Forget what you thought you knew about planning your trip to the FIFA World Cup Qatar as the match schedule has shifted.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup will now begin earlier than originally announced with the host nation coming head to head with Ecuador for the tournament’s opening match on Sunday, November 20.
The World Cup’s opening ceremony has also been brought forward one day and will kick off at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20 to mark the start of the sporting event.
This means that from today (Friday August 12) that there are only 100 days until the event kicks off.
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Footie fans will be aware that, originally, the opening game was set to see Senegal take on the Netherlands on Monday November 21.
This game will still take place on November 21 but is planned to start six hours later than first intended.
FIFA shared the news of the schedule shake-up on Thursday with a statement that explained the reasoning behind the decision. They also directed ticketholders to keep an eye on their emails for updates on the matches that they have tickets to.
The statement read: “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 on a case-by-case basis.”
The move of the start date of the tournament means that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will now follow the long-standing tradition of opening matches involving hosts or reigning champions.
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