By David Awopetu
The 2022 World Cup will have four games every day in a 12-day group stage and some matches later in the tournament that go into extra time will extend past midnight in Qatar, FIFA has announced.
The football’s governing body released the schedule for the first World Cup to be played in November and December on Wednesday, 15 July with kick-off times at 1 p.m. (1000 GMT), 4 p.m. (1300 GMT), 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and 10 p.m. (1900 GMT).
FIFA said in a statement that once the pairings are known, the possibility will be discussed of providing a more beneficial kick-off time for audiences at home, or indeed for fans in Qatar with regard to the stadium allocation.
With all eight stadiums within a 40-mile radius of each other, supporters can attend more than one game each day.
The final on December 18 will be held at the 80,000 Lusail Stadium, which, along with Al Bayt, will also host a semi-final.
FIFA will wait until the draw for the tournament is held in March or April of 2022 before assigning specific matches to venues and time-slots.
That will enable them to better align games with time zones for domestic television partners of the competing teams.
The tournament was switched from its usual June-July slot due to the heat in the Gulf state and is the first that will be held in the middle of the European season.
