Four matches will be played each day during the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, FIFA has announced.
The group games will be played over a 12-day period, with matches not being assigned to particular venues until after the finals draw in March 2022 in order to choose optimal kick-off times to suit television audiences in different countries as well as supporters out in Qatar.
Kick-off times for the first two rounds of matches will be 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and 10 pm local time (10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm in the United Kingdom), and with the stadiums all within a 40-mile radius of each other, it will enable supporters and media to realistically attend two games on the same day.
Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knock-out round matches will be at 6 pm and 10 pm local time (3 pm and 7 pm UK time).
For all but three games there will be a three-day rest period in between.
The tournament’s opening match will be played at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor on Monday, November 21 in a match which will feature the host country.
The 2022 final venue is the Lusail Stadium in Doha, with the showpiece game to be played on Sunday, December 18, kick-off at 6 pm local time (3 pm UK time).
A start date has not yet been fixed for the European section of World Cup qualification. The announcement comes two years to the day since the 2018 World Cup final.
SOURCE: Sky Sports