The 2022 World Cup will kick-off with an amazing game between this year's host Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday, November 20. After four long-lasting years, the FIFA World Cup has finally arrived, and it will be an entire month of the highest-level international football.
After the official draw, the host country Qatar will play against Ecuador, one of the best CONMEBOL teams in the last qualifiers, the current Africa Cup champions Senegal, and the always-contender team Netherlands for a spot in the Round of 16 stage.
At first, the 2022 World Cup opening day was set to have more than one game. However, FIFA decided to stand alone with one-game event for the opening day, in the capital city of Qatar, Doha. The rest of the games will be played starting on Monday, November 21.
Where will the Qatar 2022 World Cup opening match be played?
The first official game between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday, November 20 will kick-off the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The hosts and La Tricolor will play against each other at the Al Bayt Stadium. This newly-built stadium in the municipality of Al Khor, located in the northeast coast of Qatar. Approximately 31 miles from the capital, Doha.
Despite this stadium's purpose its to held the 2022 World Cup matches, it is expected to be reconfigured into a 32,000-seat stadium. The excess seats will be removed from the upper tier and donated to other countries or placed on the infrastructures planned for the 2030 Asian Games.
The Al Bayt Stadium has held 2021 FIFA Arab Cup matches including the final between Tunisia and Algeria. For the 2022 World Cup, Al Bayt Stadium is going to held six group-stage games, as well as one game of the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals stages.
