Nov. 20, 2022 coverage of the World Cup

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the World Cup 2022 opener here.

Ecuador celebrates after Enner Valencia scored on a penalty shot.

Take a look at photos from the opening match, where Ecuador defeated host nation Qatar 2-0.

Fans watch Sunday's match from a fan zone in Doha, Qatar.

Valencia slots a penalty past Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb to open the scoring in the 16th minute.

A family watches the opening match from their home in Doha.

Valencia thought he scored the opening goal in the third minute of Sunday's match. But after video review, Valencia's header was disallowed as it was deemed that an Ecuador player was offside in the buildup.

See more of the best photos from the 2022 World Cup.

Ecuador’s president Guillermo Lasso tweeted in support of his country’s victory in the World Cup opening match against host Qatar on Sunday.

“When we Ecuadorians find ourselves inspired and prepared like the players of the soccer team, we can build all the victories we dream of. This is the true national encounter. Let’s keep going @LaTri, the whole of Ecuador supports you,” he tweeted. 

He went on to tweet, “ECUADOR MAKES HISTORY! When leadership is clear, has a vision, and works to achieve it, it makes history as TRI!”

Ecuador's Enner Valencia celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot.

The host nation of World Cup 2022, Qatar, was bested in its debut, losing to Ecuador 2-0.

Ecuador did all its scoring in the first half. And it was Enner Valencia who netted both goals for La Tri. Valencia converted a penalty in the 15th minute. Then he got his second later in the half, with an elegant header that found the bottom left corner of Qatar’s goal.

With his two goals, Valencia became his country’s all-time leading scorer, with 37 goals in 75 national team appearances.

The South American country has now won eight straight international matches and 15 of its last 16.

The hosts struggled to come up with offense in the match. Qatar fired five shots at Ecuador’s goal with none hitting the target.

Prior to Sunday, no host nation had lost its World Cup opening match in the previous 21 editions of the tournament.

Next up for Ecuador is the Netherlands on Friday. Qatar will meet Senegal in its second group stage match, on Friday as well.

Here are the matches slated for tomorrow at World Cup 2022:

Click here for the full schedule.

Spectators leave Al Bayt Stadium before the end of the Qatar-Ecuador match.

All the excitement pre-match is slowly draining away from the stadium and there are noticeably more empty seats than in the first half. 

Qatar has looked particularly nervous throughout and can’t seem to string any passes together. It seems like the occasion got to be too much for them, and some fans have had enough. 

We still have the Ecuadorian contingent making a lot of noise in their striking yellow shirts as they try, over and over, to start “the wave.” Qatar’s fans don’t seem up for it, though. 

Captain and goalscorer Enner Valencia has been notably better than anyone else on the pitch. This appears to be fading away into a comfortable Ecuador win.

Can the hosts mount a comeback? Judging by what I’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t count on it.

Qatar's Pedro Miguel challenges Ecuador's Pervis Estupiñán for the ball.

Ecuador maintains its two-goal advantage over Qatar more than halfway through the second half.

La Tri has been in control the whole match. Ecuador has taken five shots, with three of them on goal.

Qatar has struggled to create offense in their first-ever World Cup match. The hosts have managed just three shots, none on goal.

Ecuador 2, Qatar 0.

Ecuador fans are seen inside the stadium.

The second half has begun in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup featuring Ecuador and host country Qatar.

Ecuador takes a 2-0 lead over Qatar into the second half. No host country has lost a World Cup opener (16 wins, 6 draws, 2002 had two hosts). Ecuador is unbeaten in its last seven matches (2 wins, 5 draws).

Qatar is making its World Cup debut. Ecuador is making its fourth World Cup appearance.

Ecuador celebrates after Enner Valencia scored on a penalty kick in the first half.

Ecuador is dominating the host country in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup.

Ecuador appeared to take a very early lead when they found the back of the Qatar net in the 3rd minute. But the goal was ruled out after a check by the video-assisted referee (VAR) deemed an Ecuadorian player offside.

La Tri was not deterred by the call, however. In the 15th minute, Ecuador’s Enner Valencia won a penalty when he was taken down in the box by the Qatar goaltender, Saad Al Sheeb. Valencia stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty, giving his squad a 1-0 lead.

Just a quarter-hour later, Valencia scored his second of the match in the 31st minute with a glancing header into the bottom left corner of Qatar’s net.

Ecuador goes into the break in the opening match up 2-0 on the hosts.

Ecuador's Enner Valencia celebrates scoring the team's second goal.

Ecuador’s Enner Valencia got his second goal of the match with a glancing header into the bottom left corner of Qatar’s net.

Ecuador now has a commanding lead over the host country. They lead Qatar 2-0 in the first half.

Ecuador's Enner Valencia scores the team's first goal from the penalty spot.

Ecuador was awarded a penalty in the 15th minute of the opening match against Qatar.

Enner Valencia converted from the spot with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner to give Ecuador the early 1-0 lead against the host country.

Ecuador's Enner Valencia scores a goal that was later disallowed.

Ecuador appeared to take the lead against Qatar inside of 3 minutes.

But after a check by the video-assisted referee (VAR), an Ecuador player was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed.

Qatar fans cheer inside Al Bayt Stadium.

The match at the Al Bayt Stadium between Qatar and Ecuador has begun.

The stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000, is in Al Khor City, which is about 35 kilometers (18 miles) from central Doha.

Host nation Qatar is making its World Cup debut. Ecuador is making its fourth World Cup appearance.

No host country has lost a World Cup opener (16 wins, 6 draws, 2002 had two hosts). Ecuador is unbeaten in its last seven matches (2 wins, 5 draws).

The 29-day tournament is the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East.

The 22nd edition of football’s flagship event concludes Dec. 18.

A large section of seats behind one of the goals was suddenly filled with fans wearing matching Qatar shirts and scarves. 

The group, which consists of a few hundred, is being orchestrated by a leader at the front who is getting them to chant, dance and sing.

The large screens around the stadium are focusing heavily on that section, with fans all linking arms and jumping in unity, while a drummer provides the beat. 

It appears that a section of the stadium was specially saved for them.

They are making a lot more noise than the other fans around them and they are giving the Ecuador contingent a run for their money at the opposite end of the pitch. 

A general view of the World Cup opening ceremony.

Of all the people you’d expect to appear at the opening of a World Cup ceremony, Morgan Freeman probably isn’t high on your list. 

And yet the American actor played a starring role as Qatar 2022 got underway, delivering a speech on unity.

Actor Morgan Freeman appears with Qatari YouTuber Ghanim al Muftah.

The ceremony raced at breakneck speed through multiple dance troupes, drumming performances and popular music from all four corners of the world. 

Fans were still filtering in as those already in their seats were treated to yet more light shows and massive projections on the field.

The biggest cheer, though, seemed to be saved for a giant flying La’eeb – the popular mascot of this year’s World Cup. 

World Cup mascot La'eeb is seen during the opening ceremony.

Less than an hour before kickoff now and there are still some empty seats inside the stadium, but that will surely change as the traffic outside starts to thin. 

Thousands of Ecuadorian fans are making the loudest noise behind one of the goals as players enter the pitch for their warmups. 

People inside the stadium watch the World Cup opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup has begun at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.

South Korean star and Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi will perform “Dreamers” during the 30-minute show. FIFA World Cup Ambassador Ghanim Al Muftah and the Qatari singer Dana Al Fardan are set to encourage dialogue on inclusion and diversity, according to organizers.

The opening animation featured famed actor Morgan Freeman’s voice. Freeman appeared in person during the ceremony.

The theme of the ceremony is “a gathering for all mankind, bridging differences through humanity, respect and inclusion.”

That comes against a backdrop of controversies surrounding Qatar’s human rights record.

The first match at this year’s World Cup is being played at the newly-built Al Bayt Stadium.

The 60,000-capacity venue is stunning – an architectural triumph that takes its name and design from the traditional tents historically used in the country.

But the stadium sits 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of Doha, and getting there requires leaving the bright lights behind and entering the desert terrain.

There is no metro station nearby, so fans, media and officials are all getting here by road. That, of course, has led to heavy congestion on the one road leading to the stadium, but fans don’t seem to care. 

Qatari and Ecuadorian supporters gather in groups to sing songs and pose for pictures before entering the stadium and taking their seats. 

There also seems to be a large contingent of Mexican, Argentinian and even German fans who are joining in the celebrations. 

Once fans get to their seats, they are treated to light shows and pumping music, as the atmosphere builds ahead of a World Cup like no other. 

Workers walk to the Lusail Stadium, one of the 2022 World Cup stadiums, in Lusail, Qatar, on December 20, 2019.

Kamal was standing outside a shop with other migrant workers, having finished yet another grueling working day, when he and – he says – a few others were arrested this August. Without explanation, the 24-year-old says he was put into a vehicle and, for the next week, kept in a Qatari jail, the location and name of which he does not know.

Kamal – CNN has changed the names of the Nepali workers to protect them from retaliation – is one of many migrant workers wanting to tell the world of their experiences in Qatar, a country that will this month host one of sport’s greatest, most lucrative, spectacles – the World Cup, a tournament which usually unites the world as millions watch the spectacular goals and carefully-choreographed celebrations.

It will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but one also mired in controversy. Much of the build-up to this tournament has been on more sober matters, that of human rights, from the deaths of migrant workers and the conditions many have endured in Qatar, to LGBTQ and women’s rights.

Kamal says he has yet to be paid the 7,000 Qatari Riyal bonus (around $1,922) he says he is entitled to from his previous employers, nor 7,000 Riyal in insurance for injuring two fingers at work.

“I wasn’t told why I was being arrested. People are just standing there … some are walking with their grocery [sic], some are just sitting there consuming tobacco products … they just arrest you,” he adds, before explaining he could not ask questions as he does not speak Arabic.

To read more about the migrant workers in Qatar, click here.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a press conference on November 19, in Doha, Qatar.

FIFA’s chief told fans that they can make it through three hours without a beer after a last-minute ban on the sale of alcohol in stadiums at the Qatar World Cup was announced on Friday.  

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Doha on Saturday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stressed “every decision that is taken in this World Cup is a joint decision between Qatar and FIFA.” 

Infantino pointed to the more than 10 fan zones where he said over 100,000 people will be able to simultaneously drink alcohol in Qatar. 

Infantino stressed that FIFA “tried until the end to see whether it was possible” to facilitate alcohol sales in stadiums, in an attempt to account for the last-minute nature of Friday’s announcement. 

Infantino added that FIFA’s partnership with beer company Budweiser will continue into 2026 as planned, saying, “partners are partners in good and bad times, in difficult and easy times.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on November 19.

On Saturday, the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino launched a tirade against Western critics of the controversial tournament in an explosive, hour-long monologue.

Infantino, the boss of world soccer’s governing body, looked on glumly as he addressed hundreds of journalists in Doha, Qatar, Saturday.

Infantino barely spoke about soccer and focused his attention on what he called the “hypocrisy” of Western criticism.

In a remarkable press conference, Infantino seemed exhausted. He has spent a lot of time defending FIFA’s decision in 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar, a controversial decision made when he wasn’t the governing body’s president.

This tournament will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but is also mired in controversy, with much of the buildup focusing on human rights, from the death of migrant workers and the conditions many have endured in Qatar, to LGBTQ and women’s rights.

Infantino, despite admitting things weren’t perfect, said some criticism was “profoundly unjust” and accused the West of double standards.

The Italian opened the news conference by speaking for an hour, telling journalists that he knew what it felt like to be discriminated against, saying he was bullied as a child for having red hair and freckles.

“I feel this, all this, because what I’ve been seeing and what I’ve been told, since I don’t read, otherwise I would be depressed I think,” he said.

Read more here.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) in Doha on November 19, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. - Infantino hit back at Western critics of Qatar's human rights record at his opening press conference of the World Cup on November 19, blasting their "hypocrisy". (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article 'Crass' and an 'insult'. FIFA president criticized for speech on Qatar's human rights ahead of World Cup | CNN

The home team

Manager: Félix Sánchez

Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousef Hassan

Defenders: Pedro Miguel, Abdul Karim Hassan, Tarek Salman, Bassam Al-Rawi, Khoukhi Boualem, Abdelkarim Hassan, Ismaeel Mohammad, Homam Al Amin, Jassem Jaber

Midfielders: Ali Asad, Muhammad Waad, Salem Al Hajri, Assim Madibo, Mustafa Meshaal, Karim Boudiaf, Abdulaziz Hatin

Forwards: Naif Al Hadhrami, Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Mohammed Muntari, Khalid Muneer, Ahmed Alaa

Here’s Ecuador’s squad

Manager: Gustavo Alfaro

Goalkeepers: Alexander Domínguez, Hernán Galíndez, Moisés Ramírez

Defenders: Pervis Estupiñán, Ángelo Preciado, Piero Hincapié, Xavier Arreaga, Diego Palacios, Jackson Porozo, Robert Arboleda, Félix Torres, William Pacho

Midfielders: Moisés Caicedo, José Cifuentes, Alan Franco, Jhegson Méndez, Carlos Gruezo, Gonzalo Plata, Ángel Mena, Ayrton Preciado, Romario Ibarra, Jeremy Sarmiento

Forwards: Enner Valencia, Michael Estrada, Djorkaeff Reasco, Kevin Rodríguez

For all the teams playing in the World Cup, click here.