change of plan
The opening match of the World Cup in Qatar will take place a day earlier
So that everything is correct: Now the opening game is actually taking place as the first game of the World Cup.
© Marcus Brandt / DPA
The World Cup in Qatar will be extended by one day: the opening match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador has been brought forward to November 20th. Initially it was only intended as the third game.
The controversial World Cup in Qatar will begin on November 20th, one day earlier than originally planned. Then the opening ceremony will take place and then at 7:00 p.m. the opening game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador, as announced by the world association Fifa. This decision was taken after a unanimous decision by the Fifa Council Committee. The Fifa Council and confederation presidents had previously discussed an application from the host, who wants to host his opening game on November 20th as the sole highlight.
The game was originally scheduled to be the third game on November 21, with the World Cup scheduled to begin with the match between Senegal and the Netherlands on November 21 at 1 p.m. local time. The game is now postponed to 7 p.m. The change should not affect the other World Cup games, including the German group games against Japan (November 23), Spain (November 27) and Costa Rica (December 1).
Fifa wants to follow the “proven tradition”.
Nothing should change in the clubs’ official release period, which begins on November 14. Fifa said the decision was in line with “well-established tradition” whereby World Cups begin with an opening ceremony followed by a match involving either the host or the defending champion. The tickets for the games should therefore remain valid, and Fifa wants to solve problems with them “on a case-by-case basis”.
The final of the World Cup is scheduled for December 18th, so the tournament now lasts 29 days. In 2015, Fifa decided to move the World Cup from summer to winter. Temperatures in Qatar are around 40 degrees during the traditional World Cup months of June and July. The World Cup in Qatar is controversial for a variety of reasons. The emirate is heavily criticized for human rights violations and the treatment of foreign workers.
There have been opening games since 1966
The history of the official opening matches only began in 1966 – before that, the World Cup finals often featured simultaneous matches. From 1958 to 1970, the host always opened the tournament, after a change in the statutes, the world champion had the honor from 1974 to 2002, France at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea for the last time. Germany opened the 2006 World Cup by beating Costa Rica 4-2 as hosts.