Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction and Betting Tips

The greatest sporting event on the planet kicks off on Sunday as World Cup hosts Qatar face Ecuador, and it's probably fitting that such a controversial tournament starts with just about the least appealing game you could imagine.

But take the noise and the politics out of this for a moment and we can only hope that host Qatar's opening game against Ecuador surprises everyone.

There's no point repeating the tsunami of criticism hosting a World Cup in Qatar has received, now is the time to see what the punting opportunities look like.

Qatar, of course, qualified automatically for the Finals – the first nation to play for the first time without qualifying since Italy in 1934.

But with Qatar kicking off this tournament as hosts most of us will be tuning in to get a taste of what’s to come.

The Qataris have been preparing for this match from the moment they landed these finals. But although they haven't played any competitive games, they have played a staggering 21 friendlies this year alone and 28 since last November.

Opponents have ranged from Linfield (they lost 1-0) to Albania (won 1-0) in their last outing and the vast majority of those games have been at European training camps.

So it's hard to gauge how they will fare once the real action starts.

Ecuador finished in a respectable fourth place in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, but concerningly for them, four of their last five friendlies have finished goalless.

How the bookies view it

Ecuador are 119/100 favourites with Highbet with the hosts 11/5 outsiders and the draw 99/50.

Recent head to heads

These two teams have met once before, with Qatar winning 4-3 in a 2018 friendly in Doha. Ecuador saw two players sent off in that match.

Players to watch

Qatari captain Hassan Al-Haydos has won a quite staggering 169 caps in 14 years of playing for his country and has scored 36 goals. He's a local hero and plays his football for Doha outfit Al-Sadd. He's 83/20 to score with Highbet.

Former West Ham striker Enner Valencia is Ecuador's most experienced striker. He's 33 now and plays for Fenerbahce and has scored 35 goals in 74 appearances. He is 9/4 with Highbet to score.

Anything else catch the eye?

It's impossible to really make a compelling case for either side here and given the prime objective in tournament football is to avoid defeat in your first game and the notorious cagey nature of opening games, the only logical conclusion is the draw here.

Sadly, neither side look prolific as Ecuador have proved with one goal in their last five games and that was against the Cape Verde Islands. In fact, they haven't scored two goals in a game in their past 11 matches.

Qatar will have home support, but let's be clear about this, it's hardly going to be Boca Juniors-levels of fanaticism and frankly, neither side look like they have goals in them.

Under 2.5 goals is trading around the 1/2 mark which is perfectly understandable, so go for under 1.5 goals at 39/25 with Highbet.

It wouldn't be surprise if we have to wait for goals here…maybe until Monday. But try the 34/25 for no goals in the first half with Highbet.

This World Cup match between Qatar and Ecuador will be played on Nov 20, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Qatar vs Ecuador prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.

Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Tips & Predictions