The 2022 World Cup begins on the 20th of November with a meeting between Qatar and Ecuador. This is a match in Group A of the competition and Qatar are the host nation, with Ecuador being a team not fancied to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Qatar qualified for the 2022 World Cup as hosts and it is the first time they have played in the competition. Due to the fact they have not had any qualifying matches to play, Qatar have been playing friendly games, the most recent of which have not been under FIFA regulations.
🎊 The #FIFAWorldCup Opening Ceremony is ALWAYS special.Sunday is going to kick off the festival of football in style 🥳 pic.twitter.com/rdH1BbIZ1A— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 15, 2022
🎊 The #FIFAWorldCup Opening Ceremony is ALWAYS special.Sunday is going to kick off the festival of football in style 🥳 pic.twitter.com/rdH1BbIZ1A
Qatar have won each of their last 4 friendly fixtures, beating Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Albania.
However, Qatar have not fared as well when playing friendly matches against tougher opposition. They have recently been held to a 2-2 draw against Chile and lost 2-0 against Canada, with both goals in the latter game coming in the first 13 minutes.
Overall, in their last 23 games in all competitions, Qatar have been undefeated on 20 occasions. Their most recent competitive action came in the Arab Cup and Qatar were eliminated at the semi-final stage by Algeria.
Qatar won the third place playoff, beating Egypt on penalties following a 0-0 draw. It is worth noting that neither Algeria or Egypt were at full strength for those games.
Trends show Qatar are unbeaten at half time in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup by finishing fourth in the CONMEBOL qualifying section. It was a remarkable achievement for Ecuador, who claimed the final automatic qualifying spot in South America, preventing Colombia and Chile from qualifying for the tournament.
During World Cup qualifying, Ecuador won 7 of their 18 matches, with some impressive victories over Uruguay and Chile. Ecuador also held both Brazil and Argentina at home during qualification, so they can mix it with the big boys on home soil.
Trends show Ecuador are unbeaten in 6 of their last 7 games in all competitions. They have recorded only 2 wins in those 7 matches, with the victories coming against Nigeria and Capo Verde at neutral venues.
Ecuador have been difficult to beat in recent friendly fixtures, drawing with Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Iraq.
Looking ahead to the team news and Qatar should have Akram Afif available following injury. Forward Almoez Ali is expected to start the game in attack.
Ecuador will feature the Brighton duo of Moisés Caicedo and Pervis Estupiñán in their starting XI. Experienced forward Enner Valencia is expected to start in attack.
The opening game of the World Cup is never easy to predict and we have witnessed some upsets in the past. However, this game does not have a clear favourite, with neither Qatar nor Ecuador expected to progress far in the tournament.
Both teams will know the importance of a win in this match and Ecuador have the edge in terms of player quality, meaning they could come out on top, with both teams scoring.