The World Cup in Qatar is to start one day earlier than previously planned. However, the decision has not yet been approved by FIFA. The match between Qatar and Ecuador is scheduled to take place on 20 November, while the match between the Netherlands and Senegal was previously scheduled to be the first match of the tournament.

“No great difficulty “

Jaime Byrom, managing director of the World Cup hospitality company, says: “Compared to other challenges we might face or have faced, this is not a big difficulty. We have to take care of the clientele who are most affected by this. These are the people from Ecuador who are arriving from overseas. We have to make sure they are there in time for the game. “

The move is intended to uphold an unwritten World Cup law that the national team of the host country plays the opening match.

Germany will play its first World Cup match on 23 November against Japan, while Switzerland will take on Cameroon one day later. The World Cup in Qatar is the first to be held in winter.