FIFA have confirmed kick-off timings for every match of 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with England handed two late-evening kick-offs.
England will kick off their tournament against Iran on Monday 21 November at Khalifa International Stadium, Khalifa, Qatar in a 4pm AST local time, meaning that UK based fans can enjoy an extended lunch break with kick-off set for 1pm GMT in the UK.
Wales meanwhile will start their campaign against USA that evening in a 10pm AST kick-off at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, which will mean primetime coverage in the UK with the match commencing at 7pm GMT.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions will then face USA at Al Bayt Stadium on Friday 25 November with kick-off set for 10pm AST (7pm GMT UK Time).
Iran will face Wales in the early afternoon kick-off at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium from 1pm AST, which will mean a 10am GMT start for those watching in the UK.
England’s crunch final group match against Wales will take place at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium at 10pm AST (7pm GMT), whilst USA face Iran at the same time at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha in the other concluding Group B match.
Should England top their group then they will play their Round of 16 tie on Sunday 4 December at Al Bayt Stadium at 10pm AST (7pm GMT), otherwise they will play Saturday 3 December at 6pm AST (3pm GMT) at Khalifa International Stadium.
The same Round of 16 dates and timings also apply to Wales if they also get beyond the Group Stage.
Irrespective of whichever knockout path England plus potentially Wales and Scotland end up in, a late-evening Quarter-Final on Friday 9 or Saturday 10 December at 10pm AST (7pm GMT) awaits if they reach that stage.
Both semi-final ties across Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December will kick off at 10pm AST (7pm GMT) at Lusail Iconic Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium respectively.
The Third-Place Play-Off tie will take place on Saturday 17 December at Khalifa International Stadium from 6pm AST (3pm GMT), with the Final following 24 hours later on Sunday 18 December at Lusail Iconic Stadium.
FIFA also confirmed that Qatar will no longer host the opening match with that honour falling to Group A favourites, Netherlands and Senegal at 1pm AST (10am GMT) on Monday 21 November.
Qatar will host Ecuador in their opening group match at Al Bayt Stadium with kick-off set for 7pm AST (4pm GMT), meaning that the hosts’ first-ever World Cup match is in Qatari primetime for Qatar based audiences.
For European based TV audiences, there will be several blockbuster primetime evening kick-offs, including;
- Belgium v Canada (Wednesday 23 November
- Brazil v Serbia (Thursday 24 November)
- Argentina v Mexico (Saturday 26 November)
- Spain v Germany (Sunday 27 November)
- Portugal v Uruguay (Monday 28 November)
- Poland v Argentina (Wednesday 30 November)
- Croatia v Belgium (Thursday 1 December)
- Serbia v Switzerland (Friday 2 December)
Below is a full guide to the full schedule for each group including kick-off times in AST local time (GMT+3)
Group A
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Monday 21 November | Senegal v Netherlands | 1:00pm |
| Monday 21 November | Qatar v Ecuador | 7:00pm |
| Friday 25 November | Qatar v Senegal | 4:00pm |
| Friday 25 November | Netherlands v Ecuador | 7:00pm |
| Tuesday 29 November | Ecuador v Senegal | 6:00pm |
| Tuesday 29 November | Netherlands v Qatar | 6:00pm |
Group B
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Monday 21 November | England v Iran | 4:00pm |
| Monday 21 November | Wales v USA | 10:00pm |
| Friday 25 November | Wales v Iran | 1:00pm |
| Friday 25 November | England v USA | 10:00pm |
| Tuesday 29 November | Wales v England | 10:00pm |
| Tuesday 29 November | Iran v USA | 10:00pm |
Group C
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Tuesday 22 November | Argentina v Saudi Arabia | 1:00pm |
| Tuesday 22 November | Mexico v Poland | 7:00pm |
| Saturday 26 November | Poland v Saudi Arabia | 4:00pm |
| Saturday 26 November | Argentina v Mexico | 10:00pm |
| Wednesday 30 November | Poland v Argentina | 10:00pm |
| Wednesday 30 November | Saudi Arabia v Mexico | 10:00pm |
Group D
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Tuesday 22 November | Denmark v Tunisia | 4:00pm |
| Tuesday 22 November | France v Australia/UAE/Peru | 10:00pm |
| Saturday 26 November | Tunisia v Australia/UAE/Peru | 1:00pm |
| Saturday 26 November | France v Denmark | 7:00pm |
| Wednesday 30 November | Australia/UAE/Peru v Denmark | 6:00pm |
| Wednesday 30 November | Tunisia v France | 6:00pm |
Group E
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Wednesday 23 November | Germany v Japan | 4:00pm |
| Wednesday 23 November | Spain v Costa Rica/New Zealand | 7:00pm |
| Sunday 27 November | Japan v Costa Rica/New Zealand | 1:00pm |
| Sunday 27 November | Spain v Germany | 10:00pm |
| Thursday 1 December | Japan v Spain | 10:00pm |
| Thursday 1 December | Costa Rica/New Zealand v Germany | 10:00pm |
Group F
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Wednesday 23 November | Morocco v Croatia | 1:00pm |
| Wednesday 23 November | Belgium v Canada | 10:00pm |
| Sunday 27 November | Belgium v Morocco | 4:00pm |
| Sunday 27 November | Croatia v Canada | 7:00pm |
| Thursday 1 December | Croatia v Belgium | 6:00pm |
| Thursday 1 December | Canada v Morocco | 6:00pm |
Group G
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Thursday 24 November | Switzerland v Cameroon | 1:00pm |
| Thursday 24 November | Brazil v Serbia | 10:00pm |
| Monday 28 November | Cameroon v Serbia | 1:00pm |
| Monday 28 November | Brazil v Switzerland | 7:00pm |
| Friday 2 December | Serbia v Switzerland | 10:00pm |
| Friday 2 December | Cameroon v Brazil | 10:00pm |
Group H
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Thursday 24 November | Uruguay v Korea Republic | 4:00pm |
| Thursday 24 November | Portugal v Ghana | 7:00pm |
| Monday 28 November | Korea Republic v Ghana | 4:00pm |
| Monday 28 November | Portugal v Uruguay | 10:00pm |
| Friday 2 December | Ghana v Uruguay | 6:00pm |
| Friday 2 December | Korea Republic v Portugal | 6:00pm |
Round of 16
| Date | Match (Number) | Time (AST) |
| Saturday 3 December | Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B (49) | 6:00pm |
| Saturday 3 December | Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D (50) | 10:00pm |
| Sunday 4 December | Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C (52) | 6:00pm |
| Sunday 4 December | Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A (51) | 10:00pm |
| Monday 5 December | Winners Group E v Runners-up Group F (53) | 6:00pm |
| Monday 5 December | Winners Group G v Runners-up Group H (54) | 10:00pm |
| Tuesday 6 December | Winners Group F v Runners-up Group E (55) | 6:00pm |
| Tuesday 6 December | Winners Group H v Runners-up Group G (56) | 10:00pm |
Quarter-Finals
| Date | Match (Number) | Time (AST) |
| Friday 9 December | Winners Match 53 v Winners Match 54 (58) | 6:00pm |
| Friday 9 December | Winners Match 49 v Winners Match 50 (57) | 10:00pm |
| Saturday 10 December | Winners Match 55 v Winners Match 56 (60) | 6:00pm |
| Saturday 10 December | Winners Match 51 v Winners Match 52 (59) | 10:00pm |
Semi-Finals
| Date | Match (Number) | Time (AST) |
| Tuesday 13 December | Winners Match 57 v Winners Match 58 (61) | 10:00pm |
| Wednesday 14 December | Winners Match 59 v Winners Match 60 (62) | 10:00pm |
Third-Place Play-Off
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Saturday 17 December | Losers Match 61 v Losers Match 62 | 6:00pm |
Final
| Date | Match | Time (AST) |
| Sunday 18 December | Winners Match 61 v Winners Match 62 | 6:00pm |
Leave a Reply