This year’s World Cup has come to an exciting end but people are already casting their eyes to the next one, due to be held in Qatar in 2022. The hosting of the event in Qatar has proven highly controversial amid allegations of corruption, the size of the host country, human rights issues including the poor treatment of migrant workers, and whether alcohol will be available to the hordes of fans. When questioned about the latter point, Hassan Abdullah al Thawed, chief executive of Qatar’s bid, confirmed that alcohol consumption would be permitted in certain fan zones and bars.

Another pressing issue is the rather obvious one about whether it’s actually humanly possible to play football in the summer heat of the Middle East. Despite the development of special air-conditioning technology for the stadiums, soaring temperatures have forced organizers to shift the tournament to the winter months of November and December. The following infographic provides an overview of the situation and an answer to how hot it will get for the competitors.

Records maintained by the Qatar Meteorological Department from 1962 to 2013 show that on average, temperatures in November and December reached a high of 29.6°C (85.3°F) and 24.4°C (75.9°F) respectively, certainly bearable for the players. It can get much hotter, though with the record high for Doha in November a sizzling 38°C (100.4°F). That’s still better than the height of summer though where the mercury once hit 50.4°C (122.7°F). The highest temperature ever recorded worldwide was 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) in Furnace Creek in July 2013 in California.

source; statista