Euro 2020 might have just gotten underway – a year late – but teams have already begun preparations for the next major international tournament.
The 2022 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, will be unique in many ways, but one factor that stands out is that it will take place across November and December because of the extreme humidity and heat levels in the summer months.
Although that’s exciting to an extent, and the winner could be set for early Christmas celebrations, it’s also a major hassle for the top leagues as it means chiefs will likely have to adjust their schedule in order to create space for the World Cup.
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And now it seems as though the Premier League are already taking the preliminary steps to alter their plans to make room for the hectic international winter schedule, despite only announcing the upcoming season’s fixtures this morning (June 16).
That is according to BBC Sport, who report that Premier League bosses are planning to start the 2022-23 season a week earlier than normal and finish a week later in order to create space for the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA has incorporated a 14 November release date for players for its international calendar, and the competition – that incidentally begins just a week later – runs until the 18 December of that same year.
Whilst there still hasn’t been a decision on the precise Premier League schedule for 2022-23, the changes will affect every Premier League team, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
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It will particularly impact clubs involved in major European competitions as it is envisaged that more midweek dates will be required, as happened during last season’s pandemic affected season.
The schedule didn’t exactly impress managers or players last year, and this change could end up being even more unpopular if it goes ahead as planned.