The opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place one day earlier than originally scheduled on Sunday, November 20, when hosts Qatar take on Ecuador. The third competition match, which was supposed to be the first game for Group A, was supposed to take place on November 21 at 16:00 GMT. However, this match was postponed.
The first game of the tournament was supposed to start at 10:00 am on Monday and feature a matchup between Senegal and the Netherlands. The administrative arm of FIFA, on the other hand, has proposed moving the game that will take place to Qatar.
As a response to a request made by Conmebol, the South American confederation, discussions took place with Ecuador as well as competitor Qatar.
It is traditional for either the people hosting the event or the people holding the title to play in the first game of the tournament.
The ultimate decision will be taken by the Bureau of the Fifa council, which consists of the six presidents of the confederations together with Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
In the event that it is granted as expected, the player release dates will not be impacted in any way; nevertheless, the match between Senegal and the Netherlands will now take place at 16:00 on Monday instead of the existing four.
By Ernest Asamoah
