Will Qatar Break World Cup Trend Of Host Nation Dominance In Opener?

The hosts have won the World Cup opening game 16 times since 1930. Ecuador is favored to win the opening match of the 2022 tournament. BetOnline Sportsbook has Ecuador as a favorite with +106 odds.

Will Qatar break the World Cup tradition of host nation dominance in the opening game?

Ecuador is favored to win the World Cup in 2022. Qatar is 7-8-3 in the calendar year and has lost to a number of amateur teams. Ecuador has never lost its opening game of a World cup. Qatar has a 16-6-0 record in World Cups.

Qatar is the first host nation to play in the World Cup.

Qatar's national team is 5-2-1 when playing on home soil since 2021. Five of those wins came against minnows from Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria. The team's two draws came from Egypt and Slovenia.

Qatar is hosting the World Cup. Ecuador is ranked 44th in FIFA rankings.

Only twice in the history of the World Cup has the host nation not scored in their opening match. In 1966, England opened their World Cups with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, and in 1970 Mexico opened its World cups with 0 -0 against the Soviet Union. Other than the 1966 and 1970 World Championships, the hosts have always scored at least once. Sportsbook Bodog has odds on both teams to score at -112. A $100 winning bet would return $89.29 in profit.