Zurich, Sep 25 (IANS): World football's governing body FIFA on Friday announced the dates of the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.
The 28-day tournament will kick off on Monday, November 21 while the final is scheduled for Sunday, December 18 -- Qatar's national day.
This will be the first time that world football's showpiece event will be held outside its traditional June-July slot. The 2014 World Cup was played over 32 days, from June 14 to July 15.
The tournament is being moved due to concerns about the summer heat in Qatar, which can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 2022 edition will be four fewer days than the usual 32 days and is designed to cause less disruption to clubs and leagues which must shut down for several peak midseason weeks.
The calendar, which was announced by FIFA's executive committee on Friday, means clubs must release players to the 32 World Cup teams by November 14, 2022 -- a week before the start of the tournament.
FIFA had postponed the announcement of the 2022 World Cup schedule while it held talks on the 2019-2024 schedule of national team fixtures. The international calendar mandates when clubs must release players for national team duty.
No national team matches have been set for October 2022.