The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar creates a number of firsts in the world of football.

It is the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East since the Qataris won the right to host it in December 2010.

But since then, FIFA has moved the organization of the competition from its traditional June and July schedule to November and December to allow it to be played when the temperatures are considerably cooler in Qatar.

MORE: Are the 2022 World Cup stadiums air-conditioned?

This has become a headache for many football chiefs around the world as the World Cup will now be played at a time when their domestic leagues and competitions are in action, especially in Europe where summer is their off-season. .

Here’s a guide to which leagues are doing what and when with their schedules to host the 2022 World Cup:

Premier League schedule 2022-23

It really is a step into the unknown for England’s top league, as unlike Spain, Germany, Italy and others, they have never had a full winter break before.

The 2022-23 season will start on August 6, a week earlier than the current 2021-22 campaign, and end a week later than 2022 on May 28, 2023.

The teams will play until the weekend of November 12/13, when the competition will stop to allow World Cup participants to leave to join their respective teams.

The season will resume on December 26, eight days after the World Cup final.

Premier League schedule

• August 6: The 2022-23 Premier League season begins

• November 12-13: Last round of matches before the mid-season break

• December 26: League action resumes

• May 28: Last round of matches for 2022-23 played

MORE: England’s road to the FIFA World Cup final: Will football finally come home in 2022?

La Liga schedule 2022-23

Spanish teams are set to start the 2022-23 season on the same weekend as the current campaign, despite the busy schedule ahead of them.

They are tentatively sketched out, following discussions between league officials and clubs, to start on August 12, with the season ending on November 13.

No matches will be played over Christmas, so matches in Spain after the World Cup are not expected to resume until December 29.

The scheduled end date is June 4, which is two weeks later than this season’s finale.

La Liga schedule

• August 12: The 2022-23 La Liga season begins

• November 12-13: Last round of matches before the mid-season break

• December 29: League action resumes

• June 4: Last round of matches for 2022-23 played

CONTINUED: Full draw and schedule for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Bundesliga schedule 2022-23

A break of more than two months from domestic action is the plan for the German Bundesliga.

The advantage of having 18 teams in the top flight, unlike England, Spain and Italy, among others who have 20, is that they have four fewer matches to play with 34 rounds of matches to be played.

Thus, the German action will begin on August 5 and will continue until November 13 before the forced break.

But they will also embrace their own traditional national rest, as players will have another month of post-competition rest following the end of the Qatar festivities.

They won’t resume until January 20 and the season will end on May 27.

Bundesliga schedule

• 5 August : The 2022-23 Bundesliga season begins

• November 13: Last round of matches before the mid-season break

• January 20: League action resumes

• May 27: Last round of matches for 2022-23 played

the #Fifa World Cup the groups are formed 🤩

We can’t wait! 🏆#FinalDraw pic.twitter.com/uaDfdIvbaZ

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 1, 2022

Serie A schedule 2022-23

Italy may not go to the World Cup after missing out on qualifying for North Macedonia. But Serie A will still come to a halt due to the high number of international players in the league who will travel to Qatar.

The season kicks off the weekend of August 13-14 before playing until November 13, when the final action will take place.

No fixed date has yet been released on the resumption of the season, but Italian clubs expect it won’t be until early January 2023.

Serie A schedule

• August 13-14: Start of the 2022-23 Serie A season

• November 12-13: Last round of matches before the mid-season break

• January 2023: League action resumes

CONTINUED: The draw and match schedule for the 2022 World Cup in France

Ligue 1 calendar 2022-23

France are World Cup holders and will try to be the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully retain the title.

But there is little initial change to their domestic league with Ligue 1 starting on August 6, the same day as the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

They will take a break from November 12-13 before the scheduled resumption after action against Qatar on December 28.

Ligue 1 calendar

• August 6-7: Start of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season

• November 12-13: Last round of matches before the mid-season break

• December 28: League action resumes

• June 4: Last round of games to wrap up the season

Next stop: Qatar!

THE @USMNT THE WORLD CUP IS TIED! pic.twitter.com/33Vi8al1fh

– Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 31, 2022

Unlike in Europe where it took a lot of thinking to adjust the domestic league schedule, the new World Cup schedule has no impact in the United States.

The 2022 MLS season will end on November 5 with the MLS Cup final, 16 days before the start of the World Cup. The regular season ends October 9.

MLS Schedule

• November 5: The season ends with the MLS Cup final

• February 2023: The new season begins

MORE: USA Group B schedule to face England & Iran

A-League schedule 2022-23

Australia’s participation in the World Cup has yet to be determined as they seek to overtake the United Arab Emirates and Peru in the AFC and then the Inter-Confederation Qualifiers to book a place for Qatar in Group D. with France, Denmark and Tunisia.

The 2022-23 A-League season is currently due to start on October 30, just 23 days before the start of the competition in Qatar.

A schedule and fixture list are not expected to be released until September, which could be when things become clearer on how the Aussies plan to adapt their domestic fixtures around the World Cup.

A-League schedule

• September 2022: A-League matches must be published

• October 30: Provisional opening day of the 2022-23 A-League season

⭐️The winner of Intercontinental Play-off 1 – either Australia, United Arab Emirates or Peru – will be the final team in Group D! They will sit at point D2

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 1, 2022

2022-23 UEFA Champions League schedule

UEFA got around the problem of how to prevent the group stages of its competition from being interrupted by condensing its schedule.

Usually the group part of the action lasts until mid-December. But for 2022-23, that won’t be the case, with all six rounds of matches ending a month earlier midweek November 1-2.

There will be three sets of games played in October to help make that happen.

The competition will then be interrupted during the World Cup before returning on February 14 and 15 with the first of the knockout matches.

UEFA Champions League schedule

• September 6-7: Start of the UEFA Champions League group stages

• November 1-2: Last round of the group stages to be played

• February 14-15: The first matches in the round of 16 will take place

• June 10: The UEFA Champions League Final was held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul