Qatar 2022 World Cup to finish a week before Christmas

A winter World Cup is coming.

The fixture schedule for the 2022 Qatar World Cup has been announced by FIFA. The tournament will kick off on November 21 2022 and the final will take place on December 18 at the 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium. https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1283373744363315201 The tournament has been under scrutiny for a long time, with the host nation's human rights record under criticism and worries about the playing conditions also a concern. In order to maximise rest for players, the group stage will last 12 days. There will be four group matches happening per day. Group stage games will take place at 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 22:00 local time, with Qatar being two hours ahead of Ireland. The round of 16 and quarter finals will take place at 18:00 and 22:00 local time, with the semi-finals kicking off at 22:00 and the final at 18:00. Once qualification is complete and the final draw has taken place, fixtures will be scheduled with viewing times for television audiences at home prioritised.