Football will dominate daily life throughout the world starting today and lasting through December 18th. At 6:00 p.m. (Bulgarian time), the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar begins with a match between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The game will be live-streamed on BNT 1 and BNT 3.
The decision to move the World Cup to the winter, which will cause all major championships and tournaments to be interrupted for more than a month, the allegations of thousands of migrant workers dying in the construction of the stadium, and the opinion that Qatar was unfit to host a World Cup have all contributed to the controversy surrounding the choice of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup for the past 12 years.
Starting today, football will take centre stage, and for the next 29 days, 64 matches will be played. The tournament’s group stage will last just 13 days thanks to the compressed schedule, and each of those days will feature four games.
Football fans from the entire globe dream of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing one final encounter on the grandest platform. On the other hand, Portugal and Argentina were split by the draw, and if they win their groups, their paths will only cross in the championship game.
Al Rihla is the first World Cup ball created using exclusively water-based inks and adhesives. The game’s ever-increasing speed, which thrills players and fans worldwide, is reflected in the bold, vivid colours and visuals against a pearl background. Al Rihla is an Arabic word that signifies “travel” or “trip diary.” The distinctive dhow boats of Qatar and the national colours served as inspiration for its design.
At 3:55 p.m., the studio programme on BNT 1 and BNT 3 begins. At 4:40 p.m., the opening ceremony begins. At 5:10 p.m., the studio programme starts before the first match between the teams of Qatar and Ecuador. At 8:00, the referee will issue the first signal.