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The four-year wait is finally over as the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Sunday with the hosts Qatar squaring off against Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The Group A game will see Qatar make their first-ever appearance in the main event while Ecuador are back in the competition after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition.
Qatar head into the match on a five-game winning run in non-FIFA friendlies and will be looking to leave a good account of themselves in their campaign opener in front of a home crowd.
Ecuador are undefeated in their last six games across all competitions while keeping a clean sheet in each of these encounters, though they have just one win in that period.
Netherlands and Senegal are the favorites to qualify from Group A and for either Qatar or Ecuador to have a shot at pulling off an upset, they must avoid dropping points against each other.
The opening fixture of the World Cup is always a highly-anticipated event and we expect both teams to put on a solid display in this match.
Qatar vs Ecuador Head-to-Head stats
The two teams have squared off three times thus far, with all the meetings being friendlies. Their head-to-head record is even at the moment, with a win apiece for either team and one game ending in a draw.
They last met at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in 2018. Qatar picked up a 4-3 win in a highly entertaining affair. Almoez Ali bagged a brace for the hosts, while Akram Afif and Hassan Al Haydos added the other two goals. All three goalscorers have been named in the squad for the World Cup.
Enner Valencia scored twice for Ecuador and is the team captain for the tournament. Two of the three meetings between the two sides have produced more than 2.5 goals.
Qatar form guide: W-W-W-W-W
Ecuador form guide: D-D-D-W-D
Qatar vs Ecuador: Numbers you need to know before their FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter
Qatar will be playing their first-ever match in the FIFA World Cup. They have never directly qualified for the competition and only earned a place as one of the 32 teams as the host nation. Qatar have scored eight goals in their last five games while conceding three times.
La Tri, on the other hand, are making their fourth appearance at the FIFA World Cup. They made it to the round of 16 in 2006, their best performance in the competition to date. In their last game at the World Cup in 2014, they played out a goalless draw against France.
As the host nation have never lost their opening game in the history of the competition, the odds of Qatar earning a win or a draw look good here.
The hosts have scored at least a goal in their last five games while Ecuador have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five matches. Ecuador's prior experience in the competition gives them a slight edge in this game, but in international competitions, home advantage can prove to be a huge factor.
With that in mind, we expect this game to produce a closely-fought contest.
