The Premier League made it official and announced that the league will take a winter break during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup in 2022 was scheduled during the winter months in Europe as a way to avoid playing in near 120-degree day heat during June and July.
Unlike previous World Cups where players will meet with their national teams almost a month in advance, during this tournament, at least in the case of the Premier League, the league will have games until the 12th of November. Players will be then allowed to join their national teams for World Cup preparations.
Other leagues like Serie A and La Liga will surely follow suit and suspend play during FIFA’s biggest competition. Here are further details of the Premier League’s plans during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
When does the Premier League resume after the 2022 World Cup?
The Premier League will continue on Boxing Day, Monday December 26th, after the Christmas holiday. In total players will only have a week’s time to prepare with their national teams to play in the World Cup, and will only have off just eight days, if their teams make it to the World Cup final.
The decision to pause the league was made by all 20 Premier League clubs on Wednesday, with Aston Villa chairman Christian Purslow stating, "I always have concerns about player welfare but I have more concerns for our fans missing Premier League football in the winter for five weeks, which is our great national tradition and our great national heritage."
It is no question that FIFA, soccer’s governing body and the big leagues of club soccer have a rather shaky relationship, with revenue sharing up for constant debate and the European Super League still somewhat on the table, leagues are hesitant to even give their players to fulfill national team commitments during World Cup qualifying.
