World Cup 2022 opening match on November 20, 2022 at 16:00
The 2022 World Cup opening game will be played at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022. The opening game is the first game of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Qatar and Ecuador will kick off the tournament at 04:00 PM. The opening game is a duel in group A.
From 1974 to 2002, the reigning champion was automatically seeded and allowed to play the opening game. Since 2006, the host country has been allowed to kick off the football tournament. Host country Qatar is therefore not part of the opening game completely outside of tradition.
When is the 2022 World Cup opening match?
The opening match of the 2022 World Cup is on November 20, 2022 at 04:00 PM UK time. The match will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium.
| #1) Sun 20 Nov 16:00 | Poule A | Al Bayt Stadion | ||
| Qatar |  |
0-2 |  |
Ecuador |
A beautiful ceremony will be held prior to the opening match of the World Cup. Many fireworks will be set off from the roof of the stadium. Music will also be played and singers and dancers will perform.
Also view the World Cup 2022 schedule.
Host country plays opening match of World Cup
From 1974 to 2002, the reigning champion was automatically seeded and allowed to play the opening game. Since 2006, the host country has been allowed to kick off the football tournament.
Host nation Qatar was initially not supposed to be part of the opening match, but due to the final show, the match has been brought forward one day. This is because they want to hold a large fireworks show and the host country has to play in the evening for that.
The United States also wants to play as late in the day as possible because of the time difference, so that everyone in America can watch the game.
All the opening games of the World Cup
In the early years of the World Cup, several opening games were played simultaneously.
Below is a list of all the opening matches of the FIFA World Cup.
| Year | Home | Away | Score | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 |  France |
 Mexico |
4-1 |  Uruguay |
| 1930 |  United States |
 Belgium |
3-0 | Uruguay |
| 1934 |  Italy |
United States |
7-1 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Spain |
 Brazil |
3-1 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Austria |
France |
3-2 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Hungary |
 Egypt |
4-2 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Czech Republic |
 Romania |
2-1 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Switzerland |
 Netherlands |
3-2 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Germany |
Belgium |
5-2 | Italy |
| 1934 |  Sweden |
 Argentina |
3-2 | Italy |
| 1938 | Switzerland |
Germany |
1-1 | France |
| 1942 | - | - | - | - |
| 1946 | - | - | - | - |
| 1950 | Brazil |
Mexico |
4-0 | Brazil |
| 1954 | Brazil |
Mexico |
5-0 | Switzerland |
| 1954 |  Yugoslavia |
France |
1-0 | Switzerland |
| 1954 | Uruguay |
Czech Republic |
2-0 | Switzerland |
| 1954 | Austria |
 Scotland |
1-0 | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Sweden |
Mexico |
3-0 | Sweden |
| 1962 | Uruguay |
 Colombia |
2-1 |  Chili |
| 1962 | Chili |
Switzerland |
3-1 | Chili |
| 1962 | Brazil |
Mexico |
2-0 | Chili |
| 1962 | Argentina |
 Bulgaria |
1-0 | Chili |
| 1966 |  England |
Uruguay |
0-0 | England |
| 1970 | Mexico |
 Russia |
0-0 | Mexico |
| 1974 | Brazil |
Yugoslavia |
0-0 | Germany |
| 1978 | Germany |
 Poland |
0-0 | Argentina |
| 1982 | Argentina |
Belgium |
0-1 | Spain |
| 1986 | Italy |
Bulgaria |
1-1 | Mexico |
| 1990 | Argentina |
 Cameroon |
0-1 | Italy |
| 1994 | Germany |
 Bolivia |
1-0 | United States |
| 1998 | Brazil |
Scotland |
2-1 | France |
| 2002 | France |
 Senegal |
0-1 |  Japan |
| 2006 | Germany |
 Costa Rica |
4-2 | Germany |
| 2010 |  South Africa |
Mexico |
1-1 | South Africa |
| 2014 | Brazil |
 Croatia |
3-1 | Brazil |
| 2018 | Russia |
 Saudi Arabia |
5-0 | Russia |
| 2022 | Qatar |
Ecuador |
Qatar |
Opening matches by country
The opening match has been played most often by Brazil and Mexico (7 times each). Germany opened the tournament 5 times and the England 1 time.
Below is the number of opening matches per country.
| Country | Number |
|---|---|
| Brazil |
7 |
| Mexico |
7 |
| Germany |
5 |
| France |
4 |
| Argentina |
4 |
| Switzerland |
3 |
| Uruguay |
3 |
| Belgium |
3 |
| United States |
2 |
| Italy |
2 |
| Austria |
2 |
| Czech Republic |
2 |
| Sweden |
2 |
| Yugoslavia |
2 |
| Russia |
2 |
| Scotland |
2 |
| Bulgaria |
2 |
| Netherlands |
1 |
| Spain |
1 |
| Hungary |
1 |
| Chili |
1 |
| England |
1 |
| South Africa |
1 |
| Qatar |
1 |
| Egypt |
1 |
| Romania |
1 |
| Colombia |
1 |
| Poland |
1 |
| Cameroon |
1 |
| Bolivia |
1 |
| Senegal |
1 |
| Costa Rica |
1 |
| Croatia |
1 |
| Saudi Arabia |
1 |
| Qatar |
1 |
Share 'World Cup 2022 opening match is on November 20, 2022 at 16:00'
Share this message via social media with your family, friends and colleagues!
The 2022 World Cup opening match will be played on November 20, 2022 at 16:00 AM. The opening game is the first game of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
About the author of 'World Cup 2022 opening match is on November 20, 2022 at 16:00'
Author of this content is Patrick. I have been playing soccer for more than 25 years and follow the daily news closely. My hobbies include playing football, running and maintaining various websites, in addition to my job as a financial professional.
I do not work for any related company or institution, so the information is reliable and independent. The information has been collected accurately from reliable sources and is regularly updated.