Official: The 2022 World Cup will take place in the run up to CHRISTMAS

It's official. After all the fears and worries about the World Cup in Qatar being too hot for the players - and fans - to cope, the whole event is being moved to winter.

Football's showcase tournament will start on November 21, with the final on December 18 - just a week before Christmas. It means that it will be the shortest World Cup since 1982, which was only three days shorter despite featuring half the number of teams. How domestic calendars will be rearranged to accommodate the event remains to be seen. There will the farcical situation of players taking a break from their club duties, playing in Qatar, before resuming their normal season.