The 2022 tournament hosted by Qatar, will take place from November 21 to December 18 due to the anti-social temperature levels experienced during summer in the Persian Gulf country.

As a result, European leagues will have to adapt as the tournament, as it stands, will clash with their seasons.

It will be the first time the World Cup takes place at this time of year, the Birmingham Mail reports.

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce discussed the possibility of a winter tournament to BBC in 2015 saying:

I think it could be a tremendous World Cup because I think players will be fresher than they have ever been. It’s going to be 28 days, it’s not a lifetime. It means [domestic leagues] starting three weeks earlier and finishing three weeks later for one year.

The World Cup, for me, is the greatest sporting event in the calendar, not only for the players but for the thousands of spectators who will be going to the world cup and I think that the conditions have got to be right for the players and for the spectators.

The Qatar World Cup has been marred in controversy following claims of bribery and deaths of migrant labourers building stadiums.

Qatar bid CEO Hassan Al-Thawadi praised FIFA for taking a ‘bold gamble’ when they voted in favour of the Arab state bagging the tournament instead of the US.

There have since been a number of unproven claims thrown at FIFA over the result of the vote, with some claiming Qatar bought their way to victory.

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