World Cup 2022: Location, Dates of Next Tournament

The 2018 FIFA World Cup may be set to kick off in Russia on Thursday, but preparations are already well under way for the next edition of the tournament.

The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar which is the first time the competition will be held in the Middle East. The tournament is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 18, which is also the host nation's National Day.

FIFA has opted to schedule the Qatar World Cup in the winter as the country's summer temperatures were considered too hot for players. 

Sky Sports News showed the difference in average temperatures in Qatar:

Moving the World Cup to the winter will cause disruption for European leagues, as it will interfere with their seasons which usually run from August until May.

Speaking in 2015, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, then chairman of the European Clubs' Association (ECA), said clubs will need to compromise.

"For the football family, the rescheduling of the FIFA World Cup 2022 presents a difficult and challenging task," he said, per Reuters (h/t Eurosport).

"All match calendars across the world will have to accommodate such a tournament in 2022/23, which requires everyone's willingness to compromise."

The next World Cup has proved a controversial choice for many reasons. Allegations of corruption emerged when Qatar was awarded the finals, but the 2022 hosts were cleared of any wrongdoing by FIFA, per BBC Sport.

Other concerns have been raised with regard to the treatment of workers who have come to Qatar to work on World Cup projects. Construction workers' lives have been put at risk by working in the intense heat, per campaign group Human Rights Watch.

Qatar had planned to use 12 stadiums for the tournament but have reduced that to eight due to rising costs, per PA Sport (h/t Sky Sports).

Talks are also due to take place to explore the possibility of expanding the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, per Richard Conway at BBC Sport:

Qatar insists it would be able to cope with an expanded competition, but some games may need to be played in neighbouring countries, per Rob Harris at the Associated Press:

Controversy has plagued the 2022 Qatar World Cup from the moment the bid was won. It appears the country still has many challenges to overcome if it is to deliver a successful tournament.