World Cup 2022: Schedule, fixtures, teams, kick-off times and TV | Football

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is reaching the business end in Qatar with the quarter-finals getting underway on Friday.

There are plenty of differences about this year’s competition, but much has remained the same as well, despite the World Cup being played in winter rather than the sweltering Qatari summer.

England will be looking to win their first major trophy since 1966 and they have made it safely through to the quarter-finals.

However, Wales are now out of the tournament after finishing bottom of the group in their first World Cup since 1958, and the likes of Germany and Belgium also crashed out in the group stages.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, including dates, times, schedule, teams, venues and how to watch on TV.

When did the FIFA World Cup 2022 start? Dates and schedule

The World Cup started on Sunday, November 20 and will end on Sunday, December 18, 2022.

World Cup TV coverage in the UK

As usual, the BBC and ITV are sharing the World Cup coverage.

Every match will be shown live on TV, with fans also able to watch the action on BBC iPlayer and the ITVX app.

For fans in Wales, S4C will be showing Welsh language coverage of every Wales match during the tournament. The matches will be televised on S4C across the UK, and online on the S4C Clic player and BBC iPlayer.

What’s the time difference?

Qatar is three hours ahead of the UK in November and December, with matches kicking off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm UK time during the group stage and 3pm and 7pm in the knockout stage.

A total of 32 teams entered the World Cup.

However, 16 teams were knocked-out in the group stage including the likes of Germany, Belgium and Uruguay.

A further eight teams were sent home in the round of 16; USA, Australia, Poland, Senegal, Japan, Spain, South Korea and Switzerland.

After Brazil and the Netherlands were knocked out in the quarter-finals, only Argentina, Croatia, Morocco, Portugal, England and France remain in the competition.

Argentina meet Croatia in the first semi-final on Tuesday, December 13.

What is happening to the Premier League during the World Cup?

The Premier League stopped for six weeks on November 13, just one week before the World Cup started.

This is just one of a number of impacts the Qatar tournament has had on the Premier League.

The Premier League will return to action on Boxing Day just eight days after the final.

The season started earlier (August 6, 2022) and will finish slightly later (May 28, 2023) than normal.

The tournament is being held in winter to avoid the extremely high temperatures in Qatar during the summer months.

Temperatures in June and July – when the World Cup is typically played – average around 37°C, which is deemed too hot for players.

What will be the temperature in Qatar during the World Cup?

The temperature in November and December in Qatar has been deemed acceptable for playing football, unlike if it was played in June and July.

WeatherAndClimate.com report that the maximum temperature in November in Doha is 30°C, with a minimum of 20°C, with these falling to a max of 25°C and minimum of 16°C in December.

The stadiums feature sophisticated air conditioning units to keep the temperature cool at pitch level.

Who is in the England squad?

Gareth Southgate named the final 26-man England squad for the tournament on November 10.

As well as the usual cast, Southgate found space in the squad for Leicester midfielder James Maddison, Newcastle striker Callum Wilson and Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

19 year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is in the squad – the Birmingham-born player has started all four of England’s games and scored his first international goal in the victory over Iran.

Southgate now cannot make any changes to the squad.

When are England’s fixtures at the World Cup?

England were originally in Group B alongside USA, Iran and Wales.

The Three Lions finished top of the group with seven points and overcame Senegal 3-0 in the round of 16.

England will now meet France in the quarter-final on Saturday, December 10.

What are the World Cup kits?

Before the tournament, England released their World Cup home and away kits, with their new designs a striking resemblance to some of their popular retro kits of years gone by.

The other nations taking part in the World Cup are also sporting their new home and away kits – and it’s very much a mixed bag.

Semi-automated offside technology is being used in stadiums to help improve the accuracy and speed of offside decisions.

MORE : Arsene Wenger warns France about England as he looks ahead to World Cup quarter-final

MORE : Jamie Carragher claims only three England players would get in the France team ahead of World Cup quarter-final

MORE : Where is the next World Cup being held in 2026?

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