The long-awaited FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will finally kick off on Sunday.
This year, and for the first time ever, the 22nd edition of the tournament is taking place between November and December, shifting from the long-standing custom of playing in June and July.
The competition, which was postponed due to the severe heat in the host nation Qatar, will be the first one to be held in the Middle East, and the second in the Asian football confederation.
The tournament will be unveiled by an introductory performance ceremony that has become part of tournament tradition.
The ceremony was initially slated for November 21, after two games had already been played, but it was moved forward along with the first match between Qatar and Ecuador in order to maintain the tradition of the first game featuring the hosts.
Hosts Qatar will face South American Nation, Ecuador in the opening fixture. The opening ceremony will take place at the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium, which is located 40 kilometers north of Doha’s northeastern coastal city of Al Khor.
Hundreds of thousands of fans have already descended on Qatar to cheer their teams as the world’s football heavyweights square off for this year’s silverware. Thirty-two countries across all continents are warming for this year’s edition of the tournament.
Cameroon, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Ghana will represent Africa at the tournament and all five countries have previously appeared in football’s biggest tournament. Defending champions France, Brazil, and Argentina, enter the competition as favorites to lift the trophy.
The 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament will be played in 8 stadia including Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium.
However, the tournament has been marred with several controversies that trace back to 2010, after the Federation of International Football Association- FIFA, soccer’s governing body, selected Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup in 2022.
Several reports particularly from Europe have been written about the host country’s autocratic monarchy, including alleged human rights violations, dissent repression, persecution of LGBTQ persons, and maltreatment of migrant labor.
The most recent decision that sparked outrage was the move by Qatar to ban the sale of alcohol inside or around the perimeter of stadiums. The decision came two days before the tournament’s opening match.
Although Qatar’s World Cup organizers have stated unequivocally that “everyone is welcome,” Qatar 2022 chief executive Nasser al Khater has frequently stated that the government will not change its laws on homosexuality because of the World Cup and has asked visitors to respect the country’s culture.
FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule
The tournament will run from November 20 to December 18.
Group stage: November 20 – December 2
Round of 16: December 3-6
Quarterfinals: December 9-10
Semifinals: December 13-14
Third-place match: December 17
Final: December 18
Here is the full match schedule with India timings:
November 20
Qatar vs Ecuador – 9:30 PM IST
November 21
England vs Iran – 6:30 PM IST
Senegal vs Netherlands – 9:30 PM IST
November 22
USA vs Wales/Scotland/Ukraine – 12:30 AM IST
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia – 3:30 PM IST
Denmark vs Tunisia – 6:30 PM IST
Mexico vs Poland – 9:30 PM IST
November 23
France vs UAE/Australia/Peru – 12:30 AM IST
Morocco vs Croatia – 3:30 PM IST
Germany vs Japan – 6:30 PM IST
Spain vs Costa Rica/New Zealand – 9:30 PM IST
November 24
Belgium vs Canada – 12:30 AM IST
Switzerland vs Cameroon – 3:30 PM IST
Uruguay vs South Korea – 6:30 PM IST
Portugal vs Ghana – 9:30 PM IST
November 25
Brazil vs Serbia – 12:30 AM IST
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs Iran – 3:30 PM IST
Qatar vs Senegal – 6:30 PM IST
Netherlands vs Ecuador – 9:30 PM IST
November 26
England vs USA – 12:30 AM IST
Tunisia vs UAE/Australia/Peru – 3:30 PM IST
Poland vs Saudi Arabia – 6:30 PM IST
France vs Denmark – 9:30 PM IST
November 27
Argentina vs Mexico – 12:30 PM IST
Japan vs Costa Rica/New Zealand – 3:30 PM IST
Belgium vs Morocco – 6:30 PM IST
Croatia vs Canada – 9:30 PM IST
November 28
Spain vs Germany – 12:30 PM IST
Cameroon vs Serbia – 3:30 PM IST
South Korea vs Ghana – 6:30 PM IST
Brazil vs Switzerland – 9:30 PM IST
November 29
Portugal vs Uruguay – 12:30 AM IST
Ecuador vs Senegal – 8:30 PM IST
Netherlands vs Qatar – 8:30 PM IST
November 30
Iran vs USA – 12:30 AM IST
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine vs England – 12:30 AM IST
Tunisia vs France – 8:30 PM IST
UAE/Australia/Peru vs Denmark – 8:30 PM IST
December 1
Poland vs Argentina – 12:30 AM IST
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico – 12:30 AM IST
Canada vs Morocco – 8:30 PM IST
Croatia vs Belgium – 8:30 PM IST
December 2
Costa Rica/New Zealand vs Germany – 12:30 AM IST
Japan vs Spain – 12:30 AM IST
Ghana vs Uruguay – 8:30 PM IST
South Korea vs Portugal – 8:30 PM IST
December 3
Cameroon vs Brazil – 12:30 AM IST
Serbia vs Switzerland – 12:30 AM IST
FIFA World Cup 2022 knockouts schedule
Saturday, December 3
1A vs 2B – 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 4
1C vs 2D – 12:30 AM IST
1D vs 2C – 8:30 PM IST
Monday, December 5
1B vs 2A – 12:30 AM IST
1E vs 2F – 8:30 PM IST
Tuesday, December 6
1G vs 2H – 12:30 AM IST
1F vs 2E – 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday, December 7
1H vs 2G – 12:30 AM IST
Friday, December 9
Quarter-final 1 – 8:30 PM IST
Saturday, December 10
Quarter-final 2 – 12:30 AM IST
Quarter-final 3 – 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 11
Quarter-final 4 – 12:30 AM IST
Wednesday, December 14
Semi-final 1 – 12:30 AM IST
Thursday, December 15
Semi-final 2 – 12:30 AM IST
Saturday, December 17
3rd Place Play-off – 8:30 PM IST
Sunday, December 18
FIFA World Cup 2022 final – 8:30 PM IST
Source: independent.co.ug
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