The Scheduling Of FIFA 2022: What Is The Stance Of European Leagues On It?

World football’s biggest competition on earth, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to take place in the winter of 2022 for the first time in the Northern Hemisphere ever. A competition where players from 32 nations are prepared to take center stage in front of over a million fans, the carnival scenes in Qatar will be telling.

But here’s a thing, though there’s a lot of excitement about the first-ever winter world cup, the European leagues have an all-together different view about the FIFA 2022 schedule. There are a lot of talks around how the world cup will affect major league schedules like the Premier League or the Bundesliga in Germany.

Hence, to shed some light on the issue of FIFA World Cup scheduling, we have compiled a detailed analysis of the opinions and talking points regarding the issue that are grabbing headlines today.

When Will The World Cup Begin?

The 2022 FIFA games are set to kick-off on the 21st of November 2022 with the final having been scheduled for 18th December 2022, just a week before Christmas. FIFA has taken this decision keeping the summer conditions of Qatar in mind which are not favorable for the players and visitors alike.

During June and July, the region records temperatures that can go beyond 40 degrees celsius, eventually making it virtually impossible for any kind of International sporting event to take place.

Hence, to shift the FIFA World Cup from its usual summer slot to winter for the first time is justifiable from FIFA’s point of view. But is that so simple? Well, let’s first take a look at how the English Leagues may get affected by this scheduling.

How Will The World Cup Impact Premier League Scheduling?

There is no doubt about the fact that the new schedule for the FIFA games would require a scheduling reshuffle from the Premier League and Richard Scudamore’s end. There are reports that suggest the 2022-23 campaign of the English top-flight may well begin in July itself in order to accommodate the time that will be lost during the world cup.

Not just this, but the Premier League may well resume as early as Boxing Day with the chiefs of the English top-flight keen to keep the traditional Boxing Day fixtures on schedule.

But here’s a thing, if the current reports are anything to go by, the 2022-23 campaign may well end in early June which would mean a much shorter break in between before the next campaign gets underway in August.

Hence, the Premier League is set to face a major scheduling nightmare ahead of the world cup. In fact, in a recent statement issued regarding the world cup schedule, the Premier League has said that the bid to allow Qatar to host the world cup was for a summer competition and that the prospect of a winter slot does not work and isn’t desirable by any major league in Europe.

Will the FIFA Schedule Affect England’s Second-Tier?

Same as the Premier League, England’s Second-Tier also faces a scheduling issue owing to the winter FIFA World Cup in 2022, and there’s a considerable reason for that.

The Championship currently has a similar schedule to that of the Premier League and the International break for Second-Tier teams arrives at the same time as Premier League. Hence, the lingering question is, how will the Championship scheduling be affected by the world cup?

What if the Championship decides not to alter its schedule? There are question marks whether players who are involved in International duties would be allowed to leave their clubs for the world cup or not.  

Suggested Read:  Things Worth Noting Before Traveling To Qatar For The FIFA 2022

How Is the FIFA 2022 Schedule Set To Affect English Cup Competitions?

Much like the Premier League and England’s Second-Tier, the cup competitions are also set to be affected by the world cup in winter. Usually, the Capital One Cup in England has its fourth round at the end of October while the quarter final too takes place during that time.  
However, looking at the FIFA World Cup scheduling in the winter of 2022, players will be required to be released by their clubs to join their national teams for the FIFA event. This would not only affect the whole scheduling of the cup competition but would also push back the final scheduled for early March.

Speaking of the FA Cup, the final of the competition takes place at the end of the Premier League every season. However, if the FIFA 2022 is taken into account, this may well be the first time when the final of the FA Cup will have to be rescheduled. It may even take place in the middle of the Premier League campaign.

Will The World Cup Affect European Leagues?  

There’s no doubt about the fact that UEFA will have its task cut out to reschedule both the Champions League and the Europa League fixtures owing to a two months break during the FIFA World Cup 2022.

The competition’s qualifying matches begin in early July itself when the teams are mostly on pre-season training. However, considering there will be a long break in between during the world cup, the starting date of both the leagues will have to be scheduled early.

Likewise, the group stage of the Champions League that usually takes place in the month of November and December will significantly be affected, and so will be the final.

Hence, it remains to be seen what actions UEFA takes to counter this nightmare as the group matches of both the Europa League and the Champions League will be the ones severely affected by the world cup.

But now here’s a thing, while the FIFA World Cup scheduling will affect the English competitions and European Leagues as far their fixtures are concerned, the transfer window too will be considerably affected.

How Will The Transfer Window Be Affected?

As European Leagues face a scheduling issue ahead of the world cup, the transfer window too may well be rescheduled. Normally, early June to the end of August is the period when the transfer window remains open, and teams look to bring in new faces to the club.

However, with the World cup set to take place in winter and the club seasons potentially to begin early, there may well be a situation when the transfer window might need a reshuffle. So, will the transfer window begin early?

There might also be a situation where the window remains as it is. This would then allow clubs to assess their squads more thoroughly before bringing in any potential recruits.  

Suggested Read: All You Need to Know About the Stadiums for the FIFA 2022 World Cup

Additional Facts Worth Noting About The FIFA World Cup 2022

Now we know the kind of issues that would surface in terms of scheduling the league and cup fixtures across Europe for the world cup. Let’s take a look at some additional facts about the FIFA 2022 in Qatar that are worth noting today.

1.Fewest Stadiums Ever

Unlike the last time in Russia when there were 12 venues for the whole event, the world cup in Qatar will be played in the fewest number of stadiums ever with only eight venues being lined up for the whole competition.

Each stadium will have an air-conditioning facility and will be fully sustainable. Interestingly, out of all the eight stadiums, seven will be newly built while one will be fully refurbished.  

2. Record Number Of Visitors

The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar will receive the highest number of visitors ever for a world cup. This is majorly owing to the location of the country which is central in the world. In fact, as per an estimation, there will be about 1.2-1.5 million visitors in Qatar during the world cup. Hence, if the numbers turn out to be true, there will be twice as many visitors for the world cup in Qatar as there were in Brazil during the 2014 world cup.

In fact, the Doha metro network is all geared up to ferry an estimated one million visitors during the FIFA World Cup in 2022.  

3. Record Number Of Flights

Now here’s an interesting fact around the upcoming world cup. The Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways will join hands to bring in a whopping 1300 flights into the country on a daily basis for the whole month considering the number of visitors that are predicted to arrive in the country. This would certainly help visitors to book a flight to Qatar without facing any sort of rushes for the ticket.

In fact, as per many travel experts, the number of visitors and likewise flights may even be much higher considering the central location of the country.

4. Most Commutable World Cup Ever

The world cup will be the most commutable world cup ever considering the size of the country. Qatar is an estimated 1478 times smaller than the size of the last world cup host Russia. Getting from one city to the other in Qatar isn’t a hassle for the visitors. In fact, the two most remote stadiums in the country, Al Bayt and Al Wakrah are only 90 miles apart.

Likewise, the Education City Stadium which is one of the venues for the world cup is only 51 minutes away from Bahrain through a high-speed rail network. As the world cup kicks off, the Doha metro network would gear up to ferry an estimated one million visitors during the competition which would be a record in itself. Each stadium would connect directly with the metro, making them commutable easily.

5. First Middle-East World Cup

One of the most notable features of the upcoming FIFA World Cup isn’t just its slot but also its location. This will be the first-ever world cup in a Middle Eastern nation ever. Not only would it helps grow business opportunities in Qatar but also help in bridging the cultural gap between the Middle-East and European nations.

Suggested Read:  Excited About The Upcoming FIFA 2022? Here’s A Glimpse Into The History Of The FIFA World Cup

6. Sober World Cup?

One of the most headline grabbing topics of all as far as the FIFA World Cup is concerned, the availability of alcohol in the stadiums remains a question mark even today. Being an Islamic country, the country has strict laws against the consumption of alcohol on the streets and in public places. Only a few licensed hotels and bars can serve alcohol and anyone visiting the country is expected to respect the country’s pure culture.

However, alcohol is a vital part of the footballing culture around the world and fans do expect to sip a glass of beer or two while their favorite side play. Hence, to counter the issue of alcohol during the world cup, there are reports that suggest that Qatar will come up with creative solutions. The country will set up specific establishments as fan zones around the country where alcohol will be served to the fans at subsidized rates.

As the FIFA World Cup 2022 edges closer, European club leagues are set to have their task cut out to reschedule the fixtures accordingly. While European leagues like the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League will be affected significantly, the Premier League is set to be affected most.

But having said that, this is a world cup that will be unique in its own way and will bring positives for footballing fans nations around the world. Hence, the excitement amongst the fans, once the competition kicks off, remains to be seen.

FAQS