Reports suggest World Cup opener will be rescheduled
According to reports the 2022 FIFA World opening match between Qatar and
Ecuador will be played a day earlier than originally scheduled
The two teams came to an agreement on Wednesday ahead of
the tournament that was switched to November-December to avoid the scorching
heat of the Arab Peninsula.
The Group A opening fixture was scheduled for 21 November and will now kick-start the showpiece on 20 November.
"There were discussions and agreement between the two respective teams and there was a request from CONMEBOL -- the South American confederation," one World Cup source told AFP.
"We wanted to follow the tradition that either the reigning champions or the host country be involved in the opening match," the source added.
FIFA and the Qatari organizing committee declined to comment on the major changes but another source told AFP that the schedule has been confirmed.
"Any disruption will be dealt with so the impact is minimal," the source told AFP.
The change will see Netherlands take on Senegal 21 November in their group A encounter at 12:00 CAT (10:00 GMT). The match between England and Iran remains unchanged.
