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As the 2018 tournament draws to a close, thoughts are already turning to the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar will play host to football's showpiece event with the side defending the trophy to be decided on Sunday in this year's final.

The awarding of the tournament to Qatar was shrouded in controversy as the country saw off competition from more well-established football nations to land the World Cup.

And it looks increasingly likely that the tournament will not be played in the summer months due to the searing heat in the Middle East.

So - what do we know about the Qatar World Cup so far?

Look no further...

Where is the World Cup 2022?

(Image: TASS via Getty Images)

Well, for those of you who have been living in the desert for the best part of the past decade, it will be taking place...in the desert.

Not literally, of course, but it's a significant change of scenery for FIFA's flagship event, as the tournament heads to the Middle East for the first time ever.

Qatar will host the 2022 tournament, having successfully bid in 2010.

It will also be the first time the competition has been held in an Arab and Muslim-majority country.

Where is Qatar?

(Image: Google Earth)

Qatar is a peninsula in the Persian Gulf. It has a land border with Saudi Arabia and Iran is on the other side of the water, with Iraq at the top of the gulf.

Part of the Ottoman empire, then a British protectorate, Qatar became independent in 1971. The current king, known as the Amir, is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He was educated in England, first at Sherborne and Harrow, then at Sandhurst's Royal Military Academy.

Qatar has a population of 2.6million, although 2.3million of those are ex-pats,

Its highest football league is the Qatar Stars League. The national team's highest ever Fifa ranking was 51, in 1993.

When is the World Cup 2022?

(Image: Getty Images)

Here's another new twist on an old classic - the 2022 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament NOT to take place in May, June or July.

Given that Qatar is surrounded by desert, average temperatures during the summer months soar to around 35-45 degrees celcius.

FIFA, therefore, took the decision to move the tournament to the more cooler winter months, with a November 21 start date.

Interestingly, this means the tournament will fall in the middle of the normal domestic schedule for the majority of European club sides.

To counteract this, the 2022 World Cup is set to be held over a reduced time frame of 28 days.

The final is due to be played on December 18, which is also Qatar National Day.

What does it mean for the Premier League?

(Image: Getty Images)

The switch to a winter tournament will cause a scheduling nightmare for Premier League chiefs.

Top-flight football for the 2022-23 campaign could kick-off in July to accommodate the break for the World Cup.

In 2022, the Premier League campaign could resume as early as Boxing Day, with chiefs keen to keep the traditional date in the domestic football calendar.

However, the season would be likely to run until the beginning of June, meaning a shorter break before the following campaign gets underway in August, although no decision has yet been made by the Premier League.

Controversies

Corruption

(Image: Reuters)

The decision to grant Qatar the 2022 World Cup has been widely criticised and dogged by allegations of corruption.

Qatar bid CEO Hassan Al-Thawadi described praised FIFA for taking a "bold gamble" when they voted in favour of the Arab state hosting the tournament ahead of the US.

There have since been a number of unproven allegations levied at FIFA over the surprising result of the vote, with some claiming Qatar bought their way to victory.

An investigation was inconclusive, but the head of FIFA's Audit And Compliance Committee, Domenico Scala, stated that any evidence of bribery found could result in the reversal of the decision to award Qatar the World Cup.

Treatment of workers

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)

The Qatar World Cup organising committee has been accused of neglecting basic workers' rights in their preparations to host the tournament.

It was alleged that poor treatment of migrant workers saw a growing number of deaths of those working on construction sites - including on stadiums being built specifically for the World Cup.

The deaths were related to having to work in sweltering temperatures with a substandard break time, which Amnesty International referred to as "forced labour."

In addition, many workers complained of receiving little to no pay for their work and having their paperwork taken away from them, so they were unable to leave the country.

Terrorism fears

(Image: PA)

Up until late 2017 there were still calls for FIFA to drop the tournament in Qatar amid fears over the safety of hosting the tournament there.

England were on standby to step in as the Arab nation was accused by neighbouring countries of supporting terrorism.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all withdrew ambassadors and imposed trade and travel bans with Qatar.

Experts deemed Qatar's World Cup programme as a "high-risk project", but Hassan Al Thawadi has since refuted the claims and says that the Arab state are against terrorism of any kind.