Four games will be played each day during the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Fifa has announced.
The group fixtures 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 Ghana), 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 GMT).
For all but three games there will be a three-day rest period in between.
The still to be constructed Lusail Stadium in Doha will host the 2022 World Cup final
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 GMT).
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.
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