FIFA has confirmed the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar will take place on Sunday , December 18 . It comes after a FIFA taskforce recommended last month the tournament should be switched from summer to winter to avoid the searing heat of the Gulf in June and July , where temperatures can exceed 40C . The decision to hold the first ever winter World Cup was taken more than four years after the most controversial award of a sporting event in history . Scroll down for video . Shock : FIFA President Sepp Blatter awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar in December 2 , 2010 . Iron fist : Sepp Blatter , speaking to journalists today , confirmed the final will be on December 18 , 2022 . Confirming the date for the 2022 World Cup final , Walter De Gregorio , FIFA 's director of communications , said : 'This is for us an important step . 'Finally we know the end of the tournament . It 's a Sunday and , by the way , it 's the national day in Qatar , so it fits perfectly . ' He added : 'You have enough time to do your Christmas shopping . ' FIFA has indicated the 2022 tournament will also be shortened to 28 days , instead of the usual 32 . The competition is likely to begin ( featuring the hosts ' Qatar ) on November 21 . The decision means the traditional and popular Boxing Day club matches will take place as usual – which will come as some comfort to the Premier League who have strongly opposed the switch . UEFA - the body that governs European football - had pushed for the final to be as late as December 23 . Main stage : The Al-Rayyan stadium , in an artist impression , will hold the Qatar 2022 World Cup final . The Qatar World Cup has been mired in controversy ever since the shock decision to stage the tournament in the desert kingdom which has no footballing history and a questionable human rights record . Sepp Blatter , FIFA 's long-standing president , even admitted last year that staging the tournament in Qatar was a 'mistake ' – justifying it by saying 'but one makes lots of mistakes in life ' . Allegations of widespread corruption and collusion dogged the process from the outset . A report by investigator Michael Garcia into allegations of corruption remains secret , unpublished and subject to dispute between its author and FIFA . The idea of holding the prestigious tournament in winter has also proved controversial . When the decision to hold the competition in Qatar was first made , Blatter vowed : 'The basic conditions – not just for Qatar but for all the candidates – were the same . It means the FIFA World Cup is played in June and July . ' But following major concerns about the scorching weather in the country , he made a U-turn saying it was 'not responsible ' to play in the burning sun . Controversial : The FIFA president initially said the tournament would be in the summer , but backtracked . A report by investigator Michael Garcia into allegations of corruption remains secret and unpublished . This enraged the Premier League and other European leagues as it will cause huge upheaval to the football calendar . After learning of the decision of the FIFA taskforce last month , Premier league chief executive Richard Scudamore said : ' I 'm very disappointed , that 's the word , on behalf of all the European leagues and particularly the European clubs who provide most of the players for this World Cup ' . Then there has been the worldwide condemnation of the treatment of workers hired to build the infrastructure ( the Qatar World Cup is set to cost an estimated £138billion – about 60 times more than the South Africa World Cup in 2010 ) . Human rights groups have accused Qatar of failing to deal with the abuse of migrants , with almost 200 workers dying in the country and a significant number believed to have sustained injuries due to unsafe working practices . Campaigners also revealed how workers toiled for long hours for pitiful wages in unsafe and insanitary conditions . May 2022 European seasons ( 2021-22 ) end as usual . July Champions League qualifiers . Mid-July Start of 2022-23 season for leading European leagues . Early August Champions League play-off round . Late August Champions League group stage begins . September 2-6 Euro 2024 qualifiers . Mid & late September Champions League matchdays 2 & 3 . Late September & early October Euro 2024 qualifiers . Mid-October to early November Champions League matchdays 4-6 . November 4 Mandatory release of players two weeks before World Cup starts . Warm-up games would replace regular November international date . Nov 18 World Cup begins in Qatar . Dec 1 End of the group stage . Dec 4-6 World Cup last 16 . Dec 13-14 World Cup semi-finals . Dec 17 World Cup 3rd/4th place . Dec 18 World Cup final Final . Dec 26 Premier League starts again . Mid-late June 2023 European leagues end . August 2023 Premier League season starts as usual .
FIFA confirm the 2022 World Cup final will take place on December 18 . The decision to move it from November was made in order for Qatar and Russia to host the tournament at a later date than originally planned due to security concerns surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Final date means traditional Boxing Day matches will still occur . It is set to start on November 21 and likely to be shortened to 28 days . Qatar World Cup dogged in controversy since first awarded in 2010 .