World football governing body FIFA has moved the start of the Qatar World Cup forward by a day, meaning the tournament will begin on Sunday, 20 November.
The original schedule was for the opening ceremony to be held before Qatar’s first game on 21 November, which would have created the unusual situation of two matches – Senegal v Netherlands and England v Iran – being held before the ceremony.
The first game will now be the host nation Qatar’s clash with Ecuador rather than Senegal’s match against the Netherlands. The change also means the World Cup will be extended to 29 days, with the final taking place on Sunday, 18 December 2022.
The announcement was made on Thursday following a unanimous decision by a committee comprising FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the presidents of the six continental soccer bodies.
“The change ensures the continuity of a long-standing tradition of marking the start of the FIFA World Cup with an opening ceremony on the occasion of the first match featuring either the hosts or the defending champions,” FIFA said in a statement.
“The decision followed an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country.”
It will be the first World Cup staged in the Middle East and has been pushed back to later in the year than its typical June-July schedule to avoid the region’s punishing summer heat.
Qatar committed to staying on soccer’s normal calendar and promised innovative stadium cooling technology when it bid for World Cup hosting rights in 2009/10.
The Lusail Stadium, which will host the final, staged its first competitive match earlier on Thursday, with Al Arabi beating Al Rayyan in Qatar’s top division.
Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Morocco are the teams that will represent the African region at the 2022 finals.
Source Link FIFA moves Qatar World Cup a day forward
