• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

FIFA Moves Up World Cup Start Date To Accommodate Qatar

  • At the last minute, FIFA has moved the commencement date of the tournament up one day.
  • The World Cup will now start on November 20, with Qatar playing Ecuador.
World-Cup
Shutterstock

For the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, the controversies continue.

At the last minute, FIFA has moved the commencement date of the tournament up one day, according to The Athletic. 

Qatar wants its home team to play the first match, as is tradition — though the schedule was previously set to have the Netherlands and Senegal playing first. The World Cup will now start on November 20, with Qatar playing Ecuador.

The timing of the entire World Cup, of course, is already unorthodox — it will be played in the winter as opposed to summer due to the harsh local climate.

The host nation has also been heavily criticized for its alleged human rights violations. Workers who built infrastructure for the tournament were reportedly not only underpaid, but put in extremely unsafe working conditions.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International have demanded that Qatar compensate workers for these alleged abuses.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Top MLS Voices Advocate for International Schedule Change

The league is still weighing a move to align with international soccer.
Tom Brady

Tom Brady: I Don’t Look at My Team Ownership As a Business

Brady has amassed a major sports portfolio since retiring.

Inter Miami Owner Calls MLS Messi Suspension ‘Draconian’

Inter Miami’s owner and coach blast the league for penalizing the superstar.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Jun 13, 2018; Moscow, Russia; A general view of a beer stand inside of Luschniki Stadium one day prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Saudi Arabia Says No Alcohol at 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia won’t allow alcohol anywhere during the 2034 World Cup.
August 30, 2024

Premier League Transfer Spending Has Already Topped $2 Billion As Deadline Looms

Saudi Pro League teams haven’t yet matched their English counterparts.
January 13, 2025

Gavin Newsom Reveals Status of 2028 Olympics As Los Angeles Wildfires Roar

Gavin Newsom says there’s a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Los Angeles.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Paralympics Tiktok
August 25, 2024

The Wildly Successful Paralympics TikTok Account Isn’t What You Think

A cheeky TikTok account is opening the world of Paralympic sports.
August 11, 2024

Passing of the Torch: Los Angeles Set for Olympic Firsts in 2028

The city last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984.
August 1, 2024

Saudi Arabia Submits Bold World Cup Bid That Includes a Cliffside Arena

The Saudis are proposing a new stadium in a futuristic city called Neom.
John John Florence (USA) surfs in men’s round two competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach.
July 29, 2024

Olympic Surfers Won’t Get Their Full Paris Moment

‘We’re kind of separate off on our own little thing over here.’