With 100 days to go, FIFA changes World Cup start date

As Qatar marks 100 days until the football World Cup, FIFA have announced a change in its schedule with the hosts to kick off the tournament against Ecuador. It leaves some paying fans with a sense of frustration, despite assurances their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new dates and times.

FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks before the 2022 soccer World Cup draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, on April 1, 2022. This season will be unique in the 135-year history of domestic leagues in Europe. They will stop for a month or more while players leave for Qatar and the first World Cup ever in the European winter. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) Source: AP / Hassan Ammar/AP

With three months to go, FIFA has officially brought forward the start date for the World Cup in Qatar by one day, giving the host nation an exclusive Sunday evening slot with a global audience.

Qatar will now play Ecuador in Doha on the 20^th of November.

The late switch was signed off by a FIFA committee comprising its president Gianni Infantino and presidents of the six continental football governing bodies.

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