The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Sunday, November 20 with a match between the host country Qatar and Ecuador.
Qatar are the group outsiders, and their first appearance at the World Cup comes against opponents who took part for the first time in 2002 and made a quarterfinal showing on their debut.
Qatar vs. Ecuador live streaming
Qatar vs. Ecuador live stream, TV channel
The 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium is 22 miles north of Doha and has a retractable roof. It will also host games at Round 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals.
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sunday, Nov. 20 | 11:00 ET | FOX, Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock |
| Canada | Sunday, Nov. 20 | 11:00Â EST | CTV, TSN | TSN app |
| UK | Sunday, Nov. 20 | 16:00Â GMT | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website |
| Australia | Monday, Nov. 21 | 03:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Sunday, Nov. 20 | 21:30Â IST | Sports18 | Voot, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Monday, Nov. 21 | 00:00 HKT | — | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Monday, Nov. 21 | 00:00Â MYT | Astro, RTM | Astro Go, RTMKlik |
| Singapore | Monday, Nov. 21 | 00:00Â SGT | Channel 5 | MeWatch, Singtel, StarHub |
| New Zealand | Monday, Nov. 21 | 05:00Â NZDT | Sky Sport | Sky Go |
Qatar vs. Ecuador lineups
Former Villarreal player Afif scored 26 goals in 89 international appearances but was overlooked in favor of Ahmed Alaaeldin. He has a contrasting record of two goals in 47 games for Qatar.
Qatar probable (5-3-2, right to left): 1. Al Sheeb (GK) – 14. Ahmed, 3. Hassan, 2. Pedro Miguel, 12. Boudiaf, 15. Al Rawi – 5. Salman, 6. Hatim, 8. Asad – 11. Afif, 19. Ali
Ecuador boss Gustavo Alfaro has options at multiple positions, but one player he knows will start is Enner Valencia, who is in sensational form at the club level with Fenerbahce. Valencia could play up front or on the left flank, but he’ll most likely be deployed through the middle.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Fireworks Opening
— Tansu YEÄžEN (@TansuYegen) November 18, 2022
Qatar vs. Ecuador odds, prediction
Qatar has produced a promising run of results in the build-up to the tournament without facing opponents as strong as Ecuador, whose current sequence of six successive clean sheets makes it seem unlikely that there will be a flurry of goals in the curtain-raiser.
Ecuador has ranked six places above Qatar in 44th. Their last three matches have delivered goalless encounters with Iraq, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, and they held Brazil and Argentina to 1-1 draws earlier in 2022.
Game on! Track the buzz in football, tennis, Cricket, and more in PanAsiaBiz's Sports section.
From pitch to court and ring to track, PanAsiaBiz brings the action closer.
