The FIFA World Cup 2022, the biggest football carnival on earth, begins on Sunday (November 20) in the Arabian gulf nation Qatar, for the first time in the Middle-East, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opening match.
The opening match will kick-off at 10 pm Bangladesh Time at the 60,000 capacity Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor city after a gala opening ceremony, will begin at 9 pm Bangladesh Time.
South Korean K-Pop group member Jung Kook, Indian actress and dancer Nora Fatei, American band group Black Eyed Pear, Colombian singer J Baivin, Nigerian musician Patrick Nnaemeka American rapper the organizers revealed the name of the performers.
A total of 32 leading football countries from all over the world, split into 8 four-team eight groups, will initially compete in the greatest show on earth, amid huge enthusiasm from soccer crazy fans across the globe as well as Bangladeshi fans.
Thirty one nations from 211 FIFA member countries, from six continental confederations, qualified for the main event of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 while Qatar automatically qualified for the heavyweight soccer meet as the host country.
Among the 32 participating nations, 13 came from Europe, 6 from Asia, 5 from the CAF, and 4 each from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL.
Grouping are:
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands
Group B: England, IR Iran, USA and Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and Korea Republic
The top two teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the round of 16 phase.
The matches will be held at eight stadiums in five major locAs in Qatar and all the venues are air-conditioned where cooling systems have been installed to reduce temperature within the stadium up to 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
The five cities where the matches of the tournament will take place are Lusail, Al Khor, Doha, Al Rayyan, and Al Wakrah. Here are the eight stadiums for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The World Cup venues are: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail City (Capacity: 80,000): Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor City (Capacity: 60,000), Stadium 974, Doha City,(Capacity: 40,000), Al Thumama Stadium, Doha City (Capacity: 40,000), Khalifa International Stadium (Al Rayyan City (Capacity: 45,416), Education City Stadium (Al Rayyan City (Capacity: 45,350), Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Wakrah City, (Capacity: 44,740 ), and Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah City (Capacity: 40,000).
The group stage matches will be held from November 20 to December 2. The Round of 16 phase will be held from December 3-7. The quarterfinals will take place on December 9-11, the two semifinals on December 14 and 15 and the final match will be held on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage fixtures for the first week (in Bangladesh Standard Time).
Match 1: Qatar vs Ecuador | Date: November 20 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 2: England vs Iran | Date: November 21 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 3: Senegal vs Netherlands | Date: November 21 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 4: United States vs Wales | Date: November 22 | Time: 1 a.m. (BST)
Match 5: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia | Date: November 22 | Time: 4 p.m. (BST)
Match 6: Denmark vs Tunisia | Date: November 22 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 7: Mexico vs Poland | Date: November 22 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 8: France vs Australia | Date: November 23 | Time: 1 a.m. (BST)
Match 9: Morocco vs Croatia | Date: November 23 | Time: 4 p.m. (BST)
Match 10: Germany vs Japan | Date: November 23 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 11: Spain vs Costa Rica | Date: November 23 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 12: Belgium vs Canada | Date: November 24 | Time: 1 a.m. (BST)
Match 13: Switzerland vs Cameroon | Date: November 24 | Time: 4 p.m. (BST)
Match 14: Uruguay vs Korea Republic | Date: November 24 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 15: Portugal vs Ghana | Date: November 24 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 16: Brazil vs Serbia | Date: November 25 | Time: 1 a.m. (BST)
Match 17: Wales vs Iran | Date: November 25 | Time: 4 p.m. (BST)
Match 18: Qatar vs Senegal | Date: November 25 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 19: Netherlands vs Ecuador | Date: November 25 | Time: 10 p.m. (BST)
Match 20: United States vs England | Date: November 26 | Time: 1 a.m. (BST)
Match 21: Australia vs Tunisia | Date: November 26 | Time: 4 p.m. (BST)
Match 22: Poland vs Saudi Arabia | Date: November 26 | Time: 7 p.m. (BST)
Match 23: France vs Denmark | Date: November 26 | Time: 10 p.
Source: United News of Bangladesh