The FIFA World Cup begins on November 20th with Qatar playing Ecuador in the first game of the tournament.
Football’s biggest tournament FIFA World Cup returns as Qatar becomes the first Middle East nation to host the mega tournament. Following the star studded opening ceremony, host nation Qatar will play South American side Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in the opening fixture of the biggest tournament in world football. (More Football News)
Qatar feature in Group A alongside Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. Qatar are making their first FIFA World Cup appearance whereas Ecuador return to the grandest of stages in international football after an eight year absence.
Coming into the tournament, Felix Sanchez Bas’ men have played four friendlies against Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Albania and have emerged victorious in all four games. The Arab nation will be hoping to beat Ecuador and become the first nation since Senegal to win their first game of the FIFA World Cup.
While Qatar continues to attract controversy as hosts, even Ecuador has had their share of controversies leading to the tournament. The South American nation was on the brink of expulsion for playing an ineligible player during the qualification.
Ecuador have been very stingy when it comes to giving goals as they have not conceded a single goal in last six friendlies. Their problems have surfaced when it comes to scoring, as Gustavo Alfaro’s men have scored just twice in those six games.
Qatar often prefer a five man backline and a two striker formation and so far it has given them desirable results so Sanchez Bas’ men will stick to the same shape for the World Cup. On the other hand, Ecuador prefers a back four with a midfield base of Moises Caicedo.
Viacom18 Media, owned by Reliance Industries have won the telecasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in India. Viewers from India can catch the live action on Sports18 channel on their TVs. The game can also be streamed on the JioCinema app.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Opening Ceremony starts at 7:30 PM IST.
Qatar vs Ecuador will kick off at 9:30 PM IST.
Qatar: Saad Al-Sheeb, Pedro Miguel, Bassam Al Rawi, Tarek Salman, Abdelkarim Hassan, Homam Ahmed, Abdulaziz Hatem, Karim Boudiaf, Hassan Al-Haydos, Almoez Ali, Akram Afif
Ecuador: Alexander Dominguez, Angelo Preciado, Felix Torres, Piero Hincapie, Pervis Estupinan, Carlos Gruezo, Moises Caicedo, Jose Cifuentes, Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia, Romario Ibarra