Debut of hosts in World Cups
The Ecuadorian selection will have all the spotlight on them in this Qatar 2022 World Cup, as they will be responsible for opening the tournament against the local team in the inaugural match. For Gustavo Alfaro's team, winning this match against the supposedly easiest opponent in a group that also includes Senegal and the Netherlands will be vital.
A victory for the Tri would be an unprecedented result in the competition: history dictates that the host has never lost in their debut. Since Uruguay defeated Peru 1-0 in 1930, it has become tradition for the organizing country of the tournament to at least achieve a draw in their first match.
This statistic has been fulfilled in all 21 editions of the World Cup. Even teams with little football tradition, such as South Africa and Russia, did not allow their opponents to take three points at their expense.
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Debut of hosts in World Cups
Of the 22 times the host debuted in the World Cup (there were two hosts in 2002), 16 of these matches ended in victory and the other six in a draw.
- Uruguay 1930: Uruguay 1-0 Peru
- Italy 1934: Italy 7-1 United States
- France 1938: France 3-1 Belgium
- Brazil 1950: Brazil 4-0 Mexico
- Switzerland 1954: Switzerland 2-1 Italy
- Sweden 1958: Sweden 3-0 Mexico
- Chile 1962: Chile 3-1 Switzerland
- England 1966: England 0-0 Uruguay
- Mexico 1970: Mexico 0-0 Soviet Union
- Germany 1974: West Germany 1-0 Chile
- Argentina 1978: Argentina 2-1 Hungary
- Spain 1982: Spain 1-1 Honduras
- Mexico 1986: Mexico 2-1 Belgium
- Italy 1990: Italy 1-0 Austria
- United States 1994: United States 1-1 Switzerland
- France 1998: France 3-0 South Africa
- Korea/Japan 2002: Japan 2-2 Belgium and South Korea 2-0 Poland
- Germany 2006: Germany 4-2 Costa Rica
- South Africa 2010: South Africa 1-1 Mexico
- Brazil 2014: Brazil 3-1 Croatia
- Russia 2018: Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia
When is Ecuador vs. Qatar?
The first match of this Qatar 2022 World Cup, between the Ecuadorian national team and the Qatari team, will be played on Sunday, November 20 at 11:00 a.m. (Peruvian and Ecuadorian time). The venue for this match will be the Al Bayt Stadium in the city of Jor.