Fifa President Sepp Blatter is advocating, at most, 18 December for the 2022 World Cup final.
A Fifa taskforce has recommended November/December for the 2022 tournament billed for Qatar and have already considered a 23 December final.
A definite date is expected to be agreed upon at the Fifa executive committee (ExCo) meeting in Zurich on 19 and 20 March.
Blatter, who is in Northern Ireland for this weekend’s 129th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Football Association Board (The IFAB), said he would propose that the tournament end two days before Christmas.
“We have to stop at the 18th, Blatter said, adding that: “The World Cup will not go on until the 23rd, definitely not. I am against going to the 23rd.
The taskforce meeting in Doha on Tuesday proposed “the most viable period” of end-November and end December due to the extreme heat in June and July, when the showpiece usually runs.
Summer temperatures in Qatar can exceed 40C and such baking effect could drop to around 25C in November and December, similar to conditions played in recent World Cup finals.
Fifa has already said it will not compensate clubs and domestic leagues expected to be disrupted by the switch. Domestic schedules in Europe will be affected.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Guinea will be moved to June, according to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke.
