FIFA announced on Friday that the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar, will start on November 21 with the final to be played on December 18 – cutting four days off the length of the competition.
World soccer`s governing body had previously announced the date of the final but the start date of November 21 means the tournament will be just 28 days in duration — the shortest since the competition switched to a 32-team tournament in 1998.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was held over 32 days while the shortest 32-team tournament had been 31 days.
The Qatar tournament will mark the first time that the event is held during Europe`s winter months – previously the competition had been held in June and July.