World football’s governing body FIFA on Thursday announced that the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place on December 18, ending speculation on the matter.

In a short statement, the FIFA Executive Committee confirmed “that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be staged in November/December with the Final to be on 18 December 2022, Qatar’s National Day.”

“In principle,” the statement added, “it was agreed that the tournament should be played over a reduced timeframe, for instance 28 days.”

A start date for Qatar 2022 will also be determined soon, as FIFA look to avoid the searing heat that comes with the mid-year weather in the oil-rich nation.

As a result, a working group would meet in order to finalise a suitable international match calendar for the 2019-2022 cycle.

The announcement is likely to be met with opposition from some of the top leagues in Europe, as the 2022 World Cup schedule is set to disrupt the match calendar there.

Africa’s Cup of Nations would likely also be affected by the 2022 World Cup winter schedule, as FIFA previously suggested an agreement with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been reached to stage the 2023 Nations Cup in Guinea in June; a suggestion Guinea has voiced its opposition.

Meanwhile, FIFA also announced that the 2019 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by France.