FIFA recommends two dates in winter for the 2022 World Cup

The FIFA Executive Committee holding their meeting in Zurich.

Questions over the schedule for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been finally answered by the FIFA Executive Committee who held their meeting on Monday in Zurich, Switzerland.

This was their first meeting to assess options for the international match calendar 2018-2024 for the first time, and included the likes of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, AFC President and FIFA Executive Committee member Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke and several other prominent members from the world of football.

“This is the first meeting and there will be future meetings on this matter,” Executive Committee member Al Khalifa was quoted in an official statement from FIFA. “As the FIFA Executive Committee has emphasised, the consultation process should not be rushed but instead be given the necessary time to consider all of the elements relevant for a decision. We have made progress at today’s meeting and will continue to work together to find the best solution for football.”

Several players, managers and team administrators had expressed their concern over hosting the tournament during the summer where can temperatures could go up to 48° Celsius making it very difficult for players and fans to be a part of it.

FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke insisted that the tournament will be definitely held in 2022, with the options to choose either January/February 2022 or November/December 2022 as alternatives to the scheduled June/July 2022.

The committee is scheduled to meet again in November 2014 to discuss how the proposed dates will impact other competitions and events.