World Cup 2022: Qatar World Cup start date set to change with England and Wales playing on second day

Updated 10/08/2022 at 10:42 GMT

England and Wales were set to play on the opening day of the 2022 Qatar World Cup but a change to the start date will mean they start their campaigns on day two instead. In the original World Cup schedule, hosts Qatar were set to be the third match on the opening day. However, to maintain the honour of the host nation kickstarting the tournament, their match against Iran could be moved.

Klopp - World Cup is 'happening at the wrong moment for wrong reasons'

The 2022 Qatar World Cup is set to start a day earlier than planned so that the host nation will play in the tournament’s first game.

Following the World Cup draw in April, Senegal vs the Netherlands were announced as the opening match on Monday, November 21 at 10:00 UK time.

England will play Iran on the first day of the tournament at 13:00 with hosts Qatar facing Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium at 16:00.

World Cup

Southgate sad Rubiales controversy has overshadowed Spain World Cup win

00:00:46

31/08/2023 at 15:47

However, according to AFP, senior football sources have been told that FIFA are considering to move the Qatar vs Ecuador match to Sunday, November 20 at 19:00 in order to maintain the tradition of having the host nation kickstarting the World Cup.

Should this happen, the Netherlands vs Senegal will be moved to November 21 at 16:00 with England’s game keeping its current slot at 13:00.

In order for the change to take place, it must be approved by the FIFA Council Bureau, which is made up of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the presidents of the six confederations - UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC and OFC.

Why do the host nation start the World Cup?

The host nation have held the honour of playing in the first match of the World Cup since 2006, which has been tradition ever since.

The last time a host nation have not featured in the opening game was the 2002 tournament hosted by Japan and South Korea.

FIFA World Cup Schedule Day 1 and 2 (potential)

Should the proposed changes be confirmed, the schedule for the opening days of the Qatar World Cup will look like this:

Sunday, November 20

Qatar v Ecuador (19:00 UK time)

Monday, November 21

England v Iran (13:00 UK time)

Senegal v Netherlands (16:00 UK time)

United States v Wales (19:00 UK time)

World Cup

World Cup 2026 to have four-team groups and 24 more games than previous editions

14/03/2023 at 17:33

World Cup

FIFA set to retain four-team groups for 2026 World Cup – report

02/03/2023 at 20:16

World Cup

Southgate reveals criticism made him question position as England manager

26/01/2023 at 21:57

Join 3M+ users on app

Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports

Download

Scan me