Qatar Announces Plans to Build 2 New Stadiums for 2022 FIFA World Cup

The decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar has been controversial, to say the least, but the Middle Eastern nation has taken a big step toward being prepared for the massive undertaking.

According to Lesley Walker of Doha News, plans have been announced for the construction of two additional stadiums in Qatar, which would bring the amount of World Cup-ready venues to seven.

Per Walker, that would still be one venue short of the number required by FIFA.

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With Qatar making progress on that front, discussions will also persist regarding the timing of the event. According to BBC's Dan Roan, the current plan is for the 2022 World Cup to be held during the winter.

"It'll never be in April, May or June. It will be in winter," UEFA President Michel Platini said, per Roan. "It's not the clubs that are playing, it's the players and it's not possible to play in May when it's 40 degrees."

Paul Hayward of The Telegraph weighed in on the possibility of moving the World Cup to the winter:

The back-and-forth conversations regarding Qatar's viability as a host nation are likely far from over, but the commitment to construct more stadiums is definitely a step in the right direction.

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