Next Premier League season to break 1 week before 2022 World Cup

Premier League players will have just over a week to prepare for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 2022-23 EPL season is now set to break on the weekend of Nov. 12 and 13, eight days before the start of the tournament.

The Premier League adjusted its schedule Thursday to accommodate the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which is taking place in the winter months to avoid the Middle East's intense summer heat.

The 2022-23 season will begin earlier than usual on Aug. 6 and run through 16 rounds of fixtures before pausing. Play will resume on Dec. 26, just eight days after the World Cup final.

The final matchday will be staged on May 28, 2023, with all games kicking off simultaneously.

Despite the adjustments, there are growing concerns over player fatigue and how that may affect performances at the World Cup. FIFPro, the global players' union, warned last year that the "intensive" fixture list puts players at an "elevated risk of stress and injury."

On Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, who also captains the English national team, said he found it tough to get through a "whirlwind" year in which he played an astounding 64 matches between club and country.

"It's always hard when you finish a major tournament — obviously the last two major tournaments we've had, we got to a (World Cup) semifinal and a (Euro) final — and it takes a lot out of you. Not just physically, but mentally," Kane told reporters.

"All of a sudden, you are back playing Premier League in a few weeks. I guess you never really have a chance to take it all in and learn from what happened, see what you did well and what you didn't. It almost becomes a bit of a whirlwind sometimes, so it's about adapting to that and getting back into the swing of things as quick as possible."

Meanwhile, the Premier League said all 20 of its clubs are "opposed to FIFA's proposal for biennial men's World Cups, along with any plans involving significantly extended international windows."