Fifa World Cup 2022: Four games a day to be played in group stage in Qatar
Four matches will be played each day during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, 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.
Kick-off times for the first two rounds of games will be 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time with the eight stadiums all within a 40-mile radius of each other.
It means supporters and media could attend two games on the same day.
How will the group games look?
- For all but three games there will be a three-day rest period in between
- There will also be no need for teams, supporters or media to spend time flying or taking long rail or road journeys between matches
- Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knockout round matches will be at 6pm and 10pm local time
Local time will be three hours ahead of UK time during the tournament, which will take place in November and December 2022.
Where will the opening match and final take place?
The tournament’s opening match will be played at the 60,000-seater Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor on Monday, 21 November in a game which will feature hosts Qatar.
The final venue is the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium in Doha on Sunday, 18 December at 15:00 GMT.
A start date is yet to be announced for the European section of World Cup qualification. The qualifying draw is scheduled for 1 December, but it is not yet known whether that will go ahead as planned.
Source: BBC