Britain's FIFA vice-president has said he is confident that Boxing Day club matches will be protected when the world governing body announces the final dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Friday.
Jim Boyce, from Northern Ireland, sits on the FIFA executive committee that will make the decision on the dates of the tournament.
The Qatar World Cup is being moved to a winter slot to avoid the fierce heat of June and July, and feels that a proposal for the final to be played on Dec. 23 will be defeated.
UEFA has been pushing for Dec. 23, but FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in February that the final would not be played any later than the 18th of that month -- Qatar's national day.
The most likely outcome is that FIFA will announce a shortened tournament, starting on Nov. 20 and finishing four weeks later.
Boyce, who steps down as FIFA vice-president in May, told PA Sport: "There is no way you can have a World Cup final on Dec. 23 and then have a lot of people all trying to get home for Christmas.
"Dec. 18 has to be the absolute deadline, and in Britain that would allow the club programme to resume fixtures on Boxing Day."
Boyce added that the FIFA committee would also be updated about how Qatar is planning to improve conditions for migrant workers engaged on World Cup infrastructure projects.
He said: "FIFA is now monitoring this and it has to make sure that progress has been made. FIFA is concerned about this and it is something FIFA is trying to rectify."