As the World Cup qualifiers draw to a close, a clearer picture of Qatar 2022 is beginning to emerge.
It is the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and will take place in November and December. While that means there will be significant disruption to the European domestic leagues – indeed it is the first time the competition has been held outside the summer months – the winter will allow for cooler temperatures.
Fixtures are yet to be announced, with the draw being held on 1 April. Even then, it will not be fully complete as two inter-confederation play-offs won’t yet have been held, having been pushed back until June 2022 due to the Covid pandemic.
Predictably, though, Brazil, France, England, Spain and Argentina are among the favourites to win it, with Gareth Southgate’s side having reached the final of Euro 2020 and looking to go one better than their semi-final appearance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
When is Qatar 2022?
- World Cup draw: 1 April 2022
- Opening match: 11am (GMT) on 21 November 2022
- World Cup final: 3pm (GMT) on 18 December 2022
In total, 32 nations will compete, with the first match set to take place at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor. Qatar will play an opponent which has not been confirmed yet. All games should begin in the daytime in the UK, as Qatar is only three hours ahead.
The Premier League has announced that the final round of fixtures in the competition will be held on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 November 2022, meaning Gareth Southgate will have just a week to prepare his squad for the World Cup.
Should England reach the final on Sunday 18 December, their Premier League-based players will have just eight days rest before the domestic campaign starts up again.
When the Premier League will stop for Qatar 2022
Premier League statement: “The Premier League 2022-23 season dates have been confirmed.
“The season has been adjusted to accommodate the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, which will take place in the middle of the domestic calendar.
“The Premier League season will start on 6 August 2022.
“Match round 16 will be the last set of matches played over the weekend of 12-13 November ahead of the call-up period for the tournament beginning on Monday 14 November.
“The League will resume on Boxing Day following the Fifa World Cup Final, which takes place on Sunday 18 December 2022.
“The final match round of the campaign will be played on 28 May 2023, when all games will kick off simultaneously as usual.”
Controversy has surrounded the tournament since the state won hosting rights in 2010, fending off bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
Fifa has been forced to reiterate its “commitment to Human Rights” and said that stance was “integrated in the hosting requirements of all our future tournaments”.
Qatar has faced allegations of slavery involving workers constructing stadia and Amnesty International is among the organisations to have expressed concerns over the country’s labour laws. Some reforms have been made but they do not appear to cover all workers involved in the preparations for the World Cup.
LGBT+ groups have also expressed concern over the treatment of the community in Qatar, where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty. Most recently, Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo – the only openly gay footballer at a top-flight club in the world – admitted he would be “fearful” of playing at the tournament.
There have also been allegations of corruption over Qatar’s initial bid to host a World Cup. Disgraced ex-Fifa president Sepp Blatter is among those who have alleged that Qatar “cheated” the process.
In light of those controversies – and other human rights issues which have been raised – there has been talk of nations boycotting the tournament. As it stands, that has not transpired but a number of countries have launched protests. Norway, for example, recently wore t-shirts with the slogan: “Human rights on and off the pitch”.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3quSbGE
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