DOHA - Players of Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem at their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.
The players were silent as the anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Iranian fans gathered in the stands shouted as the music was played. Some were seen making thumbs-down gestures.
AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.
The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.
World Cup stadiums are prohibited from selling alcohol in Qatar, FIFA announced on Friday two days before the tournament begins.
The reversal permits World Cup sites to sell only non-alcoholic beverages, which represents a reversal of an agreement that approved international sponsor Budweiser to sell at all events.
Budweiser a FIFA sponsor for over 30 years which pays the organization more than $100M per World Cup cycle won’t be allowed to serve you beer in or around the stadiums here in Qatar.
Here's what you need to know about the opening ceremony that will take place ahead of the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar, including what time is the World Cup opening ceremony, who's performing and where.
* The opening ceremony of the World Cup will take place on Nov. 20, ahead of the opening Group A match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
* The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET on FS1 and Telemundo.
To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This is for Group H's South Korea.
World Cup appearances: 11th
Best finish: Fourth place (2002)
How they got here: South Korea achieved automatic qualification by finishing second in AFC Group A behind Iran.
Arabia Saudita, rival de México en el Grupo C del Mundial 2022, terminó su preparación rumbo a Catar con una derrota 1-0 ante Croacia, en un amistoso jugado en el Estadio Prince Faisal bin Fahd.
La diferencia en el juego la hizo el delantero del 1899 Hoffenheim, Andrej Kramarić, quien luego de recibir un pase de Luka Modrić encaró al área desnudando un par de falencias en la zaga que quizás Alexis Vega pueda aprovechar cuando el Tri enfrente a Arabia Saudita el próximo miércoles 30 de noviembre.
La selección de Arabia Saudita, rival de México en el Grupo C del Mundial, se vio forzada a retirar de su nómina para el torneo al delantero Fahad Al-Muwallad debido a un caso pendiente de dóping.
La telenovela de Al-Muwallad, quien jugó como titular en varios partidos de la clasificación de Arabia Saudita al Mundial, es larga.
It's become an annual tradition unlike any other here at The18. Every winter the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament comes around and, like clockwork, drops the highlight of the year.
FIFA has written to World Cup teams urging them to focus on the soccer in Qatar and not let the sport be dragged into ideological or political "battles".
The letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the governing body's secretary general Fatma Samoura follows a number of protests made by World Cup teams, on issues ranging from LGBTIQ rights to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers.
"Please, let's now focus on the football!" Sky News quoted Infantino and Samoura as saying in the letter to the 32 nations contesting the World Cup.