2022 World Cup schedule announced by FIFA

The Qatar 2022 World Cup schedule has been announced by FIFA.  

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 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm UK time.

All the stadiums used in the competition will be within a 40-mile radius, enabling supporters to attend two games on the same day.

The opening match will be played at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor on Monday 21 November.

The world cup final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on Sunday 18 December at 3:00 pm UK time.

For all but three games there will be a three-day rest period in between matches.

The last world cup was held in Russia, with France clinching a 4-2 win against fellow European team Croatian at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

France took a 2–1 lead during the first half on an own goal and penalty awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR), both firsts in a World Cup final.

The final was the highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966.

A global audience of 1.12 billion people on television and streaming platforms watched the game.