in fines for missing training camp and games, Simmons’ departure leaves a big hole in his wallet, while the void in Philadelphia’s backcourt is filled by a former MVP in James Harden.

76ers fans sat through misery, watching a terrible team for years, punctuated by the 10-72 record in 2015-16 — the third-worst record in NBA history — but the long-term plan of tanking for draft picks landed them the crown jewel of Simmons, their first No. 1 pick since Allen Iverson.

275 games, a Rookie of the Year award and three All-Star selections later, Simmons leaves town while the 76ers’ championship aspirations receive a new breath of life, something no one could have predicted when the saga began.

So how did we get here? 

In the post-Iverson era, the 76ers floundered. Between 2007-08 and 2011-12 and after suffering three first-round exits, one second-round exit and missing the playoffs entirely in 2009-10, it was time for a change as the mediocrity of being a good team without real championship hopes grew tired in the feast or famine NBA.

From 2002 to 2013, Philadelphia made the playoffs six times and missed the postseason party in five seasons.

On the treadmill of mediocrity, they embarked on an ambitious journey, bringing in Hinkie from the Rockets to steer the ship as a first-time GM in 2013-14. It was either contend for a title or bottom out and put yourself in a position to get the best talent available in the draft.

Hinkie’s first move was to send one-time All-Star Jrue Holiday to New Orleans in a trade for Nerlens Noel, the No. 6 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, selecting Michael Carter-Williams with the No. 11 pick in that same draft.

Between that season and Simmons playing his first NBA game, the 76ers went 75-253. Embiid sat out his first two seasons after being drafted in 2014 due to injury and played just 31 games his rookie season. By the time he and Simmons both took the floor together in 2017-18, “The Process” delivered results immediately, winning 52 games that season. Over the next four, they finished no lower than third in the Eastern Conference.

The most successful year came after rolling the dice to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, Butler would end up spending a total of 67 games with the franchise, after their hopes of winning a title were stifled by a Kawhi Leonard Game 7 buzzer-beater in 2019, ending their season in the second round. 

“GAME!
SERIES!
TORONTO HAS WON!!”

KAWHI WINS GAME 7 AT THE 🚨 FOR THE @Raptors!#TissotBuzzerBeater x #NBATogetherLive pic.twitter.com/gYhmSmEjjq

— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2020

Two No. 1 picks, two No. 3 picks and a host of NBA rotation players passing through their doors, including Alex Caruso, Christian Wood, Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes, who formed their legendary 2016 Summer League team alongside Simmons, the 76ers have yet to go any further than the Andre Iguodala-led squad that made the second round in 2011-12.

A decade on from that run, they have yet to attain anything tangible to show for it besides some more national TV games, a few dope magazine covers and more Twitter engagement than you could imagine.

Now, with Embiid, Harden, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle the 76ers are very much in the conversation as a title contender, but the road they took to get here compared to the rebuilds of teams like the Celtics, Nets and Hawks — you can now add the Hornets and Bulls to that list as well — was far from smooth.

The Simmons era rejuvenated the 76ers fanbase and made the 76ers a playoff fixture and legitimate contender in recent seasons, making “The Process” a relative success.

But now that the dust has settled and Embiid remains the only marquee draft pick from “The Process”, fans will surely be asking themselves… does the acquisition of Harden make it all worth it?