The original plan was for the opening ceremony to be held before Qatar’s game against Ecuador the following day – which created the unusual situation of two matches being held before the ceremony.

Normally the opening ceremony is conducted before the kickoff of the first game of the tournament.

The Group A match between Senegal v Netherlands and the Group B match between England and Iran were scheduled to take place before the ceremony on Nov 21.

The plan has to be voted on by the heads of Fifa’s six regional confederations and president Gianni Infantino but, despite the late notice, is expected to win support.

The switch to a Nov 20 opening ceremony and game would allow the Senegal-Netherlands match, scheduled for 1pm local time on Nov 21, to kick off later in the day. The Group B matches on that day, which also include the US v Wales, would be unaffected.