FIFA announced Wednesday that for the 12-day group stage, four games will be held daily for the November World Cup in Qatar

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) released the official schedule of games for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar, revealing that there will be four daily matches which was never before done.

Four Matches per Day

FIFA announced on Wednesday that during the group stage of the anticipated event later this year, an unusual four matches will be held for a twelve-day round of the competition. According to a statement provided by the football governing body, they came with this unprecedented decision in the organization’s history in order to give the participating athletes enough rest during the tournament. Kickoff times, at local time, are 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm.

“With the aim of providing all teams with optimal rest between their matches, the group stage will last 12 days and with four matches per day,” as per FIFA and reported by CNN. The opening will be on November 21 at the Al Bayt Stadium while the final games on December 18 is at Lusail Stadium.

Aljazeera reported that this move will also minimize the effect of the World Cup as the world is still in a health crisis. It was also mentioned that FIFA is hoping that the football competition will mark the world’s victory over the pandemic.

Within Reach

“Once the pairings are known, the possibility will be discussed of providing a more beneficial kickoff time for audiences at home, or indeed fans in Qatar with regard to stadium allocation,” FIFA stated.

They also added that the schedule will also be convenient for everyone else who will be witnessing the highly-anticipated football games. All the eight venues to be utilized for the games are only within a 40-mile radius from each other, thereby giving chances for fans to catch more than one match per day.

In FIFA’s statement, “The tournament’s compact nature—with no air travel needed to move between venues—will allow organizers, for the first time, to optimize specific match demands for the benefit and comfort of fans, teams, and media.”

Qatar 2022

This is also the first time that a Middle Eastern country will be hosting the prestigious football event. This November, Qatar will be hosting the international sports affair as the country welcomes the 32 teams at the Al Bayt Stadium. The facility has a capacity of 60,000 people. The Lusail Stadium can meanwhile hold 80,000 people.

According to the CEO of Qatar World Cup organizing company Nasser Al Khater, facilities like roads and infrastructures are almost finished, and that they want to assure that the “fan experience plans” are set.

The post FIFA Schedules 4 Matches Per Day for Group Stage of World Cup 2022 in Qatar first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Rob Sterling

A Dutch judge has ruled that EA must remove loot boxes from its FIFA games or pay a fine of up to $5.85 million.

Finally, someone’s taking a stand against loot boxes in video games. A Netherlands District Court sided with the Dutch government to ban loot boxes from the FIFA game. The ruling forces EA to remove loot boxes from FIFA or pay a fine of $5.85 million. 

FIFA Loot Boxes

Kotaku reports that the Netherlands Gambling Authority led the effort against EA. After the ruling issued last October 15, the agency can now fine EA and its Switzerland-based office. The fines would reach $292,000 per week that EA continues to sell loot boxes in FIFA. Moreover, these fines would continue until they reach the maximum amount.

The Netherlands moves ahead with cracking down on paid loot boxes in FIFA https://t.co/fPp8jHb9xY pic.twitter.com/KmfQBei3QZ

— Kotaku (@Kotaku) October 29, 2020

EA plans to appeal the decision.

Why the Ban?

In 2018, the Gambling Authority already came out against loot boxes in video games. At the time, the agency singled out FIFA 18, DotA 2, PUBG, and Rocket League. The agency also warned the studios behind these games to stop loot boxes or pay hefty fines. According to the agency, the loot box mechanics are the same as paid gambling.

Kotaku says three of these games don’t have loot boxes anymore. However, FIFA still uses player packs for its Ultimate Team game mode. This game mode requires players to buy packs with real money. Buy these player packs to build an all-star team. Moreover, the top-tier players are the toughest to get. 

EA’s Response

In the past, EA had stressed that loot boxes were not gambling. Instead, they were just “surprise mechanics” The company also told the UK Parliament last year that loot boxes were “quite ethical.” Up to now, EA still abides by that statement.

Many governments have tried locking down loot boxes. Meanwhile, EA still swims in money thanks to microtransactions in its games.

The post Remove FIFA Loot Boxes or Pay $5M, Dutch Judge Tells EA first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins