Mueez Ajao
– FIFA has moved the start of the Qatar World Cup forward by a day, meaning the tournament will now begin on Sunday, Nov. 20 rather than the initially scheduled date of Monday, Nov. 21.
– The first game of the finals will now be the host nation Qatar’s clash with Ecuador on Sunday at 7 pm rather than Senegal’s match against the Netherlands.
– It means the World Cup will be extended to 29 days, with the final taking place on Sunday, Dec. 18.
Also Read: FIFA to change Qatar World Cup start date
– The announcement was made on Thursday following what FIFA said was a unanimous decision by a committee comprising FIFA president Gianni Infantino and presidents of the six continental soccer bodies.
Bureau of the FIFA Council confirms #WorldCup 2⃣0⃣2⃣2⃣ opening ceremony and match 🇶🇦 v. 🇪🇨 brought forward one day as stand-alone event to 20 November, at 19.00. 🇸🇳 v. 🇳🇱 rescheduled from 13.00 to 19.00 on 21 November. pic.twitter.com/GsktwYNYCl
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) August 11, 2022
– “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.”
– Qatar’s opener was scheduled to be the third match on Monday at 7 pm local time, and sources have told that moving it to Sunday will allow the opening ceremony to take greater prominence.
– Senegal vs. Netherlands will now be played at 7 pm on Monday — the slot left vacant by Qatar’s match being moved — with the other two games on that day — England vs. Iran and United States vs. Wales — unaffected.
– FIFA said it would “seek to address any issues arising from this change in a case-by-case basis,” adding that tickets would remain valid irrespective of the change in date/time.
