Premier League 2022/23 schedule changes revealed as FIFA plans 2022 World Cup in November

With the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar set to take place in November and December, the Premier League will head for a seven-week mid-season break. England's top-flight will head for a break on November 13 and will resume on Boxing Day 2022. 

Due to this schedule, players will have a week to prepare with their national teams before they head out to the tournament. In case players reach the final on December 18, they will have eight days to recover before the league resumes.

Premier League 2022/23 schedule changes due to World Cup

Since the FIFA 2022 World Cup needs to be accommodated next season, the Premier League will require several changes to its schedule. England's top-flight will start a week earlier next season, with matches expected to begin on Saturday, August 6. The league will also finish a week later than usual in May, and the FA Cup final will be shifted to June. The schedule changes were decided on Wednesday when executives of all 20 Premier League clubs met in London. It is believed that the meeting lasted four hours with discussions also held on several other issues.

Another important item of discussion at the meeting was the COVID protocols. Clubs will require to continue checking supporters at stadiums for vaccination stats or negative lateral flow results and encouraging the teams to be vaccinated.

PL stars refuse to participate in vaccination publicity campaign

According to DailyMail, Premier League stars refused to participate in the vaccination publicity campaign. As per reports, both the Premier League and the EFL have arranged briefings for club managers and captains with deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Vantam to overcome myths about vaccination.

Premier League standings update after week 5

After matchday 5, Chelsea currently leads the Premier League standings with 13 points (4W, 1D), tied on points with second-placed Liverpool and third-placed Manchester United. Brighton are surprisingly in fourth place with 12 points (4W, 1L), while current champions Manchester City are only in fifth place, with 10 points (3W, 1D, 1L). 

Meanwhile, both North London clubs have struggled in the season so far. Tottenham are currently in seventh place with nine points (3W, 2L), while Arsenal are currently in 13th place with six points (2W, 3L).