Qatar will be involved in Uefa’s qualifying for the 2022 World Cup the country are hosting, and are set to be placed in one of the five-team groups.

The idea will be to balance out the groups and also give the hosts essential preparation games ahead of a landmark event for the country’s football culture.

Sources state it is most likely Qatar will be placed in Group A – featuring Ireland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Serbia and Azerbaijan – although negotiations could yet them be put in Groups B, D or E.

The move comes after negotiations between the AFC and Uefa, and isn’t the first time the 2022 hosts have been involved in such a move across confederations. 

They have participated in the Copa America in 2019, and are set to be invited back in 2021.

They will also take part in the Concacaf Gold Cup, as the home federation seeks to have a team capable of qualifying for the knock-out stages of their own World Cup.

Points against Qatar are unlikely to count towards the group, and they will just allow the team with a match-day off to play a semi-competitive fixture rather than a friendly.

Fixture dates for all qualifiers, including those involving Qatar, are set to be confirmed by Uefa on Tuesday.