World Cup Opening Match: Qatar vs. Ecuador – Betting odds and Free Pick

The penultimate Sunday of November has been the most awaited day of the year for football lovers. The World Cup, which normally takes place in the middle of the year, will start in November, close to the end of the year festivities, such as Christmas and New Year.

The opening game (as usual) will be with the host team and will start on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. The World Cup is the most far-reaching sporting event on the planet, bringing together spectators and fans from the farthest regions of the world. Qatar, the host country, will receive fans from all over the world and will certainly witness one of the greatest cultural riches that sport can provide, having in its territory individuals from different countries and continents, speaking completely different languages, but with a beating heart – strong for football.

The language of football is universal. When the ball rolls everyone understands each other and the expressions of happiness, joy, fear, and tension are easily perceived on the faces of fans and players. 

Although they don’t have a tradition in football, Qatar will try to surprise Ecuador, using the strength of their fans in their favor.

Let’s understand a little more about this confrontation, bringing the main information about the classification of the teams for the World Cup and its main players.

When: 

Sunday, November 20th, 11 a.m. ET at Al Bayt Stadium

Moneyline odds: 

Qatar +226 

Ecuador +139

Draw Offs: 

+206

Where Can I Watch It? 

FOX Sports and DIRECTV Sports

Why Bet on Qatar?

Qatar did not have to play in the qualifiers, like other teams, to play in this year’s World Cup. As every host country is already automatically classified. They did not play in this knockout stage but participated in some relevant tournaments.

Qatar, like most middle eastern nations, has little tradition in football and none of its players play for any club in Europe or even in another continent. This makes the team little experienced internationally, which can make it difficult to adapt to this great tournament, which brings together the best players in the world.

When they played in the Arab Cup, in 2021, Qatar qualified first in Group A, having won their three games. However, in the knockout phase, they faced Algeria in the Semifinals and lost 2-1, to those who would be the champions of the tournament.

Qatar has won the last 4 friendlies it has played this year, beating Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Albania.

Al Sadd striker Akram Afif is the team’s main player, as Qatar’s main attacking plays come from his feet.

Why Bet on Ecuador?

The main bookmakers point to Ecuador as a favorite for this confrontation due to the number of players with international experience, in addition to the country’s tradition of having good games against Brazil and Argentina, during the South American qualifiers.

Ecuador has played five friendlies this year and scored only two goals. It won two games 1-0 and drew the other three. If it is true that the team hardly concedes goals, we can also say that it has difficulty scoring goals. Striker Énner Valencia (Fenerbahçe) is the main hope of the team’s offensive sector. In midfield, Ecuador has talents like Moisés Caicedo (Brighton) and Gonzalo Plata (Valladolid). In defense, Arboleda (São Paulo), Pervis Estupiñan (Brighton & Hove Albion), and Hincapié (Bayern Leverkusen) are the main names.

Ecuador has players with a lot of quality to win this match, but they will have to overcome the offensive difficulty they have if they want to impose themselves from the beginning of the game.

Final Betting Analysis: Qatar vs. Ecuador

Every World Cup opening game holds some kind of surprise. Unexpected results have happened regularly, and it would not be surprising if Qatar surprises Ecuador and gets the first goal of the match.

Not every team manages to deal well with the pressure of the debut, especially when they are favorites to win the confrontation. Although it does not have players of international expression, Qatar has been making an effort to play good friendly matches and win games.

This should be a well-studied game, in which the teams will respect their opponents from the start. Despite Ecuador’s favoritism, we believe that Qatar will be able to hold on to a draw. Our guess is for a 1-1 draw.