Four matches will be played each day during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Fifa has announced. The group games will be played over a 12-day period, with matches not being assigned to particular venues until after the finals draw in March 2022.

Kick-off times for the first two rounds of games will be 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time with the eight stadiums all within a 40-mile radius of each other. It means supporters and media could attend two games on the same day. The tournament’s opening match will be played at the 60,000-seater Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor on Monday, 21 November in a game which will feature hosts Qatar. The final venue is the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium in Doha on Sunday, 18 December at 16:00 WAT. A start date is yet to be announced for the European section of World Cup qualification. The qualifying draw is scheduled for 1 December, but it is not yet known whether that will go ahead as planned.

• For all but three games there will be a three-day rest period in between
• There will also be no need for teams, supporters or media to spend time flying or taking long rail or road journeys between matches
• Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knockout round matches will be at 6pm and 10pm local time