SUNDAY’S WORLD CUP

A look at the first matchup of the 2022 World Cup:

GROUP A: QATAR VS. ECUADOR

Where: Al Bayt Stadium

Time: 8 a.m. PST

TV: FS1, Telemundo, Peacock

The buzz: This game was moved up a day to assure the host nation, playing in its first World Cup, had the spotlight to itself. Managed by former Barcelona youth coach Félix Sánchez and with a roster composed entirely of players from the domestic Stars League, Qatar has lost only three of 22 matches in the last 11 months, but only one of its wins was against a World Cup team. With one more goal, Sudanese-born striker Almoez Ali will become the country’s all-time leading scorer. Ecuador, playing in its fourth World Cup since 2002, had to withstand a challenge from Chile, which alleged that defender Byron Castillo, who played in eight qualifiers for Ecuador, was ineligible. Castillo did not make it to the World Cup, but La Tri’s roster features three players — midfielders José Cifuentes, Jhegson Méndez and Diego Palacios — from LAFC’s MLS Cup championship team.