FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatar vs Ecuador prediction, time, live-streaming details
2 min read 20 Nov 2022, 07:08 AM ISTFIFA World Cup 2022: The Qatar vs Ecuador match will kick off the tournament on November 20.
PremiumOn November 20, the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 pits Qatar against Ecuador in Group A at the Al Bayt Stadium. Ecuador will return to the FIFA World Cup finals after an eight-year absence while Qatar will compete on the largest international platform for the first time in their history.
Overview
As they get ready to face off in Al Khor, Ecuador and Felix Sanchez Bas' Qatar are ranked 44th and 50th in the world, respectively. The past four opening FIFA World Cup games have resulted in 17 goals, scoring an average of 4.25 goals per game. Qatar has had success at Al Bayt Stadium, winning each of their last three games there by an aggregate score of 9-0.
When Ecuador play host nation Qatar in the tournament's opening game, vice president Alfredo Borrero will be present in place of President Guillermo Lasso.
Teams
Ecuador
Despite being recognised as an Ecuadorian national by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, defender Byron Castillo was not included in Ecuador's 26-man World Cup roster. After Chile's claim that Castillo was ineligible to play during the qualifiers was rejected by CAS earlier this month, Ecuador was permitted to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Qatar
Qatar, the hosts and the only debutant among the 32 participants - has spent 12 years preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Felix Sanchez Bas led Qatar to its most historic milestone: winning the Asian Cup in 2019. He earlier claimed that trying to take the lead while also trying to compete would be “suicide" for Qatar. According to him, the squad would strive to play a defensively compact game, give up as few opportunities as possible and be powerful in transitions.
Head-to-Head
The three previous meetings between Qatar and Ecuador all took place in the Middle-Eastern nation itself. The Qatar vs Ecuador head-to-head record was evenly split with one win each and one draw. In their previous meeting, which was a friendly in October 2018, Qatar won 4-3.
Key Players
Qatar have some promising players like goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, forward Hassan Al-Haydos and striker Almoez Ali. Ecuador, on the other hand, have players like Pervis Estupinan (left-back), Moises Caicedo (midfielder) and Enner Valencia (forward).
Date, Time & Venue
The FIFA World Cup 2022 match between Qatar and Ecuador will kick off on November 20. The opening Group A match will kick off at 9:30 PM (India time) at the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium, located 40 kilometres north of Doha.
Live-streaming details
The Qatar vs Ecuador match will be broadcast live on the Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels in India and Jio Cinema's app and website will both offer free live streaming of the event. Some reports suggest that the match will also be live-streamed on Voot.
Prediction
A total of 17 goals, or 4.25 per game, have been scored in the last four Fifa World Cup opening games. With a combined score of 9-0, Qatar have won all three of its prior games played at Al Bayt Stadium. However, Ecuador have won four out of the last 10 matches at the FIFA World Cup while their last group game in 2014 against France ended in a goalless draw.
On November 20, Qatar will find it tough to go shoulder to shoulder with the South American team. With a final score of 3-0 in their favour, Ecuador is favoured to start off the tournament with a convincing win.
