A change to the schedule for this yr’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar implies that sports activities followers face a conundrum with the competitors’s opening ceremony set to conflict with the F1 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
F1 had moved ahead its schedule this season to complete its marketing campaign on the finish of November in a bid to keep away from pitting itself in opposition to the World Cup.
Initially, the match had been set to kick off the day after the Abu Dhabi race, with Senegal enjoying the Netherlands.
However with a view to follow custom and have the host nation play the opening match, FIFA has shuffled its fixture checklist and moved the sport between Qatar and Ecuador to Sunday, November twentieth, with the kick-off at 16:00 GMT.
With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix beginning at 14:00 GMT, the match itself won’t conflict however the opening ceremony, which has additionally been introduced ahead, will.
“The choice adopted an evaluation of the competitors and operational implications, in addition to an intensive session course of and an settlement with key stakeholders and the host nation,” mentioned a FIFA assertion.
“The discharge interval, as beforehand determined and as ruled by the Laws on the Standing and Switch of Gamers, will stay unchanged, starting on 14 November 2022.”
Though followers won’t be required to decide on between the 2 sporting contests, solely between the grand prix itself and the FIFA opening ceremony, solely time will inform how the conflict impacts viewing figures.
Ought to the drivers’ and constructors’ championships have been determined earlier than the season-ending race, that is additionally prone to have a adverse outcome on the figures.