Qatar set to stage November-December World Cup

A FIFA task force has recommended playing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November and December.

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(Getty Images)

The task force has also suggested the event should be cut from the current 32 days to compensate for moving it to the winter to avoid the fierce summer temperatures.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, head of the task force, told Sky Sports: "We are very pleased that, after careful consideration we have identified what we believe to be the best solution for the 2018-2024 international match calendar and football in general.

"It was a challenging task and I want to thank all members of the football community for their productive input and constructiveness in helping to find a solution that we believe can work for everyone."

European football leagues and clubs had called for the tournament to be staged in May/June to reduce the impact on their playing schedules.

They are now expected to push for a reduced preparation period leading into the showpiece plus a reducation in official international FIFA match days during the season.

FIFA's General Secretary Jerome Valcke said that holding the 2022 World Cup in November-December was the only way to circumvent the searing heat.

He explained: "It's clear there are pros and cons for all but there is one solution coming out from these discussions which is November-December 2002."

FIFA said in a statement the task force had recommended "end-November/end-December as the most viable period for the 2022 World Cup"

The FIFA statement confirmed the task force had also recommended a shorter tournament.

It said: "The outcome of the discussions is also a proposed reduced competition days schedule with the exact dates to be defined inline with the match schedule and number of venues to be used for the 22nd edition of football's flagship event.

"The proposed event dates have the full support of all six confederations."

The statement said the task force was exploring the option of staging the Confederations Cup in another Asian confederation country during the traditional June/July window in 2021.


FIFA's executive committee will make a final decision on the 2022 World Cup dates at a meeting in Zurich on 20 March 19.






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2 min read
Published 24 February 2015 8:00pm
Updated 25 February 2015 9:28am
Source: SBS

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