Zurich: The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will start on November 21 and conclude on December 18, FIFA confirmed after its executive committee meeting in Zurich yesterday.
World soccer’s governing body had announced in March that the final would be played on December 18 — Qatar’s National Day — and the start date confirmed yesterday means the tournament will run for 28 days, four days shorter than usual.
It will be the shortest since the competition switched to a 32-team tournament in 1998.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was held over 32 days and the shortest 32-team tournament 31 days.
The Qatar tournament will mark the first time that the event is held during Europe’s winter months, previously the competition had been held in June and July.
The tournament was moved to avoid effects of the desert heat in the Gulf at that time of year.
Decisions to award Qatar the hosting of the tournament and 2018 tournament to Russia were taken in 2010.
“It’s confirmed — the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup Qatar will take place from 21 November until 18 December. World Cup Final on Qatar’s National Day,” tweeted the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar’s delivery and legacy authority for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In March, FIFA had approved staging the final of the 2022 World Cup to coincide with Qatar’s National Day on December 18.
A FIFA task force had recommended that the tournament be switched from summer to winter and played in November and December.
And FIFA’s Communications Chief Walter de Gregorio had said deciding the date of the final was “an important step. Finally, we know and we can move forward.
“The final will be on December 18. It is a Sunday and it is also National Day of Qatar, so it fits perfectly,” he told reporters.
Qatar was awarded the 2022 finals in December 2010 on the basis it would take place in the summer in air-conditioned stadiums.
But within days, Franz Beckenbauer, an executive committee member at the time, and UEFA President Michel Platini suggested a winter World Cup would be possible.
FIFA had to change from the traditional June-July World Cup and thus will be the first tournament to be held in the northern winter. “In principle, we try to play in 28 days. The next step is to have different talks, especially (on) the international calendar,” Platini had said.
At that time, Telegraph newspaper had said the beginning of the World Cup will be around November 21 as FIFA had suggested it would be a week-and-a-half shorter than usual.
The decision on the date of the 2022 final ended a long-running debate on the timing.
However, European clubs had complained about the disruption to their cash-rich domestic championships on account of a winter World Cup.
And even the dates for the November-December tournament were not unanimous. England and other countries had opposed this because of the clash with traditional games played over the Christmas and New Year period.
UEFA, Europe’s governing body, had initially preferred December 23 for the final, but have since changed its mind.
European clubs were expected to press for some kind of compensation for halting their national league and Champions League games for at least five weeks.
But FIFA President Sepp Blatter had said compensation was not needed. Agencies
