FIFA have confirmed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held in November/December, with the final scheduled to take place on 18 December.
"The Executive Committee today confirmed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be staged in November/December with the Final to be on 18 December 2022, Qatar's National Day," read a statement on FIFA's official website.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be played in the winter in order to avoid the extreme heat in the summers in Qatar, has been shortened to 28 days instead of the usual 32.
"In principle, it was agreed that the tournament should be played over a reduced timeframe, for instance 28 days," added the statement.
Earlier UEFA had proposed for the final to take place on 23 December, but that option was scrapped after many FIFA members opposed to that idea due to them feeling that a final so close to Christmas would cause problems for fans and players, who would want to go home during the festive season.
18 December is a more suitable date for the final as fans and players will have enough time to go home and clubs will also be able to play their traditional Boxing Day matches in England.
UEFA president Michel Platini despite saying that 18 December is a more acceptable date than 23 December to host the 2022 World Cup final, has warned FIFA that they must re-arrange their calendar to accommodate four international matches that are scheduled to take place during that same period.
"Dec. 18 is a good date for the final -- perhaps Dec. 23 would be too late if you are trying to get all the fans back on Dec. 24," said Platini, according to ESPN. "Dec. 18 is fine for UEFA -- we can accommodate any changes to the Champions League."
"But FIFA must now protect the international dates for the national associations -- there are four international matches that could be affected and those are the lifeblood for the national associations."
"FIFA must look at the international calendar and make sure those dates are protected for the national associations."
