2023 FIFA World Cup to be Held in Winter

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A FIFA task-force recommends to hold the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during the winter.

In 2023 soccer fans can likely mix watching world cup games with ski races. A FIFA task-force has come to the conclusion to recommend to hold the 2023 FIFA World Cup in the winter. The proposal would mean the Qatar World Cup would be played during end-November and end-December. This is the only option as later in winter are the 2023 Winter Olympic games (Feb.)

The reason for the schedule change is the brutal heat in Qatar during the summer. Obviously the FIFA has not considered that issue before handing the 2023 World Cup to Qatar. Besides the winter schedule, the FIFA task-force also recommends to shorten the timeframe of the competition.

“We are very pleased that, after careful consideration of the various opinions and detailed discussions with all stakeholders, we have identified what we believe to be the best solution for the 2018-2024 international match calendar and football in general. It was a challenging task and I want to thank all members of the football community for their productive input and constructiveness in helping to find a solution that we believe can work for everyone,” said Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

The final decision of the 2023 World Cup will be made at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 19 and 20 March 2015. The Qatar World Cup has turned out to be a big PR problem for FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Corruption allegations and poor worker condition have put the Qatar World Cup in a bad light.

In Europe soccer World Cups are a summer event. Fans gather at outdoor public viewings events or beer-gardens to watch the games. This will not be possible in December. The FIFA will need to keep this in mind when making the final decision about the unique reschedule.

British comedian David Schneider obtained a voting form FiFA delegates used. It makes all sense now.

In case you missed it: here’s a typical voting form for FIFA delegates on whether to choose Qatar as World Cup hosts. pic.twitter.com/L9hGuxgkwQ— David Schneider (@davidschneider) February 24, 2015