Confirmed : FIFA decides 2022 World Cup dates

[RedMachine03]

2022 Qatar World Cup to last 28 days with final to be played on 18 December

• Tournament will start on November 21 which falls in Qatar’s winter months
• Premier League will look to resume fixtures on Boxing Day of that year

Fifa have confirmed that the 2022 World Cup will be played from 21 November to 18 December, with the tournament in Qatar set to last just 28 days.

Controversy has surrounded the bidding process which led to Qatar being awarded the tournament and the scorching heat that players would have to endure during matches, which regularly top 50°C (122°F) during the summer months. With that in mind, the World Cup will take place in a host country’s winter for the first time, with the final set to be played on 18 December, which is national day in Qatar.

The dates were agreed in principal back in March, where Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said that the Premier League would look to resume its fixtures on Boxing Day, effectively meaning that clubs will be taking a winter break at the 2022-23 season.

“There are seven years to prepare for this until 2022,” Boyce said earlier this year. “I think it could be a tremendous World Cup because I think players will be fresher than they have ever been. It’s going to be 28 days, it’s not a lifetime. It means [domestic leagues] starting three weeks earlier and finishing three weeks later for one year.”

World Cups are typically played over 32 days but it is thought that the reduced timescale is to minimise the impact on participating nations’ domestic competitions, with the tournament scheduled to interrupt every European league.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...1-november-final-18-december?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

[pseudo_canadian]

So every major European league will be disrupted for at least one season, the tournament will be 3 days shorter, and it will be played in the winter instead of the summer in a country with barely any footballing history.

What a pathetic, but entirely unsurprising, joke. Hopefully the leagues boycott it.

 

[Kostur]

Ugh, somebody do something please.

 

[kps88]

I'm still not sure why no one is challenging this in court. They won the bid on the basis of being able to do it in the summer.

 

[2 man midfield]

Help

 

[ThierryHenry]

That's really going to ruin the momentum of our Jack Wilshere led title challenge.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I'm still not sure why no one is challenging this in court. They won the bid on the basis of being able to do it in the summer.

Based purely on speculation, I'd guess it's because every country bidding for the World Cup was probabl guilty of corruption in some way, shape or form, so if they try it, FIFA may well just expose them.

 

[iBoss]

What a fecking joke.

 

[Sir Matt]

So every major European league will be disrupted for at least one season, the tournament will be 3 days shorter, and it will be played in the winter instead of the summer in a country with barely any footballing history.

What a pathetic, but entirely unsurprising, joke. Hopefully the leagues boycott it.

The place is football mad, I tell ya!

 

[pseudo_canadian]

The place is football mad, I tell ya!

Lunatics they are!

 

[Jam]

That January schedule is going to be packed and there's going to be a hell of a lot of injuries and fatigue for the leading teams. There's potential for the bottom half clubs to have an absolute field day that month; it'll make for an interesting season in a purely results and points way.

It's still a horrific idea and that entire world cup is disgusting.

 

[RaptorSlo]

Uhm.

the World Cup will take place in a host country’s winter for the first time

Both South Africa and Brazil were in their winter months during their host of the WC.

 

[gormless]

I can see TV companies being very unhappy about this and challenging it. American TV networks have paid fortunes for World Cup rights on the understanding that it's in the summer when most of their sports are in the offseason. Now they have to compete with the NFL etc.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

What happened to all the air conditioned outdoor stadiums and stuff like that that was in their bid?

 

[Annihilate Now!]

What happened to all the air conditioned outdoor stadiums and stuff like that that was in their bid?

I imagine it turns out that almost impossible things to pull off are, in fact, almost impossible.

That's sort of a problem when you're bidding for something thats over 10 years into the future! You can just make up any old shit and put it as part of your bid... because who's going to prove you wrong?! The Japanese said they would beam 3D holograms of the games live to other stadiums around the world as part of their 2022 bid... so you'd go to Old Trafford and just watch a full hologram of the game as if you were in Seoul... and everyone was just like "Erm, well it is the Japanease... so we'll just assume they can do it!"

 

[Rams]

What are the odds on their not being a World Cup 2022 at all, let alone one held in Qatar in November & December?

 

[stubie]

Why not have the tournament in June/July but have kick offs at 8pm, 10pm and 12am local time

Oh I forgot it's FIFA we are talking about!

 

[Rams]

Why not hold the tournament in a country, who's climate isn't completely unsuitable to hold such a large outdoor sporting event?

 

[Akshay]

Hopefully the TV networks throw a tantrum because nobody else in football has the balls to do anything about this.

 

[Jerch]

Why not hold the tournament in a country, who's climate isn't completely unsuitable to hold such a large outdoor sporting event?

Because they all already spend their bribes.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

I still remember all the people who were trying to play down the fears of a Qatar World Cup back when it was awarded. So far this has gone as poorly as possible.

 

[ChaddyP]

Fifa taking the piss with this one.

 

[Red Dreams]

it wont happen.

I expect FIFA itself will cease to exist. An alternative organisation will spring up.

 

[Adisa]

Stinks

 

[HabeasC]

That

Why not have the tournament in June/July but have kick offs at 8pm, 10pm and 12am local time

Oh I forgot it's FIFA we are talking about!

To be fair, that probably wouldn't work. The coldest it was today was 30 degrees and that's the end of September. In June/July it wouldn't drop below 40 until very very late.

 

[devilish]

Clubs should refuse to release their players

 

[lynchie]

What happened to all the air conditioned outdoor stadiums and stuff like that that was in their bid?

The air-conditioned stadiums are still going ahead. The main problem with the heat was with getting between matches.

 

[ants7]

Still 7 years to go, maybe something will happen during that time. But at the moment, this looks disgusting.

 

[Americano]

I can see TV companies being very unhappy about this and challenging it. American TV networks have paid fortunes for World Cup rights on the understanding that it's in the summer when most of their sports are in the offseason. Now they have to compete with the NFL etc.

It's probably the busiest time of year for our sports calendar. It's not just NFL, but the climax of the college football season, plus NBA, NHL, MLS playoffs, college basketball...

 

[Rado_N]

Why not hold the tournament in a country, who's climate isn't completely unsuitable to hold such a large outdoor sporting event?

You'll never make it in FIFA with crazy ideas like this.

 

[Sir Matt]

I can see TV companies being very unhappy about this and challenging it. American TV networks have paid fortunes for World Cup rights on the understanding that it's in the summer when most of their sports are in the offseason. Now they have to compete with the NFL etc.

That's why Fox were awarded the 2026 rights for a knockdown price without a bidding process.

 

[Raoul]

It won't happen in Qatar. Russia yes as there's not enough time to correct that, but Qatar is 7 years off. My best guess is Blatter and his cronies will go down this year, new leadership will come in and as an act of transparency, rebid the 2022 WC.

 

[Moonred]

It's going to be one chaotic football season in 2022.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Boxing Day fixtures still on!

 

[Castia]

This won't go ahead.

 

[gooDevil]

So every major European league will be disrupted for at least one season, the tournament will be 3 days shorter, and it will be played in the winter instead of the summer in a country with barely any footballing history.

What a pathetic, but entirely unsurprising, joke. Hopefully the leagues boycott it.

They really should.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Booooooooh... boycott this crap

 

[Ramshock]

This is a horrible fecking situation for the most part however the idea of a world cup leading up to christmas is somewhat appealing.

 

[PlayerOne]

Utter shambles this, what a mess they have made out of something that should be simple and straight forward. Can't see this going ahead tbh, hope FIFA get sued by Qatar when they decide to move it to a different country.

 

[Nogbadthebad]

It's going to be one chaotic football season in 2022.

I suspect there will be 3 seasons of disruption to fit this in. The one beforehand will have to start early so it can finish early, to allow for an even earlier start to the 2022/3 season.
That 22/23 season will finish late due to the month missing in December, pushing back everything else including both FA and League cups. This means that the 23/24 season will also need a delayed start to allow rest between the two seasons.