Pre qualifying is over, the group stage draw is to be made this afternoon, Sunday the 20th of November. As Qatar take on Ecuador over in the desert, we will be checking if our novelty jumpers still fit and we can justify the first mulled wine of the season as we draw the group places for our competition
First Seeds | Second Seeds |
Die Hard (2018 Winner, two times finalist) | |
Scrooged (2010 Winner, 2018 Semi Finalist) | How the Grinch stole Christmas (3x Last 16) |
Gremlins (2018 Semi Finalist) | Trading Places (3x Last 16) |
Elf (two times Semi Finalist) | Muppet Christmas Carol (2x Last 16, 2018 quarter finalist) |
Home Alone (2018 Finalist) | The Holiday (2x Last 16) |
Love Actually (two times Semi Finalist) | The Polar Express (1x Last 16) |
The Snowman (three times quarter finalist) | Nightmare before Christmas (1x Last 16) |
Last Christmas (Wild Card Award) | Jingle All The Way (2018 QF, 1x Last 16) |
The Third and Fourth seed positions are now revealed, with some unexpected names among them. In Bruges collect the most votes in prequalifying and is making a world cup debut as a third seed. New comer 8 Bit Christmas makes a tournament bow as a third seed as well. They are joined by Christmas with the Kranks and Krampus, both of which have never emerged from the group stages of their previous appearances.
The final fourth seeds are where we have some raised eyebrows with Brit flick Get Santa, Nicholas Cage schmaltz Family Man and old classic Miracle on 34th Street being joined by a true wild card The Tomorrow War. This sci fi family tale starts when the final of the FIFA world cup in 2022 is interrupted by time travellers from the future warning of the war to come and looking for recruits. If you are looking for a dark horse for this year, that may be your bet.
These results leave some stalwart Christmas Film World Cup performers heading home without a place at the table. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, The Nativity, Santa Claus: The Movie, Holiday Inn, Jack Frost and Bridget Jones's Diary will not be with us for the first time, some will not weep over the departure of Bridget, who is lambasted every year for inclusion in the line up but is it really a world cup without Santa Claus The Movie or National Lampoons? The purists and the inclusionists will continue to argue over the qualifying of Christmas Films which goes far deeper than the age old question Is Die Hard really a Christmas film
Third Seeds | Fourth Seeds |
The Santa Clause (3x Last 16) | Bad Santa (1x Last 16) |
Klaus (Wild Card Award) | Scrooge (1x Last 16, 2x Group Stages) |
A Boy Called Christmas (Wild Card Award) | Four Christmases (1x Last 16, 2x Group Stages) |
White Christmas (3x Group Stages) | The Christmas Chronicles (Wild Card Award) |
In Bruges (Never Qualified) | Get Santa (2018 Group Stages) |
8 bit Christmas (New Release) | The Tomorrow War (Wild Card) |
Christmas with the Kranks (2010 Group Stages) | The Family Man (2018 Last 16, twice fell at Group Stages) |
Krampus (2018 Group Stages) | Miracle on 34th Street (2010 Last 16, twice eliminated at Group Stages) |
The Group Draw
The 2022 Christmas Film World Cup draw will take place live on Youtube at 19.30 Spanish time 20th November.
The Group Stage (1st - 12th December)
During the group stage, you can vote for each group once a day, placing films in order of preference. At the end of the group stage, voting results are announced and the top two films from each group progress to the elimination stage.
Last 16 (14th, 15th, 16th & 17th of December)
The knock out matches are played over four days with two matches being voted on over each day.
Quarter Finals (18th, 19th, 20th & 21st December)
At this stage the competition is getting tense and each quarter final is played every day in this four day period.
Semi Finals (22nd & 23rd December)
Two matches, two days with the winners progressing to the Grand Final
Final (24th December)
The final is voted on over Christmas Eve and the winner will be crowned before you tuck into your mince pies.
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