The start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been preponed by a day if the latest reports are to be believed. It is being reported that the tournament will start on 20 November rather than the earlier planned date of 21 November. The International footballing organization and the organizers of the tournament have agreed on the change.
Earlier, as per the old schedule, African champions Senegal would have played the Netherlands on Monday 21 November to mark the start of the tournament followed by the official inauguration match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador later that day. However, FIFA now plans to move host nation Qatar’s opening clash against Ecuador – also in Group A – forward to Sunday, 20 November as the curtain-raiser.
This is yet to be confirmed with approval being sought from the Bureau of the FIFA Council (comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the leaders of each continental confederation) but it is thought to be a formality, according to multiple reports. It will mean that the tournament will now be staged from 20 November through to the 18 December final.
It’s worth mentioning that the host nation has participated in the opening game of each of the last four editions of the tournament. Germany beat Costa Rica in 2006, South Africa were held 1-1 by Mexico in 2010, Brazil defeated Croatia in 2014 and Russia eased past Saudi Arabia four years later.
The last time the host nation did not take part in the opening game was way back in 2002 when Senegal memorably beat defending champions France in the opening game of the tournament held in South Korea and Japan.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is being hosted across November and December this year due to the weather in the host nation Qatar having excessive heat over summer. Notably, it is the first time in the World Cup's 92-year history that the competition is being staged in the middle of the European domestic season.