FIFA World Cup to get new kickoff date, set to kick one day earlier on November 20

FIFA are said to be considering a plan to allow Qatar to face Ecuador on November 20, meaning that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could begin one day sooner than expected.

A group made up of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and executives of the six continental football associations could decide in a matter of days.

Officials from Qatar and the South American soccer governing body CONMEBOL, have supported the idea to create a 29-day tournament rather than the long-planned 28.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy pictured on display during the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) Getty Images

The Qatari and Ecuadorian soccer federations have also been involved in the discussions.

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What was the original plan for the World Cup?

The Netherlands are scheduled to take on Senegal at 1 pm local time in Doha on Monday, November 21: a game meant to kick off the World Cup.

Although hosts Qatar and Ecuador are also in Group A, their match was scheduled to begin six hours later on the same day.

African champions Senegal were originally scheduled to play the opening game of the World Cup, against 2010 runners up Netherlands (IMAGO/Sebastian Frej) Pulse Nigeria

After discussions with key European leagues that will continue to hold their club matches through November 13, FIFA agreed to a shorter, 28-day World Cup that requires four games to be played per day during the group stage, eliminating a Sunday start for the Qatar tournament.

With the new arrangement, the opening ceremony could now actually happen before the opening game, unlike the original plan that would have seen it happen before the third game.