Qatar Weather and How the Teams Are Going to Perform in the Conditions

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The 2022 World Cup is going to make history as being the first tournament played during winter. By awarding the tournament to Qatar, it presented some challenges for FIFA, with the summer climate being one of the key issues.

The weather gets very hot during the European summer months in the Middle East and this made the idea of playing the 2022 World Cup in the usual months of June and July a problem.

Therefore, FIFA made the decision to switch the 2022 World Cup from the summer to the winter. During June and July in Qatar, the temperature is often over 40 degrees and that makes it extremely difficult for the players to perform.

In addition, the fans would also find it ridiculously hot when the games are being played and that could lead to health problems. So, what can the players and fans expect from the weather now the decision has been made to play the tournament in November and December?

A quick check of the temperature in Doha at the time of writing shows it is 33 degrees at 1pm. Even at 7pm, the temperature is still going to be 29 degrees, which is warm for playing football.

On the opening day of the 2022 World Cup, the temperature is expected to reach 29 degrees, before going down to 26 degrees in the evening.

There is little rain forecast but that could change as we progress through the tournament. Although not as warm as 40 degrees, anything from the late 20s upward is still hot when playing competitive football at the highest level.

Sandstorms could cause a problem and have been known to disrupt outdoor events in the past. A stage of the Tour of Oman cycle race had to be cancelled because of a combination of heat and wind.

The temperature will not be much of an issue inside the stadiums used at the 2022 World Cup. Many of the stadiums being used at the World Cup in Qatar are new constructions and have been built especially for the tournament.

All eight of the stadiums have air conditioning to keep the players and fans cool during matches. The air conditioning will be powered using solar energy and will clean dirty air.

Speaking to FIFA, Dr Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, the manager of the project, said, “We're purifying the air for spectators. For example, people who have allergies won't have problems inside our stadiums as we have the cleanest and purest air there is.

“Pre-cooled air comes in through grills built into the stands and large nozzles alongside the pitch. Using the air circulation technique, cooled air is then drawn back, re-cooled, filtered and pushed out where it is needed.”

So, the players and fans should not have anything to worry about when it comes to the temperature inside the stadiums. The venues should be cool even when matches are being played in the afternoon and that will make for a more pleasant experience.

Players should have little trouble performing in the weather inside the stadiums and we all hope that will make for an exciting tournament.