The FIFA World Cup final is a truly global event and will be one of the most-watched sporting events across the world when Argentina and France face off for glory in Qatar.
The timing this year will be unusual, as the final will be staged during the run-up to the December holiday season. In fact, it also falls on a national holiday in Qatar, which will add to the spotlight on the competition.
This tournament was moved to November and December, which is winter locally in Qatar, to avoid the scorching summer heat and its effects on players' wellbeing.
Here's what you need to know about the timing of the final.
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When is the 2022 World Cup final?
The 2022 World Cup final will be staged on Sunday, December 18. It is tradition that the World Cup final be held on a Sunday locally.
All but two World Cup finals, including the last 13 editions, have been held on a Sunday. The only two that were not held on a Sunday were the first World Cup final in 1930, which was played on a Wednesday, and the 1966 World Cup final, which was held on a Saturday.
The date is also the National Day of Qatar, or Al-Yawm al-Watani li-Qaṭar, also known as 'Founder's Day,' celebrated annually on the same date.
The holiday, commenced in 2007, was established to commemorate the rise to power of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani on December 18, 1878. He is credited with driving outside forces such as the Ottomans, the British, and other Arabian peninsula tribes from the land while unifying the Qatari tribes.
While the holiday isn't quite equivalent to an Independence Day — Qatar would not gain its independence from the British Empire until 1971 — it does serve to celebrate the nation's freedom from outside rule.
What time is World Cup final?
The 2022 World Cup final on December 18 will kick off in Doha, Qatar at 6:00 p.m. local Arabia Standard Time (AST).
| City | Kickoff Time | Relational |
|---|---|---|
| Doha, Qatar | 6 p.m. AST | UTC +3 |
| Perth, Australia | 11 p.m. AWST | UTC +8 |
| Sydney, Australia | 2 a.m. AEDT* | UTC +11 |
| Toronto, Canada | 10 a.m. ET | UTC -5 |
| Vancouver, Canada | 7 a.m. PT | UTC -8 |
| London, England | 3 p.m. GMT | UTC +0 |
| Hong Kong | 11 p.m. HKT | UTC +8 |
| New Delhi, India | 8:30 p.m. IST | UTC +5:30 |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 11 p.m. MYT | UTC +8 |
| Auckland, New Zealand | 4 a.m. NZDT* | UTC +13 |
| Singapore | 11 p.m. SGT | UTC +8 |
| Los Angeles, USA | 7 a.m. PT | UTC -8 |
| New York, USA | 10 a.m. ET | UTC -5 |
* Match occurs on Monday, December 19 at this location
Where is World Cup final 2022?
The World Cup final will be held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar. The stadium's location is approximately 23 km, or 14.3 miles, north of Doha.
Construction of the stadium, which was built specifically for the 2022 World Cup, began in 2017 and was completed in April of 2021.
Lusail Stadium has a capacity of 80,000 people, but will be reduced to 40,000 following the World Cup, with the additional space converted to shops, cafes, athletic facilities, and other amenities. The goal for this is to create a stadium that will be usable beyond the 2022 World Cup, addressing an issue that arose with the now-derelict stadiums from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Lusail Stadium is unique in that it boasts carbon-neutral footprint, according to the Qatari World Cup organizers. This is thanks to energy-efficient features such as solar panels to provide power and environmentally friendly cooling technologies, the architecture firm Fosters + Partners claims.
However, these claims have been questioned, with some academics stating that dodgy calculations were done to successfully predict a carbon-neutral footprint, according to a report by Reuters this past May.
List of past World Cup final cities and stadiums
Hosting the World Cup final is a prestigious honor bestowed on the most famous arenas across the globe.
The first World Cup final was held in 1930 at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. The stadium was built specifically for the 1930 World Cup and is still in use today, hosting national team matches.
Only two stadiums have ever hosted multiple World Cup finals: Estadio Azteca in Mexico in 1970 and 1986, and the Maracana Stadium in Brazil in 1950 and 2014.
The highest attendance ever for a World Cup final was 173,850 at the 1950 event. This will likely never be bested for stadiums as we know them, as modern safety protocols and ticketing procedures will prevent such a number from ever seeing a football match in person.
| Year | Final Venue | Final Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Estadio Centenario | Monteviedo, Uruguay | 68,346 |
| 1934 | Stadio Nazionale | Rome, Italy | 55,000 |
| 1938 | Stade Olympique | Colombes, France | 45,000 |
| 1950 | Maracana Stadium | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 173,850 |
| 1954 | Wankdorf Stadium | Bern, Switzerland | 62,500 |
| 1958 | Rasunda Stadium | Solna, Sweden | 51,800 |
| 1962 | Estadio Nacional | Santiago, Chile | 69,000 |
| 1966 | Wembley Stadium | London, England | 96,924 |
| 1970 | Estadio Azteca | Mexico City, Mexico | 107,412 |
| 1974 | Olympiastadion | Munich, West Germany | 75,200 |
| 1978 | Estadio Monumental | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 71,483 |
| 1982 | Santiago Bernabeu | Madrid, Spain | 90,000 |
| 1986 | Estadio Azteca | Mexico City, Mexico | 114,600 |
| 1990 | Stadio Olimpico | Rome, Italy | 73,603 |
| 1994 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, United States | 94,194 |
| 1998 | Stade de France | Saint-Denis, France | 75,000 |
| 2002 | International Stadium | Yokohama, Japan | 69,029 |
| 2006 | Olympiastadion | Berlin, Germany | 69,000 |
| 2010 | Soccer City | Johannesburg, South Africa | 84,490 |
| 2014 | Maracana Stadium | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 74,738 |
| 2018 | Luzhniki Stadium | Moscow, Russia | 78,011 |
| 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium | Doha, Qatar | — |
| 2026 | TBD | TBC | — |
Who will win the World Cup 2022?
France are considered the bookmakers' choice for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having survived a plethora of injuries to make an impressive title defence.
The prolific Kylian Mbappe and attacking schemer Antoine Griezmann have been among the stars of Les Bleus' campaign so far.
Argentina — captained by seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi — thrashed Croatia to underline their prowess.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Ladbrokes (Australia). Accurate as of December 14, 2022.
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina win | +175 | 2.70 | 9/5 | 19/10 |
| Draw | +200 | 2.95 | 21/10 | 2/1 |
| France win | +170 | 2.70 | 13/8 | 31/20 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
+100 / -140 | 1.92 / 1.70 | 1/1, 8/11 | 1/1, 3/4 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
+135 / -190 | 2.32 / 1.54 | 6/4, 1/2 | 11/8, 8/15 |
| France -0.5 | +155 | 2.60 | — | — |
| Argentina +0.5 | -225 | 1.47 | — | — |
| France win title | -125 | 1.90 | 10/11 | 3/4 |
| Argentina win title | +100 | 1.95 | 4/5 | 20/21 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation except 'to advance'.
