International football association Fifa announced on 25 September that the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar will be played from 21 November 2022 to 18 December 2022, with the final to be played on 18 December, which is Qatar’s national day.

It is the first time that the World Cup will take place in winter, with the tournament scheduled to last just 28 days rather than the typical 32 days.

The reduced timescale is to minimise the impact on participating nations’ domestic competitions, with the tournament set to interrupt every European league.

Corruption investigation

The announcement came shortly before the Swiss attorney general announced that criminal proceedings had been launched against Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

He is accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to football’s governing body and making a “disloyal payment” to Uefa president Platini, 60.

Blatter denies wrongdoing and his lawyer says he is co-operating fully.

The decision in 2010 to award Qatar the rights to host the 2022 tournament has been at the centre of accusations of corruption levelled against Fifa.