FIFA confirm winter WC 2022

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has confirmed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will break tradition and be held in the Northern Hemisphere winter. In what is an unsurprising move given the growing calls for the showpiece to be shifted due to concerns over player and fan safety during the summer months in the Western Asian state, where temperatures soar to 50 degrees Celsius, the governing body has agreed to stage the event in the cooler months between November and January. The change will have far-reaching effects on the majority of professional leagues around the world whose domestic season runs from August to May, but those affected will now have sufficient time to alter their timetables appropriately. "The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June-July," Valcke told Radio France. "To be honest, I think it will be held between 15 November and 15 January at the latest. "If you play between 15 November and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees. "That would be perfect for playing football."