FIFA’s executive committee today approved a task force recommendation to host the 2022 World Cup in November and December.

The final is due to take place on 18th December 2022, which is Qatar’s National Day. The length of the tournament will be finalised by a working group, but FIFA stated there is “the objective, in principle, of staging the tournament in 28 days”.

The decision was welcomed by the organisers of the tournament, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. 

“We welcome the decision of FIFA's Executive Committee in relation to the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We are satisfied the process has reached its conclusion,” it said in a statement. 

“Regardless of the change in dates, we will continue to develop the cooling technology promised during the bid, ensuring our commitment to deliver a true legacy as a result of the first World Cup in the Middle East remains."

The daily average maximum temperature in November is around 30 degrees Celsius.

The timings of the event mean that British teams will be able to play their traditional boxing day fixtures. 

The prospect of a winter world cup has been fiercely challenged by the European football clubs and administrators. 

However, Luis Figo of Portugal, who is running for the presidency of FIFA, stated his support for the decision. 

“A decision on the hosts and dates of the World Cup has to be as consensual as possible, after consulting all the interested persons and organizations and having in mind above all the health of the players, officials and, of course, the supporters,” he said.

“I also think that people of Qatar deserve respect and now that there is a decision I hope they will have the time to concentrate in delivering a good World Cup.”

The uncertainty surrounding the timings of the 2022 World Cup is set to continue until 24th February and the country is able to host at any time of year, according to the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC). 

The World Cup traditionally takes place during the northern hemisphere’s summer months, during which the European football leagues take a break.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Abraham Al Khalifa of Bahrain’s earlier this week asserted that the World Cup would take place in the winter, preferably November and December 2022, and that "the matter is resolved."

But Nasser Al-Khater, the executive director of communications and marketing at the Qatar 2022 SC is reported to have said a press conference at the Doha’s Aspire Zone: "Look, first and foremost we are confident of hosting the World Cup anytime of the year. 

“It is also no secret that the peak tourism timing is November and December.”

According to Inside World Football, Al Khater said “There is a meeting of the task force on the 24th of February. What we understand is that a final decision will be recommended during that meeting. It's the last meeting of the task force to discuss a winter or a summer World Cup."

Qatar’s summer months reach blistering heats of over 50 degrees centigrade and many observers have commented on the risks of hosting football matches in these conditions. 

The SC says it has the cooling technology to overcome these challenges. 

“We believe the methods and principles [of cooling] are a solution for many countries that will host the World Cup and other events in the future,” Al Khater said.

“Utilising this technology on such a large scale and having to think outside the box, we are really providing optimal climate conditions."

The SC also told press that Qatar’s venue infrastructure projects are on schedule, with five stadiums under construction and two more set for an imminent design launch. 

Al Khater also faced questions about FIFA’s investigations into the manner in which Qatar was elected as World Cup host.

"It's important to highlight it's an investigation into the bidding process of 2018/2022, but also into individuals," he said.

"Everyone coins it as an investigation into Qatar, which is absolutely false and incorrect. We are happy with judge Eckert's conclusion. At times it was a bit harsh, but, you know this is a World Cup and you will always have criticism and negativity."

FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke has requested that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Qatar 2022 World Cup propose the number of venues to be used as a “next important step” to be confirmed by the end of 2015, along with the timings of the tournament. 

He also commended progress on infrastructure works and evident progress on improving the welfare of construction workers. 

Speaking at the end of the LOC’s first board meeting in Doha on Tuesday, FIFA’s secretary general Jérôme Valcke said “We had a very constructive first LOC Board meeting and are pleased with the work accomplished to date by the LOC, especially in delivering a first customised operational plan to the specifications of the host country. 

“As we have done with previous hosting partners, we will help find solutions that work best locally including considerations for beyond the event itself. 

“Next important step will be for the LOC to provide FIFA with feasibility studies to identify the best number of venues to ensure perfect playing conditions for the teams. We aim to have a confirmation of dates, length of tournament and final number of stadia to be used by end of this year.”

On Monday, a FIFA task force recommended that the 2022 World Cup should take place in late November until late December , with a slightly shortened timeframe than the usual four weeks. 

The CEO of the LOC, Hassan Al Thawadi said “We are ready to host anytime depending on the wishes of the global football community.”  

Valcke was shown around the building site of the first stadium being built for the World Cup. “It was very encouraging to see yesterday the Al-Wakrah stadium construction site as well as the respective workers living facilities,” he said.

“I am no expert on these issues but I can see that progress is being made, particularly with the standards introduced by the Supreme Committee related to 2022 infrastructure. At the same time, recognising this is a complex issue that is vital for the Qatari authorities to continue to work on with labour experts to ensure that the initiated measures on welfare standards are sustainably implemented for all workers in Qatar and not limited to 2022 projects.”

The main focus of the meeting was for the LOC to present to FIFA its Tournament Operation Master Plan (TOMP), which it describes as a “unique hosting concept based on the compact World Cup”.

The Qatar 2022 LOC will focus on operational planning, tournament preparedness and coordinating with FIFA on all competition related matters. 

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – the organisation tasked with delivering infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup and its aftermath – also gave a presentation on the development of stadiums and extensive transportation network links which will connect these and other venues across the country. 

“Today’s meeting was a significant milestone as we continue to make progress towards hosting an outstanding FIFA World Cup which will leave a lasting legacy for future generations in the Middle East,” said Thawadi. “This was an opportunity to demonstrate our operational preparations and ensure we are ready to deliver the tournament as early as possible.

“The first LOC board meeting is a symbol that this World Cup is not simply a concept for a tournament that will be held in the distant future. It is evidence that we are working every single day to deliver a unique tournament that will bring people in the Middle East together and build bridges between East and West.”

Just as a FIFA taskforce met in Zurich on Monday to review options for the timings of the 2022 World Cup, it emerged that Emirates airline would not be renewing its sponsorship contract with football’s international governing body. 

“This decision was made following an evaluation of FIFA’s contract proposal which did not meet Emirates’ expectations,” Emirates said in a statement on Monday.

A FIFA spokesperson said Emirates had informed them two years ago that Brazil 2014 would be the last World Cup it would sponsor, as the airline was changing its strategy to focus on more frequent smaller events around the world instead of a mega-event every four years. 

Qatar Airlines is said to be waiting in the wings to take over the role of official carrier for FIFA. Sony are also reported to be putting an end to their sponsorship, with Olympic TOP sponsors Samsung being mentioned as likely contenders to occupy this space.

Emirates chose to make the news public at a time when FIFA is tackling the tricky issue of how to host the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 without risking the health of players and fans, while also minimising disruption to national league fixtures. 

“We are getting closer to narrowing the dates for the FIFA World Cup to two options – January/February 2022 or November/December 2022 – but FIFA has also been asked to consider May 2022,” said FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke. 

Hosting the World Cup in January/February would almost certainly result in the event clashing with the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, for which Almaty and Beijing are currently candidate cities. 

The May option was put forward by the European Club Association, who have proposed that the tournament could take place from April 28 to May 29 without disrupting domestic fixtures.

However, FIFA’s chief medical officer Professor Jiří Dvořák highlighted medical concerns relating to player safety and fan safety if the FIFA World Cup were to be held between May and September. Valcke also pointed out that the month-long period of Ramadan would begin on 2 April in 2022, which would impact on preparations for the tournament.

Hassan Al Thawadi, CEO of the local organising committee said the preferred scenario was for the World Cup to be held in the winter, while affirming that it remained fully committed to delivering what was promised in its bid and organising the best possible event whatever is decided.

The taskforce is due to hold its next meeting in early 2015 after further consultation. 

“The objective of today’s meeting was to receive feedback from all parties and to work on narrowing the options,” said Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy – the organisation in charge of building and kitting out venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup – has has signed a contract with Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC) to adopt its Hawa’ak air quality monitoring system.

QMIC has fully developed Hawa’ak to monitor air quality, weather, climate and other environmental conditions in real time. Using an “Internet of Things” platform, it allows users to access this information via multiple channels including mobile delivery, and web portals.

Hawa’ak takes advantage of a new generation of mobile sensor stations that can be distributed across a wide area to deliver localised and personalised air quality information.

“We believe that carefully monitoring environment and air quality conditions is a critical part of building and maintaining proposed host venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” said Yasir Al Jamal, acting assistant secretary general for delivery affairs at the Supreme Committee. 

“We are very pleased to have selected the Hawa’ak system from QMIC to furnish our stadiums with weather & air quality monitoring stations.”

The Supreme Committee is keen to use the World Cup as an opportunity to develop a range of industries within the host nation. In addition to delivering sports infrastructure, the Supreme Committee aims to boost the development of Qatar’s private sector and streamline regulations.

“We believe that utilizing innovative technologies and systems that are developed in Qatar will help in creating sustainable new industries, which support our strategy of creating a legacy in the country,” said Al Jamal. 

The collected, processed and refined weather and air quality information will be accessible to the Supreme Committee and its subsidiaries through a range of channels such as web portals, mobile applications, hard copy reports, and alerts among others.

The Supreme Committee says this information will contribute to building a rich bank of data that will drive the creation of new services and applications optimised for enterprises, government agencies and consumers.

“We would like to thank the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy for putting their trust in us,” said Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, executive director of QMIC. “All along, QMIC has focused on developing and deploying intelligent systems and services to support the needs of important market segments in Qatar including environment, transportation, and road safety. Our strategic partnership with SC will help us scale up our plans and achieve our goals faster in the field of environment.”

The organisers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, unveiled the latest stadium design today, with details of the cooling technologies described by lead architect Mark Fenwick as a “challenge” to incorporate. 

The Qatar Foundation Stadium is the fourth stadium design to be revealed by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, who announced the plans on the anniversary of Qatar winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

The venue, based in Education City on the outskirts of Doha, will be combined with a Health and Wellness Precinct and educational programmes.

“Designing the Qatar Foundation Stadium was a unique challenge as it incorporates the innovative cooling technologies being developed by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy,” said Mark Fenwick, lead architect for RFA Fenwick Iribarren Architects.

According to the Supreme Committee, the design will create a comfortable environment for football. “Pitch and spectator terraces are cooled to the target temperatures; the players’ and spectators’ comfort levels will meet and exceed FIFA requirements and guidelines for safe play and spectating.”

The stadium is to be cooled using chilled water from the local air conditioning network combined with an innovative roof design. 

The opening in the stadium roof is designed as a cavity, to act as a wind break and slow down the movement of hot air outside the roof. This process is passive and consumes no energy, helping to reduce the building’s overall energy consumption by reducing the amount of cool conditioned air escaping. 

The active cooling system used by the stadium will take in chilled water from Education City’s existing district cooling network. 

The high energy consumption of air conditioning will be further offset by photovoltaic and reflective technologies to produce energy for electricity and hot water. Photovoltaic and solar thermal panels are proposed to power the stadium, swimming pool and indoor pavilion.

According to the Supreme Committee, photovoltaic and solar thermal panels could be placed on the stadium roof.

The developers are aiming for a Gold Sustainability Building Certification in the US Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings system.

To attain this, at least 20 per cent of all materials used is proposed to come from sustainable sources. 50 per cent of all wood-based materials are to be procured from sustainable forestry sources, while 20 per cent of all materials are to be sourced regionally in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint of logistics.

The construction is being managed by Qatar Foundation’s Capital Projects Directorate, which is setting its own standards in workers’ welfare, based on the Supreme Committee’s recommendations. 

“With the exception of the early works contractor, who was awarded prior to the release of the QF Mandatory Standards of Migrant Workers’ Welfare (QF Standards), all contractors and sub-contractors working on this project will be contractually required to comply with the QF Standards,” says the Supreme Committee.

“Both sets of standards—which are based on Qatari labour law and international best practices—establish minimum requirements that protect the rights of workers from recruitment to repatriation. 

“The SC and QF Standards are very similar and only differ in terms of the accommodation specifications.”

The stadium is scheduled for completion in 2018 with a capacity of 40,000 seats to host matches up to and including the quarter-final stage of the World Cup in 2022. The stadium will be reconfigured to 15,000 seats after the World Cup. 

The members-only Health & Wellness Precinct will incorporate medical clinics and sports facilities, football pitches, gymnasiums, tennis courts and facilities for non-traditional sports such as climbing as well healthy restaurants and cafes. 

“Through innovative design, sustainably-sourced materials and the latest cooling and energy-efficient technology, the Qatar Foundation Stadium and Health & Wellness Precinct will not only allow us to host an amazing FIFA World Cup but also leave a genuine legacy in Qatar well beyond 2022,” said Ghanim Al Kuwari, Competition Venues Director at the Supreme Committee. 

In a dramatic U-turn, the members of FIFA’s executive committee have voted unanimously in favour of making public its report into alleged corruption surrounding the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups.

The full report was written by US lawyer Michael Garcia, but only a controversial summary by his counterpart on the Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert, has yet been published.  

Garcia dismissed Eckert’s summary as “erroneous and incomplete” and resigned from the Ethics Committee on Wednesday after his appeal was dismissed.

While many contributors to the report have spoken out in favour of publishing it in full, all were promised confidentially and the published report will be redacted for legal reasons – and it will not be published until the conclusion of ongoing investigations into five people connected to the affair.

FIFA vice president Jim Boyce of Great Britain is one of the executives who has spoken in favour of publishing the report, saying “If people have nothing to hide, why are they afraid of something being issued?"

Qatar has the economy and the infrastructural capability to host the FIFA World Cup, but needs to address the issue of the weather and impose its individuality to create an outstanding event in 2022, according to three of the biggest names in Italian football.

"The first feeling that Qatar gives is that this is a set of people who have everything. They have great potential to host an event of such high calibre," Gianluigi Buffon, captain of Juventus said at a press conference before the Supercoppa match between Napoli and Juventus in Doha on Saturday.

"Considering the economic potential and facilities here, the World Cup will be a positive event for this country. They have all the ingredients to make it a successful event."

Christian Maggio, the Napoli right back added "Since the first day of our arrival in Qatar we have been amazed by the infrastructure. It is beautiful. It is an indicator that this city wants to provide something extraordinary.

"Qatar will be ready for the World Cup. There is care taken about even the smallest of details. And definitely Qatar will be ready to host an international event of such a huge stature."

This is not the first time a major international footballer has backed Qatar to host a world class event in 2022. In May 2014, Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast was impressed by a presentation by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez, who has reportedly been offered a role coaching Qatar’s national team, said "Working with football people here in Qatar is a great pleasure. They have the best of facilities. And utilizing these facilities is something that Napoli and other teams should think about."

Buffon, who was for many years regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, also spoke positively about the developing football culture in Qatar. "We were warmly received here. Many people, including myself, didn’t know that Juventus will have such a huge following in Qatar."

Speaking at a time when Qatar's right to host the World Cup is being called into question, he hinted that a non-judgemental attitude helps to build understanding. "If you don’t go about your life in a particular way then you don’t get the love of the people."

Nonetheless, the host nation still needs to work on its footballing identity and communicate its vision to the world. 

"In the years ahead of the event, Qatar should find ways to make the event more romantic," said Buffon. "And I hope that it can be done and that will make the Qatar edition stand out from the rest of the world."

The biggest issue Qatar faces in hosting the World Cup is the hardest to control. "Of course I think that we need to play in the right weather so that the players can have the best conditions to display their skills. And also for the fans. They tend to move from one place to another. So we expect there will be the question of weather."

The power rental market in Qatar is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.3 per cent until 2020, according to research by 6Wresearch.

“Upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, rising public and private infrastructure, construction of hotels and stadiums and increasing flow of investments in the country are exhibited to fuel the growth of Qatar’s power rental market,” the researchers said.

The majority of this growth will be accounted for by diesel gensets, but environmental concerns and the local abundance of natural gas will also drive growth in non-diesel gensets. Gas generators are expected to rise in prominence. 

International suppliers such as Aggreko, RSS, JTC, Byrne Investments, Hertz are cited as key players in the Qatar power rental market, alongside domestic players such as Qatar Building Co., Al Reyami and Qatar Industrial Equipment.

American multinational Cat Entertainment Services is another big player in major event power generation with the potential to tap into the growing market in Qatar.

More than US$200bn is being invested in infrastructure developments in the run up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

The temporary power supply industry is in huge demand on projects such as Lusail City, the Doha Metro Rail, construction of expressways, hotels and other facilities, as well as nine new stadiums and major renovations to three existing stadiums. 

The influential ExCo member Moya Dodd, told HOST CITY that FIFA needs to make its host city election process more transparent by removing the secrecy around voting.

And in the wake of Sepp Blatter’s confirmation that he will stand for a fifth term as FIFA president, more executive committee members have publicly backed suggestions that limits should be imposed on terms of office. 

Asked by HOST CITY at Soccerex Global Convention whether increasing the number of people with the right to vote would improve perceptions of FIFA, Dodd said “The more important measure would be to make voting open. 

“If people are answerable for how they voted, it’s visible, it’s clear who they supported, then there’s no suggestion that there are multiple promises for a single vote. I think it would do a lot to rid the process of those sort of suspicions, if it was open voting.”

FIFA’s 27 executive committee members currently have the right to vote on the issues that govern world football. Just 22 people were eligible to cast votes for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as compared to the 94 IOC members that elected the host city of the 2020 Olympic Games. 

Another concern is that football’s world leaders are able to govern for an indefinite length of time. On Monday, FIFA’s 78-year old president Sepp Blatter confirmed in a video presentation to Soccerex Global Convention that he would stand for a historic fifth term. 

On the same day, FIFA Vice President Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein told the press that he supports time limits on terms of office – while stressing that Blatter has every right to stand again under the current rules. 

“The process of reform within FIFA needs to continue and eventually we should look at instigating term limits and maybe not just for the FIFA president but also for executive committee members as well, including myself,” Prince Ali said.

Speaking at Soccerex on Tuesday, Moya Dodd, who is vice president of the Asian Football Confederation as well as a FIFA ExCo member, said “In Asia we have a limit on age and terms. I think term limits are healthy. Age limits are discriminatory and not the best way to ensure turnover anyway.”

Jim Boyce, who at 70 is eight years younger than Sepp Blatter, said “I am in favour of an age limit and a time limit. I honestly feel that if someone has three terms – that’s 12 years – or an age of 75, then they have made a good contribution and it’s time for someone else to contribute.”

As well as the issues of age and tenure, FIFA is tackling a gender imbalance – a drive that began with Dodd’s appointment last year.

“It’s inevitable that more women become involved in the game and will be a strong part of the management of sporting enterprises,” said Dodd. 

Uefa president Michel Platini has decided not to stand against Sepp Blatter and it is not clear who might challenge Sepp Blatter to the presidency. Michele D’Hooghe, FIFA ExCo Member, told delegates at Soccerex “Michel Platini gave a very positive message to the last meeting of the presidential general secretaries of FIFA in Monaco at end of August. He didn’t say ‘I don’t go for FIFA’; he said ‘I choose for UEFA’."

To find out more about potential changes to bidding procedures for major events including the FIFA World Cup, register for HOST CITY: BID TO WIN, which takes place in London on 28th October 2014