Qatar vs Ecuador LIVE: World Cup 2022 result, final score and reaction as Enner Valencia double downs hosts

James Maddison is a major doubt for England’s opening fixture of the World Cup against Iran on Monday as the Leicester City midfielder had to once again sit out today’s training session.

He trained indoors away from the other 25 players in England’s World Cup squad and is still recovering from the knee injury he sustained during the first half of Leicester’s 2-0 win over West Ham last weekend.

Maddison faces competition for a place in Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up with the attacking midfielder competing with the likes of Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish but now it seems unlikely that he will feature against Iran tomorrow.

Wales midfielder Joe Allen will miss tomorrow’s World Cup encounter against the United States due to a hamstring injury. Allen was a major doubt having not played since September.

“We said from the start we were going to give every possible chance but he’s not going to make it if I’m being completely honest,” says manager Robert Page.

“If he breaks down, he’s definitely out for the tournament. We’re not going to push him.”

Supporters have arrived in Qatar ahead of today’s opening ceremony and first fixture.

England and Wales will defy Fifa and wear their OneLove captain’s armband despite the world governing body launching their own social awareness campaign.

Harry Kane and Gareth Bale are among the seven captains that will wear the armband, along with the skippers of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

The campaign is designed to highlight discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar and concerns over the welfare of migrant labour.

Joe Lycett has appeared to shred £10,000 after David Beckham refused to pull out of his reported £10 million World Cup deal.

Last week, the stand-up comedian issued an ultimatum to Beckham over his involvement in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Lycett said that he would give £10,000 to charities that support gay people in football if Beckham ended his alleged multi-million deal over the country’s stance on LGBT+ issues. It is illegal to be gay in Qatar.

If Beckham did not do so, Lycett said he would shred the £10,000 (£1,000 for every £1m allegedly earned by the former England player) and livestream it on Sunday (20 November) at midday on the website BendersLikeBeckham.com.

England have learned their FIFA World Cup group stage opponents after the draw took place in the Qatari capital Doha on Friday.

Having come so close to winning last summer’s EURO 2020 tournament on home soil, the Three Lions are among the favourites to take the trophy home in Qatar, alongside the likes of Brazil, Belgium, Germany, and reigning champions France.

Gareth Southgate’s side were drawn in Group B along with Iran, USA and the winner of the Uefa play-off route which contained Wales, Scotland and Ukraine, and the Welsh beat Ukraine in the final in Cardiff.

Southgate will be relying on squad stalwarts including Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling to navigate the team through the first round as comfortably as possible. Then younger players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice and Phil Foden will also be looking to make an impact at the biggest tournament in world football for the first time in their careers.

Here is everything you need to know about England’s group stage opponents and their fixture schedule out in Qatar:

African teams played fewer matches against World Cup nations ahead of the tournament than their counterparts from other confederations.

Since the previous World Cup in 2018, PA analysis shows there have been a total of 269 games between the 32 teams heading to Qatar, of which only 25 (9 per cent) have involved African sides.

Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cameroon and Ghana have played an average of seven matches in the last four years against their potential opponents at the tournament, by far the lowest among continents represented.

“History will be made in Qatar for the Fifa World Cup 2022, with the appointment of six female match officials for the first time.

“Referees Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan – as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA – represent a cadre of female referees breaking through in elite men’s level.

“The list of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials (VMOs) chosen to go to Qatar represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide.

“The appointment of female match officials to Qatar 2022 has been achieved thanks to a long-term plan. This involved their appointment to men’s junior and senior Fifa tournaments in preparation for the world’s most important tournament in Qatar.”

If English football administrators were desperate to avoid controversy about labour issues in Qatar during the World Cup, then the choice of venue for the team’s first match has put paid to any such hope.

On Monday lunchtime, when Harry Kane leads out England’s team for the game against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium, he will do so in a venue touched by tragedy.

Khalifa, named after a previous Emir of Qatar, is the country’s national stadium. Of the eight venues where games will be played at the World Cup, Khalifa, built in 1976, is the only one to have been refurbished rather than built from scratch.

It was the first stadium to be made World Cup ready. It was also the venue for the World Athletics Championships, and where Liverpool beat Flamengo to win the Club World Cup final in 2019, and it is just a short trip down the usually congested Al Waab Street from where current Barcelona boss Xavi cut his managerial teeth at Al Sadd.

The moments that define a World Cup are not always entirely dictated by what happens on the pitch. The words used to describe the great goals can often stick with fans and enhance the memory further. Think Siphiwe Tshabalala’s iconic strike for hosts South Africa against Mexico in 2010. “Goal Bafana Bafana, goal for South Africa, goal for all Africa,” screamed Peter Drury.

Not only the immediate words or silence surrounding the goals, but the familiarity with those in the booth. The chemistry, anecdotes and jokes at the right time, all of which can be crucial to the enjoyment of a game, or get it wrong, run the risk of spoiling it. Rarely has this been as perfectly delivered by the endearing combination of Jon Champion and Ally Mccoist.

Another veteran of the mic is ITV’s Clive Tyldesley, whose wealth of knowledge stretches back to the 1994 World Cup. Steve Wilson and Guy Mowbray remain part of the BBC’s commentary team too. The co-commentator can often define the experience for the fan at home too, playing a pivotal role. Martin Keown, Danny Murphy, Robbie Savage and Peter Schmeichel all feature for the BBC this time around, while Lee Dixon, McCoist, John Hartson and Andros Townsend will make up ITV’s commentary team.