• The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ kicks off in exactly two years’ time
• We look back at the most memorable opening matches of all time
• All the goals, all the excitement and more than a surprise or two

We know the date but not yet the teams who will be taking part: the Opening Match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ takes place on 21 November 2022, two years from today.

A lot will happen before then, starting with the UEFA preliminary draw on 7 December, but before it does we are going to whet your appetite with a look back at some of the most unforgettable World Cup opening matches of all time.

The first two: Uruguay 1930

13 July 1930, Montevideo: France 4-1 Mexico and USA 3-0 Belgium

There was not one opening match at the inaugural World Cup but two. Snow was falling as the tournament kicked off on 13 July 1930, with France and USA respectively beating Mexico and Belgium. One name stood out on this landmark day, that of Lucien Laurent, the scorer of the first ever goal in World Cup history.

The trendsetter: England 1966

11 July 1966, London: England 0-0 Uruguay

Prior to 1966, the World Cup nearly always began with several matches played at the same time. By way of example, Italy 1934 got under way with no fewer than eight knockout games kicking off simultaneously. And even when Switzerland and Germany started proceedings at France 1938 with a 1-1 draw after extra time (the Swiss won 4-2 in a replay five days later), it was not billed as an opening match. England and Uruguay had the honour of contesting the first such game in 1966 and set an unfortunate trend in the process, with the World Cup’s next three opening matches (Mexico v USSR in 1970, Brazil v Yugoslavia in 1974, and Poland v West Germany in 1978) also ending in goalless draws.

The damp squib: Germany 1974

13 June 1974, Frankfurt: Brazil 0-0 Yugoslavia

Though it was unseasonably cold, wet and windy when the tenth World Cup began in Frankfurt, this meeting between the defending world champions and a technically gifted side with a reputation for being “the Brazilians of Europe” promised to atone for the miserable weather. Sadly, it failed to deliver and petered out into a tame 0-0 draw.

The surprise: Spain 1982

13 June 1982, Barcelona: Argentina 0-1 Belgium

After four consecutive goalless stalemates, all the indications were that the goal curse of the Opening Match would continue when Argentina met Belgium in 1982. Belgium forward Erwin Vandenbergh had other ideas, however, bringing an end to a 422-minute goal drought in the World Cup curtain-raiser and giving the Red Devils an unexpected win over the reigning world champions, led by one Diego Maradona.

The shock: Italy 1990

8 June 1990, Milan, Argentina 0-1 Cameroon

For the second time in their history, Argentina began a World Cup defence with a stumble, this time against Cameroon, who had two men sent off. A star-studded Albiceleste line-up, once again spearheaded by Maradona, fell to a solitary Francois Omam-Biyik goal, as the Indomitable Lions recorded one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.

The upset: Korea/Japan 2002

31 May 2002, Seoul: France 0-1 Senegal

The question many were asking was not if defending champions France would win against unfancied Senegal but how many they would win by. Like Cameroon 12 years before them, the Senegalese were making their debut in the competition. Though this meeting between a team packed with stars from Europe’s top clubs and a group of relative unknowns seemed a foregone conclusion, it ended with another stunning African success, as Papa Bouba Diop scored to give the new boys a famous 1-0 win.

The goal feast: Germany 2006

9 June 2006, Munich: Germany 4-2 Costa Rica

For the first time since 1970, the host nation got the ball rolling. The sun shone and 66,000 fans roared their approval as Germany and Costa Rica served up a festival of attacking football. Philipp Lahm opened the scoring with a superb drive into the top corner. Paulo Wanchope equalised for Los Ticos before Miroslav Klose, who would become the World Cup’s leading all-time scorer eight years later, struck twice to put Germany in control. Wanchope pulled one back to complete a brace of his own, with Torsten Frings sealing a 4-2 win for the hosts and two World Cup records: Germany’s fourth victory in an opening match and the most goals ever in an opening match.

The one with the vuvuzelas: South Africa 2010

11 June 2010, Johannesburg: South Africa 1-1 Mexico

“We’re not contemplating the possibility of a draw,” Siphiwe Tshabalala told FIFA.com on the eve of the match. “We want to win this game and nothing can stop us.” The South Africa midfielder must have thought his words had come true when he struck a magnificent opener for Bafana Bafana on 55 minutes. Amid the blaring vuvuzelas, however, Mexico conjured up an equaliser 11 minutes from time, capping an unforgettable evening.

The one with the scoring subs: Russia 2018

14 June 2018, Moscow: Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia

Though Brazil beat Mexico 5-0 on the first day of action at Switzerland 1954, it was not, strictly speaking, an opening match, as Yugoslavia were beating France 1-0 at the same time. That means that the biggest victory ever recorded in a World Cup Opening Match came in the most recent one of all, when Russia overpowered Saudi Arabia, thanks in no small part to their substitutes. Prior to Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba, who scored three of their side’s five goals between them, no players had ever come off the bench to score in a world finals opener.

FIFA.com
FIFA.com News

• Siphiwe Tshabalala scored a famous goal in South Africa 2010’s Opening Match
• With two years until Qatar 2022 kicks off, he shared his Soccer City memories
• “I still get reminders about that goal every single day”

Earlier this year, Siphiwe Tshabalala wrote and released a children’s book.

“It’s about a young boy from the dusty streets of Soweto who has a dream of playing football on the biggest stage, and who loves the game with all his heart,” he told FIFA.com.

“The boy goes for trials, but he’s short and other players laugh at him and bully him because of his height. He focuses on his dream though, and when he gets a chance he surprises everyone with his talent and skill. Eventually, he makes the team for this massive tournament. When the day of the tournament comes, the team are relying on him and he steps up to score the biggest goal in the world. And that’s how he becomes ‘Super Shabba’!”

It is, says Tshabalala, “an authentic African superhero story”. And no-one is better placed to vouch for its authenticity than the man who lived that fairy tale, and has been revered in his homeland ever since.

The Bafana Bafana icon is also perfectly placed to look ahead to the Opening Match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, which takes place two years today. After all, if any Qatari player wants to know about the life-changing impact of lighting the touch paper on a historic World Cup – the first hosted by a proud football continent – Tshabalala can share a few words of advice.

“That was always going to be the biggest goal in my career, no matter what came after, because it touched so many lives and brought joy to so many people,” he said. “I’ll always love it – it’s beautiful – but the goal is bigger than me as an individual.

“Although it happened ten years ago, it still feels like yesterday because I get reminders and messages from people about it every single day. It’s very humbling. That goal was special at the time, it’s special today and, for me and a lot of other people, it will be special forever.”

Had the ball been scrambled in, or found the Soccer City net via his backside, the goal might still have defined Tshabalala’s career. But it was, of course, a thing of real beauty – beautifully constructed and finished with one of the most purely struck shots of that, or any, World Cup.  

“I actually thought at first about lobbing or chipping it because the keeper was off his line,” Tshabalala admitted. “Thankfully I thought twice and decided for power instead. And as I was about to hit it, the ball took a very slight bounce off the ground. That helped, I think, and the connection was so good that as soon as the ball left my foot I knew it was going in.”

The touchline dance that followed became almost as famous as the goal itself, and reflected the winger’s joy at realising a long-held dream.

“When they announced the World Cup was coming to South Africa [in 2004], I was nowhere as a footballer. But I remember telling my friend, ‘I’ll be there in 2010, playing for South Africa’. It shows the power of positive thinking.

“It was the same as the game got closer – I envisaged having a good game and scoring a goal. The celebration showed that actually because it was rehearsed. We knew we were going to score!”

Now 36, Tshabalala recently returned to South Africa from a spell in Turkey to sign for the ambitious Durban outfit AmaZulu FC. “I’m very, very excited to start this new chapter,” he told us. “It’s a club with huge potential to become a force to be reckoned with in this country.”

The 90-times-capped Bafana Bafana star has also been devoting an increasing amount of time to his foundation, which has shifted during the pandemic from a focus on sport to providing the needy with day-to-day essentials.

“Fortunately, I’ve been able to do quite a lot there,” he explained. “I was given a permit by the government to go about freely during the lockdown period, and we’ve been able to provide blankets, soap powder and other basics that were especially important in winter to people in need. It’s work that’s very important to me.

“I always say to people that, whoever I played for and whatever trophies I won, my biggest legacy will be touching lives. That goal in 2010 touched so many lives and so does the work I do with my foundation now. If I can be remembered for both of those things, I will be very, very happy.”

FIFA.com
FIFA.com News

• FIFA and host country Qatar will celebrate the milestone on Saturday, 21 November
• Compact and modern, the tournament is set to offer fans unique experiences
• Infrastructure projects remain on track, while three finalised stadiums have continued to undergo operational tests

Saturday, 21 November, marks exactly two years until the next and groundbreaking edition of the FIFA World Cup™. The compact nature, modern landscape and fascinating culture offered by the first edition of the event to be held in the Middle East and Arab world will guarantee a unique experience in 2022. Among the many distinctive features, travelling fans will have the opportunity to potentially attend more than one match a day during the group stage, which will feature an exciting schedule with four daily fixtures, as announced earlier this year.

Infrastructure planned for the event has reached 90% completion, with the three stadiums that have already been finalised – Khalifa International, Al Janoub and Education City – safely hosting more than 100 matches in 2020 in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three more tournament venues are in the final stages of construction: Al Rayyan, Al Bayt and Al Thumama. The main works at the remaining two stadiums – Ras Abu Aboud and Lusail – are set to be completed in 2021.

Countrywide infrastructure is also being delivered at a rapid pace, including the state-of-the-art Doha Metro – which was successfully utilised by fans during the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019™ – new roads and the expansion of Hamad International Airport, which is planned to cater for more than 50 million visitors a year by 2022.

“2020 has surely been a challenging year for the entire world, and football was no exception. Despite the difficulties, steady progress was made in the last few months, showing yet again Qatar’s strong and continued commitment – under the leadership of the Amir, whom I personally thank – to hosting an unforgettable FIFA World Cup in two years’ time, which will no doubt build a legacy long beyond 2022,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Besides the very important labour reforms recently announced by the government, progress has also been made on stadium construction, along with the implementation of strict measures to protect workers’ health. During my short visit to Doha a few weeks ago, I witnessed first-hand how well preparations have advanced, and I am looking forward with confidence to Qatar 2022, for the transformative impact it is already having on the country and the region, for the unique experience it will provide fans from all over the world and, of course, for witnessing the best World Cup ever.”

HE Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, added: “We are immensely proud of the progress we have made over the last ten years. Both tournament and national infrastructure projects are well advanced, with everything on track to be completed well ahead of the big kick-off. Our legacy projects, meanwhile, are already having an impact on people’s lives in areas such as workers’ rights, education and entrepreneurship.”

“This is an incredibly important FIFA World Cup – for Qatar, the region and the world. Qatar 2022 will introduce billions of people to the Middle East and Arab world for the first time, and help to foster a greater understanding and break down stereotypes that people may have of our country and region. We’re very excited to welcome the world in 2022.”

Qatar will host the most compact version of the FIFA World Cup in modern times. All the stadiums are in close proximity to one another and will be linked by an ultra-modern transport infrastructure, meaning short travel times for fans, players and media. Visitors will be able to stay in one location throughout the tournament and will not be required to take any internal flights. The longest distance between stadiums is 75km (Al Bayt to Al Janoub), while the shortest is just 5km (Education City to Al Rayyan).

In July, it was confirmed that the opening match would take place at the stunning Al Bayt Stadium, a 60,000 capacity venue designed to resemble a traditional tent used in the Arab world. The final will be staged at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium on 18 December 2022 – Qatar National Day, which is a public holiday.

FIFA.com
FIFA.com News