UEFA give Qatar 2022 winter World Cup backing

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has revealed that European nations have agreed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar must be moved from the summer.

Boyce said that, despite an agreement that winter is a more sensible time for the tournament, UEFA nations do not yet know when exactly it should be played.

"What has come out of this meeting, and what I think is sensible, is an agreement by the UEFA countries that the World Cup cannot be played in Qatar in the summer," Boyce told Sky Sports News. "Everyone was certainly in agreement about that.

"But what the 54 countries do not want FIFA to do is to make a decision yet on exactly when in the year it is going to be played.

"There is still nine years to go and people feel FIFA should sit down with all the major stakeholders and come up with a solution that would cause the minimum disruption to football."

It is believed that FIFA's preference would be November or December.