FIFA World Cup 2022 to start a day early for hosts Qatar's opening game - Reports

The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar. The hosts want to play the opening game and have asked FIFA to start the competition a day early, on November 20.

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The football world is impatiently waiting for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to get underway in Qatar later this year, with 32 teams set to battle. The tournament is scheduled to start on November 21 and run until December 18. While four matches are slated for the opening day, hosts Qatar will be playing the third match on the day. As the hosts have been playing the opening game according to the tradition since the 2206 edition in Germany, Qatar has requested the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to start the competition a day early, as it can play the opening game on November 20.

According to The Athletic and other media houses, FIFA is expected to grant Qatar its request, with the tournament now set to run between November 20 and December 18. Qatar will be playing its opening match against Ecuador at 9.30 PM (IST) at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

On the other hand, German champion Bayern Munich had embroiled itself in a controversy after signing a lucrative sponsorship with Qatar Airways in 2018. As for the same, the club president Herbert Hainer has informed that it would re-look into the deal. Fans have been vocal against the agreement owing to Qatar's human rights record criticisms, especially concerning the migrant workers and their treatment.

"The contract expires in 2023. We agreed that we would conduct a detailed analysis after the World Cup. Then, we will consider how to proceed. It is an overall process with every sponsorship contract. We check towards the end how it went and what the future could look like," said Hainer to Abendzeitung.