The World Cup kicks off on Sunday, November 20 with Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opening game as FIFA decides to bring forward the start date of the tournament

The World Cup will start a day earlier than scheduled with Qatar taking on Ecuador on Sunday, November 20.

The opening match of Group A was due to be played on November 21 at 16:00 GMT, making it the third match of the competition.

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Senegal against the Netherlands was supposed to be the opener, with the clash at Al Thumama stadium due to start at 10am on Monday. The match will now start at 4 p.m.

But following talks with Qatar and Ecuador, world governing body FIFA has approved a proposal to move the host nation’s opener.

“The opening match and ceremony of this year’s tournament at Al Bayt Stadium has been brought forward one day following a unanimous decision taken today by the Bureau of the FIFA Council,” reads a statement from the governing body. football world.

“This change continues a long-standing tradition of marking the start of the FIFA World Cup with an Opening Ceremony on the first match featuring either the hosts or the champions in title.

“The decision follows an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as an extensive consultation process and agreement with key stakeholders and the host country.”

The decision follows the tradition of either the hosts or starters being involved in the opener.

Qatar v Ecuador will take place after an opening ceremony at the 60,000 capacity Al Bayt Stadium. The match kicks off at 17:00 GMT.

This means that the tournament will now span 29 days instead of 28, but the rest of the match schedule will not be affected.

England begin their campaign against Iran on November 21 at 1 p.m., while Wales face the United States at 7 p.m. on the same date.

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This means that the tournament will now span 29 days instead of 28, but the rest of the match schedule will not be affected.

England begin their campaign against Iran on November 21 at 1 p.m., while Wales face the United States at 7 p.m. on the same date.

FIFA said the release period for players at the 2022 World Cup remains unchanged, effective November 14.

The FIFA statement added: “Ticket holders will be duly notified by email that the affected matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid regardless of the new date/time.

“Furthermore, FIFA will seek to resolve any issues arising from this change on a case-by-case basis.

“The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match schedule, as well as the competition regulations, have been amended accordingly.”