FIFA's plans, like FIFA's ethics, are "nothing if not adaptable," and it now "appears -- despite all the chest-bumping and smartphone-rattling" -- that the Cup is going to happen in November and December instead of in January, May or even in the "traditional window of June and July, which would have felt like a traditional brick oven in Doha," according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES. FIFA’s exec committee is "expected to approve the new dates -- most likely Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 -- when it meets Thursday and Friday in Zurich." It is an "attempt to make the best of a compromised situation that is completely FIFA's own fault." FIFPro President Philippe Piat said, "Playing in winter is not a good solution, everybody knows it, but it's the least bad of them all, and it's above all the one that protects the physical integrity of the players." So what would a November-December World Cup "really mean"? It means "major headaches and potentially major financial hits for professional leagues and competitions in Europe, Australia and elsewhere." It means a "sigh of relief" at IOC headquarters, where the 2022 February Winter Olympics "can be organized without being overshadowed by world sport’s 800-pound gorilla." It means "teeth gnashing for broadcasters in North America, where the 800-pound gorilla is football (the North American version), which will be in full swing" during the 2022 World Cup. It means "celebration -- dignified, of course -- at Wimbledon," where football's move should mean that the world’s oldest major tennis tournament can grab more market share than usual in a World Cup year.
UPS AND DOWNS: There is upside and, more often, downside to the unconventional dates, but the region with the biggest upside "appears to be Asia." Sports management agency Lagardere Unlimited COO Andrew Georgiou: "Most of the football leagues in Asia run from March to November, so there's a natural break in November and December anyway. So actually for Asia, it works quite well." The proximity to Christmas and the New Year also "presents commercial opportunities globally." Former IOC Marketing Dir Michael Payne said, "I think a lot of marketers would argue a November-December window for marketing and selling their products is a lot more attractive than June-July." The World Cup, in many markets, is "simply too big to fail, even with a parent like FIFA." Founder & CEO of Bruin Sports Capital and former IMG Sports & Entertainment President George Pyne: "It’s still going to be the best football competition in the world, so I think product probably carries the day there." But the United States "will be different." The World Cup, which would overlap with the American Thanksgiving holiday, "would thus run smack into the meat" of the N.F.L and college football regular season. Georgiou added, "I think it's a disaster for the U.S." (N.Y. TIMES, 3/14).
