FIFA announced the fixtures for the 2022 World Cup slated to be held in Doha. The first-ever winter World Cup will feature four group matches a day while the final is set to be held a week before Christmas.
Group stage fixtures will begin from November 16 while the knock out stages will commence from December 3. The advanced knock-out stages will begin with the quarter-finals on December 9 and 10. Semi-finals on December 13 and 14.
The finals of the tournament will take place at Lusail Stadium in Doha on December 18 and will kick-off at 6 PM local time. The timings for the matches have been revealed to be 1 PM, 4 PM, 7 PM and 10 PM local time.
The draw for the competition and allotment of matches to venues is expected to take place in March-April 2022. The tournament was shifted to the winter window considering the intense heat in the Gulf region during the summers which could impact the players massively.
The opening match will be hosted by 60,000 capacity Al Bayt Stadium which will also host a semi-final. While the other semi-final and the finale will take place at the Lusail Stadium which boasts an 80,000 seating capacity.
🚨 2022 #WORLDCUP MATCH SCHEDULE 🚨
🏆 It all starts in Qatar on Monday 21 November 2022 🌏
🗓️👉 https://t.co/tIvYvRoy5j pic.twitter.com/yQvgGczszK
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 15, 2020
FIFA’s statement
“The World Cup is always a festival of football, a real celebration for the fans who come on-site and watch. In Qatar, with the compact nature, this is going to be amplified even more with 32 teams and 32 sets of supporters all in and around Doha,” said FIFA Chief Tournaments and Events Officer, Colin Smith
Qatar’s route to hosting the World Cup saw its fair share of controversies with several questions pointed to the pace of the construction as well as the treatment of workers during the pandemic. Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the Qatar World Cup organizing company said:
“When we talk about the stadiums, more than 85% of the work has been completed and really now, the last two years, we’re focusing on our operational readiness and making sure we get the fan experience plans in place,”
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