The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is creating a number of firsts.
This year's tournament will mark the first time that the global showpiece has been held in the Middle East after Qatar won the right to host it back in December 2010.
FIFA has also moved the staging of the competition from its traditional timing of June and July to November and December, allowing for the tournament to be played when temperatures are considerably cooler in the host nation.
That has caused a headache for many league chiefs across the globe, as the World Cup will now be played at a time when the vast majority of the major domestic competitions are still in action, particularly in Europe where the summer is their offseason.
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Here is a guide to which leagues are doing what and when with their schedules to accommodate the 2022 World Cup: The 2022/23 EPL season began on August 5, a week earlier than the 2021/22 campaign started, and it will finish a week later than in 2022 on May 28, 2023.
The teams will play until the November 12/13 weekend, after which the competition will then stop to allow those involved in the World Cup to depart to join their respective national squads.
The EPL season will resume on December 26, eight days after the World Cup final. • August 5: Premier League season 2022/23 begins • November 12/13: Last round of games before mid-season break • December 26: EPL action resumes • May 28: Final round of fixtures for 2022/23 MORE: England route to FIFA World Cup Final: Will football be finally coming home in 2022?
Spanish sides started the 2022/23 season on the same weekend as they did for the previous campaign, despite the hectic schedule awaiting them caused by the World Cup.
The opening game of the season took place on August 12, with the action pausing for the World Cup after a midweek round is completed on November 9.
No games will be played over the Christmas period, so games in Spain after the World Cup will not resume until December 31.
The last fixture round is on June 4, 2023 which will is two weeks later than last season's finale. • August 12: La Liga season 2022/23 begins • November 12/13: Last round of games before mid-season break • December 31: La Liga action resumes • June 4: Final round of fixtures for 2022/23 MORE: Full FIFA World Cup 2022 draw and schedule A break of more than two months from domestic action is the plan for Germany's Bundesliga.
The advantage of having 18 teams in their top flight, unlike England, Spain and Italy, among others who have 20, is that there are four fewer games to fit in, with 34 total rounds of games to be played.
German action started on August 5 and will run through until November 13, before the enforced break for the World Cup.
However, the Bundesliga will also embrace their own traditional domestic rest, as players will have another month away from competitive action after the Qatar festivities are over.
The action will not resume until January 20, with the season ending on May 27. • August 5: Bundesliga season 2022/23 begins • November 13: Last round of games before mid-season break • January 20: Bundesliga action resumes • May 27: Final round of fixtures for 2022/23 played The #FIFAWorldCup groups are set 🤩 We can't wait! 🏆 #FinalDraw pic.twitter.com/uaDfdIvbaZ Italy may not be going to the World Cup, having missed out on qualification in a playoff with North Macedonia, but Serie A will still stop owing to the high number of international players in the league who will be heading to Qatar.
The Serie A season began on the August 13-14 weekend and will play until November 13.
Italian clubs will not return to action until January 4, 2023. • August 13-14: Serie A season 2022/23 begins • November 12-13: Last round of games before mid-season break • January 4: Serie A action resumes • June 4: Final round of fixtures for 2022/23 played MORE: France's World Cup 2022 draw and match schedule France are the World Cup holders and will be bidding to be the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully retain the title.
But there is little change in their domestic league campaign, with Ligue 1 starting on August 6, the same day as the 2021/22 campaign began.
They will break after the matches on November 12-13 before the planned resumption after the action in Qatar comes on December 28. • August 6-7: Ligue 1 season 2022/23 begins • November 12-13: Last round of games before mid-season break • December 28: Ligue 1 action resumes • June 3-4: Final round of of fixtures for 2022/23 played Next stop: Qatar!
THE @USMNT IS WORLD CUP BOUND! pic.twitter.com/33Vi8al1fh Unlike in Europe where much thought has had to go in to adjusting the domestic league schedule, the World Cup's new timing has no impact in the USA.
The 2022 MLS season conclusion is November 5, with the MLS Cup Final taking place 15 days before the World Cup begins. • November 5: Season finishes with MLS Cup Final • February 2023: New MLS season begins MORE: USA Group B schedule for facing England and Iran Australia's participation at the World Cup was sealed by qualification via the playoffs, as they beat both UAE and Peru to book a place in Qatar in Group D with France, Denmark and Tunisia.
The 2022-23 ALM campaign will consist of 26 rounds starting on October 7, 2022.
Due to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the competition will pause between November 14 and December 9, in an effort to reduce crossover between them. • October 7: A-League season 2022/23 begins • November 14: Break for 2022 World Cup • December 9: A-League action resumes ⭐️Winner of Intercontinental play-off 1 - either Australia, UAE or Peru - will be the final team in Group D!
They will sit in spot D2 UEFA have got around the problem of how to stop the group stages of their competition being interrupted this season by the World Cup by condensing their schedule.
Usually, the group stage of the action runs through until the middle of December.
But for 2022/23 that will not be the case, with the six rounds of games being finished a month earlier on the midweek of 1-2 November.
Three rounds of games played in October help make this happen.
The competition will then go on hiatus during the World Cup, before returning on 14-15 February with the first of the knockout games. • September 6-7: UEFA Champions League group stages begin • November 1-2: Last round of group stages to be played • February 14-15: First games in knockout rounds to take place • June 10: UEFA Champions League final held at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey source