World Cup: Qatar 2022 will be the first of the 22 editions outside the May-June-July period

Since 1930, none of the 20 editions of the World Cup which have been played (or 21 counting the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which will start on 14/06/2018 and end on 15/07/2018) have taken place outside the months of May, June and July.

The FIFA Executive Committee confirmed on 19/03/2015 that the 2022 World Cup will be held in the months of November-December and the final will be held on Sunday 18/12/2022. The 2022 edition will therefore be an exception in the history of the World Cup.

Only five editions (1934, 1962, 1970, 1986 and 2002) of the World Cup have run slightly outside the months of June and July, which is the period in which the competition usually takes place. On each of these occasions, the competition has begun at the very end of May, with the maximum being five days for the 1934 edition in Italy.

Qatar 2022: the shortest tournament since 1978?

• Shortest edition: Italy 1934 (15 days of competition)
• Longest edition: France 1998 (33 days)
• Edition which began earliest: Italy 1934 (27/05/1934)
• Edition which began latest: Uruguay 1930 (13/07/1930)
• Edition which ended…