The Premier League has confirmed when top-flight fixtures will resume after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It has also revealed the UK broadcast selections for the festive period.
Elite domestic football hits pause in England for the first winter edition of the quadrennial FIFA tournament. It is also the first time that the World Cup will be held in the Middle East. But Qatar becoming the 19th host country across 22 editions caused some divisions issues.
Leagues around Europe had to completely re-shape their season calendars to create space in the schedule for the World Cup. FIFA has stated that the last matchday that a player can feature in for their club if named in their nation’s 23-26 player squad will be November 13.
When does the Premier League hit pause for the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
So, with FIFA stating that players cannot feature after November 13 if heading to Qatar for the World Cup, the Premier League announced its division will hit pause after match week 16. The final top-flight games to be played in England will be held on November 12 and 13.
The 2022 edition of the quadrennial international competition then starts with Qatar and Ecuador on November 20. It is a standalone tie with the opening ceremony before England meet Iran, Senegal take on the Netherlands and the United States face Wales on the 21st.
The World Cup runs until December 18, with the final held at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. It is the most-used stadium across the eight grounds that will host fixtures at this year’s edition with 10 games. It is also the largest of the stadia Qatar will use with a capacity of 80,000.
When does the Premier League resume after the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
Most Premier League teams will resume domestic matches on Boxing Day a week after the 2022 Qatar World Cup final. The division has now announced that seven fixtures are to be played on December 26, with Amazon Prime Video broadcasting each match live in the UK.
Prime Video will stream Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to London rivals Brentford on December 26 with a 12:30 KO. Amazon has also selected Aston Villa and Liverpool’s meeting for their 17:30 KO slot. West Ham United travel to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium with a 20:00 KO.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham, Everton vs Wolves, Southampton vs Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City vs Newcastle United will also be played on December 26. AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest will not play again until December 27.
Prime Video will stream the Cherries’ trip to Stamford Bridge as a 17:30 KO and the Reds’ visit to Old Trafford as a 20:00 KO. Leeds United then host Manchester City on December 28 as a 20:00 KO live on Prime Video as the last Premier League teams to return to action.
What other festive fixtures will be broadcast live in the UK in 2022?
The Premier League has also confirmed it has implemented special arrangements in wake of the 2022 Qatar World Cup when announcing when the division will resume. The league has given its 20 clubs more time in between the three match rounds in the festive period.
Now, no team will kick off within 48 hours of another of their fixtures between matchdays 18 and 19. The Premier League took the decision to implement the change to give its sides greater time to rest and recover between games given the condensed footballing calendar.
Additionally, Sky Sports and BT Sport have announced which games they will broadcast live in the UK during the festive period once the Premier League resumes after the World Cup in Qatar. Games will be played on December 26, 27, 28, 30, 31 plus January 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Friday, December 30 – 20:00 KO: Liverpool vs Leicester (Sky Sports)
Saturday, December 31 – 12:30 KO: Wolves vs Manchester United (BT Sport)
Saturday, December 31 – 17:30 KO: Brighton vs Arsenal (Sky Sports)
Sunday, January 1 – 14:00 KO: Tottenham vs Aston Villa (Sky Sports)
Sunday, January 1 – 16:30 KO: Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea (Sky Sports)
Monday, January 2 – 17:30 KO: Brentford vs Liverpool (Sky Sports)
Tuesday, January 3 – 20:00 KO: Arsenal vs Newcastle (Sky Sports)
Wednesday, January 4 – 20:00 KO: Crystal Palace vs Tottenham (Sky Sports)
Thursday, January 5 – 20:00 KO: Chelsea vs Manchester City (Sky Sports)
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
