2022 World Cup in Qatar Will Not Be Held in Summer

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar looks set to wreak havoc with domestic schedules, as FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke confirmed it will not be held in June and July.

Searing temperatures in Qatar have been a decisive factor in the decision, as Qatar is often at its hottest in the months of June and July. That has led FIFA to make a ruling that the temperature will simply be too much for players to handle, and the tournament should be held in between November and January.

Obviously, that will play havoc with schedules of football all across the globe, as many countries will now have to alter the times of their seasons to incorporate the competition. With almost every European country operating on a season that breaks in the summer, much rescheduling of tournaments and events will now have to take place. Frenchman Valcke told Radio France (via BBC.com):

The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June-July.

To be honest, I think it will be held between 15 November and 15 January at the latest.

Again the implications will now be absolutely colossal for the footballing world. Although it comes as no great shock—FIFA's stance on this issue has been pretty solid for some time—it appears a decision has now been made and set in stone regarding the hosting of the tournament.

If, as Valcke claims, the tournament will be held until 15 January, the question now posed will be whether the tournament will run from late 2021-22 or late 2022-23.

You would imagine that the impact of this decision is far-reaching and will have an impact on world football for several years.

One thing is for certain, domestic football is now set for a massive overhaul in a few years' time due to this decision by FIFA.