The delay for a men’s World Cup has been the longest since the 1950s. The 22nd edition of the world football shindig will go off with Qatar against Ecuador 1,586 days after Hugo Lloris raised the golden statue.
Since Sepp Blatter gently extracted Qatar’s name from an envelope in 2010, the tournament has been marred by controversy. The quadrennial celebration of the most popular sport in the world will begin on Sunday afternoon in Al Kohr, despite the increased monitoring of several human rights organizations and the general media.
The defending Asian Cup champions Qatar are up against Ecuador, who had to navigate the legal system to qualify after claims that an ineligible player was utilized.
Where are Qatar vs Ecuador playing?
- Location: Al Kohr, Qatar
- Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium
- Date: Sunday 20 November
- Kick-off Time: 16:00 GMT / 11:00 ET / 08:00 PT
Qatar predicted lineup vs Ecuador
Qatar Starting 11 (3-5-2): Sheeb; Khoukhi, Rawi, A Hassan; Ro-Ro, Hatem, Haydos, Boudiaf, Amin; Afif, Ali.
Bench: Y Hassan, Barsham, Waad, Salman, Kheder, Mohammad, Assadalla, Hajri, Madibo, Hadhrami, Gaber, Meshaal, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Muneer.
Ecuador predicted lineup vs Qatar
Ecuador Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Dominguez; Arboleda, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Mendez, Caicedo; Plata, Cifuentes, Ibarra; Valencia.
Bench: Galindez, Ramirez, Pacho, Arreaga, An Preciado, Palacios, Porozo, Gruezo, Ay Preciado, Mena, Sarmiento, Franco, Estrada, Reasco, Rodriguez.
Qatar vs Ecuador score prediction
Ecuador will provide Qatar’s politically compliant opposition in their initial World Cup game. Enner Valencia won’t be donning a rainbow-colored armband, and there hasn’t been a scrap of protest against the numerous human rights violations associated with the sport.
On the field, Gustavo Alfaro’s team is not expected to be as flexible. Ecuador has preserved six straight clean sheets (against various opposition) since holding Argentina to a 1-1 draw in March and has a strong threat at attacking set pieces.
Since more than ten years ago, Qatar has been preparing for this competition, and in September, they sent their national squad to a training camp. With all eyes on Qatar this weekend, it’s possible that they will maintain the record of no World Cup host ever losing their first game.
[embedpost slug=”/france-hopes-to-win-cup-twice-in-a-row-to-tie-brazil-and-italys-record/”]
