Qatar 2022

[Zimmerman]

Dates have been confirmed as

21 Nov 2022 – 18 Dec 2022

Will play havoc with fantasy teams and Christ knows what it will mean for league schedules... even the lower leagues... what do they do? Carry on like they do in International breaks?

Even the three-four week preparation period for national sides... this is going to be bonkers.

Godblessthefootballfamily

[morganb]

On a positive note, Three Lions could be a Christmas number 1

[bluenosey]

That's going to be a complete nightmare

I can only assume the lower leagues will continue to run alongside the WC competition but the Prem would have an extended/brought forward winter break. Might be a good idea to bring the third round of the FA Cup forward that year.

[Tacalabala]

From memory, the Prem will start in July and the Champions League in August with a slimmed down qualification process, and after December the schedule is pretty much as always. They are basically bringing the first half of the season forward a month.

[robot]

From what I've read it just seems like the season will start in july and end in june with a big break in the middle so fixture wise not that big an issue.
The issue will be restarting on boxing day with a whole load of players not ready to return.
Extending to june would also inpact on the new nation league finals for a few countrys.

[Zimmerman]

Exactly the reduced rest period from the season before.
A seven week break in the middle, players returning at various stages. Picking the season up again after that break. The season lasting 11 months. The reduced break for the following season too.

Will there still be the usual international fixtures at the end of both seasons too?

[forestfan]

I can’t begin to understand why the top European clubs haven’t just flat out refused to accommodate this. Make FIFA have the embarrassment of a tournament with a Z-list cast, or force them to move it to somewhere capable of hosting it at the usual time of year. There’s plenty of countries that could step in at four years’ notice.

[Tacalabala]

I can’t begin to understand why the top European clubs haven’t just flat out refused to accommodate this. Make FIFA have the embarrassment of a tournament with a Z-list cast, or force them to move it to somewhere capable of hosting it at the usual time of year. There’s plenty of countries that could step in at four years’ notice.

FIFA paid them off with massively increased compensation payments, agreed several years ago. They were saying exactly what you just said, and then went quiet once a compensation package was agreed.

[blahblah]

Is it going to be a 10 week hole in the season? (3 before, then the 4, then 3 after)

[murf]

Would make sense to have an 18 team Premier League for one season or cancel the League Cup. Won't happen though.

Actually, it would make more sense to have the World Cup in the summer in a country with a climate conducive to playing football in. I wonder why nobody thought of that....

[Tacalabala]

Too far down the road, and considering countless migrants workers have died building the stadiums, I'm not sure it would be the right thing to do now. They should never have been given it in the first place, it should have gone to Australia. This is a country where it's illegal to be homosexual if I recall correctly, and there's been murmurs that they harbour terrorists.

[robot]

I predict regardless off the rights and wrongs off it, we will spend 4 years moaning, and then once it gets here we will do as we just have done with Russia forget all the bad stuff and embrace it. ( assuming we qualify)

[forestfan]

Would be fun if the PL played on throughout with players not involved in the World Cup...