FIFA World Cup may start one day earlier with Qatar-Ecuador game

This year’s football World Cup may be moved up by a day as FIFA weighs a last-minute change to a tournament Qatar’s spent more than 12 years preparing for.

FIFA is considering a request from the South American Football Confederation for hosts Qatar to play Ecuador a day earlier than previously planned, according to a person familiar with matter.

The FIFA Council, led by Gianni Infantino, may make a ruling as soon as this week, the person said.

If the change is approved, the tournament will start on November 20 and run for 29 days. It will also give Qatar an exclusive game on day one, as the schedule currently stands, the Qatar-Ecuador game is one of four matches set for November 21.

FIFA expects the change to have minimal impact on fans, and will deal any issues on a “case-by-case” manner, the person familiar said.

Associated Press reported the news earlier. Representatives for FIFA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Qatar won the rights for the world cup in 2010, the country is set to attract 1.2 million visitors during the event, which it estimates will add as much as $17bn to its economy.

In other news, Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) has witnessed an increase of over 164 per cent in passengers’ movement in the first half of 2022 compared to same period of last year. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will further boost the airport’s capacity.

Read: Qatar’s Hamad International Airport records 164% rise in passenger footfall in H1 2022