Netherlands-Senegal will not be the opening match of the World Cup after all. FIFA has decided to start the tournament with Qatar-Ecuador on November 20.
The kick-off of the Netherlands-Senegal is now on Monday, November 21 at 5 p.m. Dutch time. The Orange squad will play its other group matches on November 25 (against Ecuador) and November 29 (against Qatar).
The global finals will last until December 18, when the final will be played. Most competitions continue until a week before the start of the World Cup. On Sunday, November 13, matches will be played in the Eredivisie.
The FIFA Council, the main decision-making body of the world football association, unanimously approved on Thursday the proposal to bring the start of the 22nd global final round by one day.
Orange back at World Cup after eight years
By holding the opening game in the evenings on November 20, there is room for an opening ceremony. Qatar would like to hold a fireworks display to mark the start of the World Cup and in daylight that is not an option.
FIFA also says it wants to respect the tradition that after such a ceremony the host or the defending champion takes action. The kick-off of Qatar-Ecuador is at 7 p.m. local time (in the Netherlands it is then 5 p.m.).
The Orange men’s team will return to the global stage at the end of this year after eight years. In 2014, the Netherlands seized the bronze.