The long wait is finally over. The World Cup starts on Sunday with host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium (11:00am ET on FS1, Peacock or Telemundo).
It will be the first of 64 games that will decide which nation is the strongest soccer force with the final taking place on December 18, and host nation Qatar will be desperate to get off to a fast start. This is the first time Qatar has played in the World Cup finals and it has not played a competitive game since December 2021, so the players will have been looking forward to this and be anxious to make a strong impression in Group A, which also features Senegal and the Netherlands.
This will be the fourth time that Ecuador has played at the World Cup and it has failed to reach the elimination stages twice, most recently in Brazil in 2014. La Tri did reach the second round in Germany in 2006 but was beaten 1-0 by England with David Beckham scoring the winning goal. Ecuador did well to finish 4th in the strong South American qualification group and will want to make a fast start with two potentially tougher group games ahead.
Be sure to check out the rest of our World Cup soccer predictions and remember to gamble responsibly.