2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group C was one of the ten UEFA groups in the World Cup qualification tournament to decide which teams would qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals tournament in Qatar.[1] Group C consisted of five teams: Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Northern Ireland and Switzerland.[2] The teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.[3]
The group winners, Switzerland, qualified directly for the World Cup finals, while the runners-up, Italy, advanced to the second round (play-offs).
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | .svg.png)  |   | .svg.png)  |   |   | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png) Switzerland | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 18 | Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 |  Italy | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 16 | Advance to play-offs | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | |
| 3 | .svg.png) Northern Ireland | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 9 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 4 |  Bulgaria | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 8 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 5 |  Lithuania | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 19 | −15 | 3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 3–1 | — | 
Matches
The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 8 December 2020, the day following the draw.[4][5][6] Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| Italy  | 1–1 |  Bulgaria | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) | 
 | 
| Italy  | 5–0 |  Lithuania | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) | 
| Bulgaria  | 2–1 | .svg.png) Northern Ireland | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) | 
 | 
| Lithuania  | 0–4 | .svg.png) Switzerland | 
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) | 
 | 
| Italy  | 1–1 | .svg.png) Switzerland | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) | 
 | 
Goalscorers
There were 44 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 2.2 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
 Ivaylo Chochev Ivaylo Chochev
 Atanas Iliev Atanas Iliev
 Andrea Belotti Andrea Belotti
 Domenico Berardi Domenico Berardi
 Federico Chiesa Federico Chiesa
 Manuel Locatelli Manuel Locatelli
 Giacomo Raspadori Giacomo Raspadori
 Stefano Sensi Stefano Sensi
 Rolandas Baravykas Rolandas Baravykas
 Justas Lasickas Justas Lasickas
.svg.png) Daniel Ballard Daniel Ballard
.svg.png) Shayne Lavery Shayne Lavery
.svg.png) Paddy McNair Paddy McNair
.svg.png) Christian Fassnacht Christian Fassnacht
.svg.png) Remo Freuler Remo Freuler
.svg.png) Mario Gavranović Mario Gavranović
.svg.png) Cedric Itten Cedric Itten
.svg.png) Noah Okafor Noah Okafor
.svg.png) Haris Seferovic Haris Seferovic
.svg.png) Xherdan Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri
.svg.png) Renato Steffen Renato Steffen
.svg.png) Ruben Vargas Ruben Vargas
.svg.png) Silvan Widmer Silvan Widmer
1 own goal
 Benas Šatkus (against Northern Ireland) Benas Šatkus (against Northern Ireland)
 Edgaras Utkus (against Italy) Edgaras Utkus (against Italy)
Discipline
A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[29]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions were carried forward to the play-offs, but not the finals or any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the qualifying matches:
| Team | Player | Offence(s) | Suspended for match(es) | 
|---|---|---|---|
|  Bulgaria | Valentin Antov |  vs Northern Ireland (31 March 2021)  vs Lithuania (9 October 2021) | vs Northern Ireland (12 October 2021) | 
| Atanas Iliev |  vs Northern Ireland (31 March 2021)  vs Lithuania (5 September 2021) | vs Lithuania (9 October 2021) | |
| Nikolay Mihaylov |  vs Lithuania (5 September 2021) | ||
| Georgi Yomov |  vs Italy (2 September 2021)  vs Lithuania (9 October 2021) | vs Northern Ireland (12 October 2021) | |
|  Italy | Manuel Locatelli |  vs Bulgaria (28 March 2021)  vs Lithuania (31 March 2021) | vs Bulgaria (2 September 2021) | 
|  Lithuania | Fedor Černych |  vs Switzerland (28 March 2021)  vs Bulgaria (5 September 2021) | vs Italy (8 September 2021) | 
| Domantas Šimkus |  vs Italy (31 March 2021)  vs Bulgaria (5 September 2021) | ||
| Egidijus Vaitkūnas |  vs Italy (31 March 2021)  vs Bulgaria (9 October 2021) | vs Switzerland (12 October 2021) | |
| .svg.png) Northern Ireland | Jamal Lewis |    vs Switzerland (9 October 2021) | vs Bulgaria (12 October 2021) | 
| Paddy McNair |  vs Bulgaria (31 March 2021)  vs Lithuania (2 September 2021) | vs Switzerland (8 September 2021) | |
| George Saville |  vs Italy (25 March 2021)  vs Bulgaria (31 March 2021) | vs Lithuania (2 September 2021) | |
| .svg.png) Switzerland | Manuel Akanji |  vs Bulgaria (25 March 2021)  vs Italy (12 November 2021) | vs Bulgaria (15 November 2021) | 
| Fabian Frei |  vs Italy (5 September 2021)  vs Northern Ireland (8 September 2021) | vs Northern Ireland (9 October 2021) | |
| Remo Freuler |  vs Spain in UEFA Euro 2020 (2 July 2021) | vs Italy (5 September 2021)[30] | |
| Denis Zakaria |  vs Northern Ireland (8 September 2021)  vs Northern Ireland (9 October 2021) | vs Lithuania (12 October 2021) | 
Notes
- ^ CET (UTC+1) for matches until 27 March and from 31 October (matchday 1 and 9–10), and CEST (UTC+2) for matches from 28 March to 30 October 2021 (matchday 2–8).
- ^ a b c d e f Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the match was played behind closed doors.
- ^ The Switzerland vs Lithuania match, originally to be played at 20:45 UTC+2, was delayed by 15 minutes to replace a wrong-sized goal.[10]
References
- ^ "UEFA preliminary competition for the FIFA World Cup 2022: Draw procedures" (PDF). FIFA. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition – Draw Results" (PDF). UEFA. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ "UEFA preliminary competition format for the FIFA World Cup 2022" (PDF). FIFA. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ "European Qualifiers for 2022 World Cup: all the fixtures". UEFA. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Fixture List – European Qualifiers 2020–2022: FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition" (PDF). UEFA. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Fixture List by Group – European Qualifiers 2020–2022: FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition" (PDF). UEFA. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Bulgaria vs. Switzerland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Italy vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Bulgaria vs. Italy" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Swiss goalposts cause delay". football-italia.net. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Switzerland vs. Lithuania" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Lithuania vs. Italy" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "World Cup qualifying: Bulgaria and Lithuania matches to take place in Florence and Reggio Emilia". FIGC. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Italy vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "Lithuania vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "Bulgaria vs. Lithuania" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Switzerland vs. Italy" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Italy vs. Lithuania" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Switzerland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Lithuania vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Switzerland vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Bulgaria vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Lithuania vs. Switzerland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Italy vs. Switzerland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Lithuania" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Italy" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Switzerland vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Regulations FIFA World Cup 2022 Preliminary Competition" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ "Booking list" (PDF). UEFA. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
External links
- Official FIFA World Cup website
- Qualifiers – Europe, FIFA.com
- European Qualifiers, UEFA.com
