All you need to know about the World Cup Qatar 2022

Next year's showpiece event in the Middle East will see fans swap the usual summer filled with football for a mid-season Christmas time competition.

So what does that mean for how the World Cup will work? What do we need to know about the host city Qatar? How will this timing effect domestic football?

Here's your ten point essential guide to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

1. Where is Qatar?

Let's start with the basics. Where exactly is Qatar?

Qatar is situated in the Middle East on the North eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and has a dry, subtropical desert climate with low annual rainfall.

It borders one country, Saudi Arabia, and is just 19 miles away from Bahrain.

2. How long does it take to get to Qatar from the UK?

The flight times from London or Edinburgh are both just under seven hours.

Qatar is served by one airport, Doha Hamad International Airport.

The fastest direct flight from London to Qatar is 6 hours and 39 minutes, covering a distance of 3,223 miles.

3. When is the 2022 World Cup set to take place?

The competition is set to run from Monday 21st November to Sunday 18th December 2022.

Festive football will have a totally different look this year.

4. How hot is Qatar?

The key reason as to why the World Cup is taking place in the winter months is to avoid the intense heat Qatar experiences in the summer.

From June to August, highs are around 42/43°C, where as in winter this drops a more manageable 22/25°C.

5. What will happen to the Premier League schedule?

The Premier League will break during next term after the weekend of November 12th before resuming fixtures again on Boxing Day.

Players will have a week of preparations with their national teams before heading out to the tournament in the Middle East.

They will then have only eight days to recover in time for the league's resumption should they reach the final on December 18.

6. What will happen to the EFL schedule?

The EFL season 2022-23 will start in July to accommodate the World Cup.

The Championship will not break for the whole tournament, but will resume while the quarter-finals are being played.

The three EFL divisions will start on July 30th, one week before the Premier League. Leagues One and Two will not stop for the World Cup.

7. What language is spoken in Qatar?

If you're one of the fans thinking of heading to the Middle East next winter, these next two answers are for you.

The national language of Qatar is Arabic.

However English is the second most used language in Qatar due it being used for official purposes during the British rule back in the colonial era.

8. Can you drink alcohol at this World Cup?

This is a question on most fans minds: can we have a celebratory beer out there?

Drinking alcohol isn't illegal in Qatar, however drinking or being drunk in public is and the legal drinking age is 21.

However the rules are expected to be relaxed for the competition meaning alcohol will be sold in the stadiums and there have been rumours of fan parks being opened for supporters.

9. Are the Qatar national team competing?

As hosts, Qatar automatically qualify for the tournament. However they did have to play in the Asian Qualifiers as a guest side.

The country's national team played its first official match in 1970 and are currently ranked 46th in the world.

10. How many venues will there be?

Qatar is set to be spending a whopping $500 million a week on infrastructure projects ahead of the competition including roads, stadiums, hotels and much more.

Eight stadiums will be situated across the nation, all within less of an hour of the capital Doha.