Qatar 2022 World Cup Final Slated for December 18

The 2022 World Cup final in Qatar will take place on 18 December, Fifa has confirmed.

A Fifa taskforce last month recommended that the tournament should be moved from its traditional summer date to winter.

A Fifa statement said: “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.

This Stadium Will Have Energy- Producing  Photovoltaic and Thermal Panels. Image: SCDL.
This Stadium Will Have Energy- Producing Photovoltaic and Thermal Panels. Image: SCDL.

“The working group for the international match calendar will meet in due course to finalise the international match calendar for the 2019-2022 cycle.”

Walter De Gregorio, Fifa’s director of communications, told reporters in Zurich: “This is for us an important step.

He added: “You have enough time to do your Christmas shopping.”

This means English Premier League clubs have been spared the privilege to continue with plans for their Boxing Day schedule.

Fifa had moved for the option of a November/December tournament in the Gulf state because of the extreme summer temperatures in Qatar, which can exceed 40C.

The world football governing body has also disclosed plans to shorten the duration of the showpiece possibly by four days.

European football governing body, Uefa, had pushed for a 23 December final, but Fifa insists it will it would cause problems for fans and players getting home in time for Christmas, as well as affecting club football’s festive programme.

In another development, Fifa has chosen France to host the 2019 women’s World Cup ahead of South Korea.

France will also host the Under-20 women’s tournament in 2018.