What are the results from World Cup opening games?
The 2022 edition saw host nation Qatar begin their first ever appearance against Ecuador at the Al Bayt stadium.
Sunday 20 November finally rolled around and, following a rather spectacular opening ceremony, the action got underway in the 2022 World Cup. Hosts Qatar had never qualified before for the finals of FIFA showpiece competition -- and most people accept that their involvement this time around was due to some extremely persuasive techniques off the pitch over a decade ago -- but took to the global sporting stage with hope. Ecuador were their opponents for the premiere.
Scores from all the World Cup opening games
Thanks to our friends across at SofaScore, we are able to bring you the graphic below which shows you all the results in the World Cup opening game since 1966, when the tournament was held in England, United Kingdom.
It’s worth remembering that between 1974 and 2002, the defending champions were involved in the opening match. Since 2006, as the defending champions no longer qualify automatically, the opening matches involve the host nations, who qualify no matter their footballing credentials.
