The football world governing body FIFA has revealed the opening day program for the 2022 Qatar world cup.
As the days narrow down to the last 100 days, preparation are now intensifying towards football’s biggest showpiece.
The world cup opening ceremony will see hosts Qatar play Ecuador on Sunday, 20 November at 19:00 as part of a stand-alone event.
This opening game will be played at the Al Bayt stadium. This was arrived at after a unanimous decision by the Bureau of the FIFA Council today.
The next game between Senegal and the Netherlands has been rescheduled from 13:00 to 19:00 on Monday, 21 November.
This change ensures the continuity of a long standing tradition which marks 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.
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.
The release period, as previously decided and as governed by the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, will remain unchanged, beginning on 14 November 2022.
Ticket holders will be duly notified by email that the relevant matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new date/time. In addition, FIFA will seek to address any issues arising from this change in a case-by-case basis.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match schedule, as well as the competition regulations, have been amended accordingly.
*Opening ceremony and match brought forward one day as stand-alone event
*Change in line with long-standing tradition of opening matches involving hosts or reigning champions
*Senegal to face the Netherlands at 19:00 on 21 November
