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FIFA confirms World Cup will start early
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FIFA has confirmed this year’s World Cup in Qatar will start a day earlier than originally scheduled with the opening ceremony now taking place before the host nation kick off the tournament on Sunday, November 20 against Ecuador.
The original plan was for the opening ceremony to be held before Qatar’s first game on Nov. 21, which would have created the unusual situation of two matches – Senegal v Netherlands and England v Iran – being held before the ceremony.
Normally, the ceremony is conducted before the kick-off of the first game of the tournament.
Hosts Qatar will now make their World Cup debut against Ecuador at 1900 local time after an opening ceremony at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium.
The change is in line with the long-standing tradition of opening matches involving hosts or holders.
The Group A match between Senegal and Netherlands, originally scheduled to be the tournament opener, has been pushed back by six hours from 1300 local time on Nov. 21 to the 1900 slot vacated by Qatar v Ecuador.
England’s Group B match with Iran and the United States’ opener against Wales, which are also scheduled for Nov. 21, remain unaffected by the change.
The plan has been signed off by a committee comprising of the heads of FIFA’s six regional confederations and president Gianni Infantino.
“The decision followed an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country,” FIFA said.
The change stretches the World Cup to 29 days until the Dec. 18 final and comes after several rounds of ticket sales, with organisers having sold 1.8 million tickets so far. Read full story
“Ticket holders will be duly notified by email that the relevant matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new date/time,” FIFA added.
“In addition, FIFA will seek to address any issues arising from this change in a case-by-case basis.”
It will be the first World Cup staged in the Middle East and has been pushed back to later in the year than its typical June-July schedule to avoid the region’s punishing summer heat.
The Lusail Stadium, which will host the final, staged its first competitive match earlier on Thursday, with Al Arabi beating Al Rayyan in Qatar’s top division.
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The buzz is real, and the excitement is off the charts as India and Pakistan prepare to lock horns in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai.
The ICC Academy, where the Indian team held their practice session, turned into a frenzy as security guards struggled to hold back hundreds of eager fans, desperate for a glimpse of their favourite cricketers. With just hours to go before the highly anticipated clash, ticket holders, access ID carriers, and even security personnel were bombarded with requests for that pass to the big match.
Few Lucky Fans Get a Helping Hand
The demand for tickets has skyrocketed, given Dubai’s massive Indian and Pakistani communities. But there’s a catch — the cheapest seat in the 30,000-capacity stadium is said to cost a whopping Dh500.
For many blue-collar workers, attending the game seemed impossible — until Indian businessman Anis Sajan, vice-chairman of the Danube Group, stepped in as an unexpected hero. He held a lucky draw and gifted 100 tickets to his employees. For those who missing out, he has set up a special screening for them.
Said Sajan: “Many of these workers are die-hard fans, but high ticket prices keep them from watching their idols live. This is my way of making their dream come true.”
And he’s not the only one. Some other employers too have gifted match tickets.
Cricket Mania Grips the City
Dubai’s cricket fever has reached new heights. Malls are dealing with staff shortages as leave applications have poured in, and a popular cinema chain has arranged live screenings for those unable to secure stadium seats.
Security measures will be tight, with roads leading to the Dubai International Stadium set to close from 10:30 am ahead of the match start. The venue will be packed, and fans are hoping for a classic clash.
A Rivalry Like No Other
The anticipation is palpable, but there’s no interaction between the two teams ahead of the game. While India practised at the ICC Academy, Pakistan trained at the Dubai Stadium. Even fan groups are keeping their celebrations separate to avoid any tensions.
Ahead of the match, India’s in-form batter Shubman Gill was asked whether the hype around India-Pakistan clashes is overblown. His response? “India-Pakistan has a long history. It’s always an exciting contest. If so many people love watching it, who are we to say if it’s overhyped or not? We’re here to play cricket.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed also acknowledged the pressure. “Every game has pressure, but against India, it doesn’t matter if it’s a must-win or not—our players are ready to raise the bar.”
Legendary Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar believes his team must step up. “Playing India in Dubai is different.
They have all bases covered,” he admitted. Still, he remains hopeful: “We’ve beaten India twice here. We’ll aim for a third. It’ll be a great match.”
Despite missing ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and having an out-of-form Virat Kohli, India enters the contest as favourites. But as history has shown, anything can happen in an India-Pakistan match.
One thing’s for sure — come match day, Dubai will witness cricket at its most electrifying. Buckle up, because this one’s going to be special, and fingers crossed that rain doesn’t play spoilsport.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
What time will the match start:
The match will begin at 1:00 pm (UAE time). Toss is scheduled for 12:30 pm.
Where is the match being played?
The India vs Pakistan, Group A match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium.
Which channels will broadcast the match?
- Star Sports Network and Network 18 channels in India.
- Tamasha and PTV Sports will stream the matches live in Pakistan
- You can watch live streaming on Willow in the US.
- Sky Sports Cricket in the UK
- Prime Video in Australia
(Source: Agencies)
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