World Cup 2022: Tournament will start one day early with Qatar v Ecuador

 

The World Cup will kick off a day earlier than planned on Sunday,

November 20, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador. The game was to be played as the third game on 21 November, with the Netherlands opening against Senegal earlier that day. However, the administrative arm of world governing body FIFA proposed to move the game to Qatar. Kick-off will be at 16:00 BST and this means that the tradition of the hosts or holders starting the tournament continues. The proposal came after receiving a request from the South American confederation Conmebol, after talks with Qatar and their rivals Ecuador. The change will not affect player release dates, and Senegal against the Netherlands will now be on Monday at 16:00, as only three games will be played instead of four. England's Group B match with Iran, which takes place on November 21 at 13:00, is not affected, as is Wales' first match against the USA on the same date at 19:00.