Portugal will return to contest the playoffs for reaching the final stage for the fourth time in their history, following a 1-2 defeat to Serbia at Estádio da Luz Stadium, which propelled Portugal into second place in Group A.
The draw for the European qualifiers play-offs is scheduled for 26 November and matches will take place from 24 to 29 March next year, as FIFA announced a few days ago. Portugal will lead the series.
Portugal skips a direct qualifier, but the truth is that whenever they had to make the playoffs like they did in the qualifiers for Mundial2010, Euro2012 and Mundial2014, they always managed to reach the final, twice with Bosnia and Herzegovina, another with Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In the first, at the World Cup in South Africa, in 2010, Portugal faced Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting with a 1-0 win, also at Luz Stadium, with a single goal from Bruno Alves, then winning again in Zenica, for the same victory. Result with a goal by Raul Meireles.
Two years later, another play-off with Bosnia, now at Euro 2012, but with reverse games. First a miss in Zenica, then a defeat in Luza (6: 2) with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Nani, Elder Postiga (2) and Miguel Veloso.
Two more years and another playoff, this time the most exciting, in the race for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And again at Estádio da Luz Portugal started with a 1-0 win over Sweden with Cristiano Ronaldo solitaire. … In the second game, in Solna, Portugal were down 2-1 with two goals from Ibrahimovic before Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to beat Portugal 3-2.
Another Playoffs: How Will It Work?
Unlike the previous playoffs in Europe, this one will be held in a slightly different format. It will be contested by a total of 12 teams: the ten runners-up in the group stage (among them Portugal), plus the two best group winners of the 2020/2021 League of Nations who did not make the top two places in the tournament. European qualifiers for this group stage.
In the drawing, these 12 selections will be divided into three paths. That is, each path will have four choices. Each track will have one-game semi-finals (March 24 and 25, 2022) and three-track finals on March 28 and 29, 2022. There will be three final winners for each path. the World Cup in Qatar, and the other nine teams (six lost in the semifinals and three lost in the final with a triple outcome) are on the way.
Basically, this European 2022 World Cup playoff works the same as the Euro 2020 qualifying playoff.
Mundial2014 (Brazil): play-offs
Portugal-Sweden, 1: 0
Sweden-Portugal, 2-3
Euro 2012 (Ukraine and Poland): playoffs
Bosnia and Herzegovina-Portugal, 0-0
Portugal-Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6-2
World Cup 2010 (Africa do Sul): play-offs
Portugal-Bosnia and Herzegovina – 1: 0
Bosnia and Herzegovina-Portugal, 0-1
