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According to reports, this year's FIFA World Cup is set for a different start date to allow hosts Qatar to play first.
The Athletic claims that the tournament will now begin a day earlier than scheduled on Sunday, 20 November, with Qatar vs Eduador set to kick off the competition. The encounter is slated to kick off at 9pm local time (7pm BST) at the Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor.
It is understood the hosts have insisted on opening football's biggest international tournament, as has been a tradition over the years.
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As it stands, the competition is scheduled to begin with Senegal taking on the Netherlands on Monday, 21 November, with England vs Iran and Wales vs USA kicking off later in the day.
This year's edition of the FIFA World Cup is unique in that it begins in November, right in the middle of the European football season. This is primarily due to extreme weather in the Middle Eastern country, which would make it too hot to play in June and July.
The final will take place on Sunday, 17 December at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 people.
Germany legend Philipp Lahm set to boycott FIFA World Cup in Qatar
The competition was controversially awarded to the Gulf state in 2010, with many questioning the country's human rights record.
Lahm, who captained his Germany team to victory in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, claims he has taken the personal decision not to travel to the tournament later this year. The Bayern Munich icon told German outlet Kicker:
"I’m not part of the delegation and I’m not keen on flying there as a fan. I prefer to follow the tournament from home. Human rights should play the biggest role in the awarding of a tournament. If a country is awarded the contract that is one of the worst performers in this regard, you start to think about the criteria used to make the decision. That shouldn’t happen again in the future. Human rights, sustainability, the size of the country, none of that seems to have played a role."
According to a report by The Guardian, more than 6,500 migrant workers from countries all over Asia have died in Qatar since they won the right to host the FIFA World Cup 12 years ago.
