World Cup 2022 takes place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18; 32 teams to compete in eight groups; England face Iran on the second day of the tournament while Wales face USA; Wales vs England on November 29

Since the start of the World Cup in 1930, over 2500 goals have been scored across 20 editions of the tournament.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Sunday November 20 at the Al Bayt Stadium when the hosts take on Ecuador in Group A. The tournament was originally set to begin a day later with Senegal's game against the Netherlands at Al Thumama Stadium but Qatar's match was moved forward to allow them to open their home tournament.

England will now feature on the second day with their Group B match against Iran scheduled to take place on Monday November 21 with a 1pm UK time kick-off. The game is just eight days after the Premier League shuts down

After qualifying via the play-offs, Wales' first game will also be on Monday November 21.

The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha a week before Christmas on Sunday December 18.

FIFA World Cup – a concept first proposed by a French journalist Robert Guerin – has become a unifying spectacle for international football that stages joy, grief, anxiety and every emotion that embellishes the fact that football is more than just a game.

Since the start of the World Cup in 1930, over 2500 goals have been scored across 20 editions of the tournament. Here are the milestone goals in the grandest carnival of the sport over the years.

What is the World Cup format and schedule?

Four matches will be played each day during the group stage, which will run over a 12-day period and see winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16.

Unlike at Euro 2020, there will be a third-place play-off game on December 17.

Group stage - all kick-off times in UK

Sunday November 20

Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 4pm)

Monday November 21

Group B: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 4pm)

Group B: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Tuesday November 22

Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 10am)

Group D: Denmark vs Tunisia (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group C: Mexico vs Poland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group D: France vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 7pm)

Wednesday November 23

Group F: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 10am)

Group E: Germany vs Japan (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group E: Spain vs Costa Rica (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 4pm)

Group F: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Thursday November 24

Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group H: Portugal vs Ghana (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group G: Brazil vs Serbia (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Friday November 25

Group B: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 10am)

Group A: Qatar vs Senegal (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 1pm)

Group A: Netherlands vs Ecuador (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 4pm)

Group B: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Saturday November 26

Group D: Tunisia vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group D: France vs Denmark (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group C: Argentina vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Sunday November 27

Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 10am)

Group F: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 1pm)

Group F: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 4pm)

Group E: Spain vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Monday November 28

Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group H: South Korea vs Ghana (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group G: Brazil vs Switzerland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Tuesday November 29

Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 3pm)

Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group B: Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Group B: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Wednesday November 30

Group D: Australia vs Denmark (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm)

Group D: Tunisia vs France (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group C: Poland vs Argentina (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 7pm)

Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Thursday December 1

Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group F: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 3pm)

Group E: Costa Rica vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Group E: Japan vs Spain (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Friday, December 2

Group G: South Korea vs Portugal (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group G: Ghana vs Uruguay (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm)

Group H: Serbia vs Switzerland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 7pm)

Group H: Cameroon vs Brazil (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Round of 16

Saturday December 3

49 - Winners of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

50 - Winners of Group C vs Runners-up of Group D (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Sunday December 4

52 - Winners of Group D vs Runners-up of Group C (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha; kick-off 3pm)

51 - Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Monday December 5

53 - Winners of Group E vs Runners-up of Group F (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm)

54 - Winners of Group G vs Runners-up of Group H (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 7pm)

Tuesday December 6

55 - Winners of Group F vs Runners-up of Group E (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

56 - Winners of Group H vs Runners-up of Group G (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Quarter-finals

Friday December 9

58 - Winners of 53 vs Winners of 54 (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

57 - Winners of 49 vs Winners of 50 (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; 7pm)

Saturday December 10

60 - Winners of 55 vs Winners of 56 (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha; kick-off 3pm)

59 - Winners of 51 vs Winners of 52 (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Semi-finals

Tuesday December 13

61 - Winners of 57 vs Winners of 58 (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Wednesday December 14

62 - Winners of 59 vs Winners of 60 (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Saturday December 17

63 - Third place play-off (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Final

Sunday December 18

64 - The World Cup final (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 3pm)

The FIFA World Cup – since its launch in 1930 – brings before the mind’s eye an enchanting panorama of human endeavour in all its irrepressible quest for excellence.

Is soccer a passion, an obsession, an addiction or a mania.... Well, it will be difficult to fathom what it really is.

When Lucien Laurent, a 5 feet 3 inch forward made a run close to the box and shot a volley off a cross from Ernest Liberato (from his right), the very first moment of joy, jubilation and bedlam in the tournament came up.

Laurent, who scored with a volley against Mexico in the opening match of the 1930 finals in Uruguay which France won 4-1, played 10 times for his country and scored twice.

Laurent had scored the first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup. France went to score three more goals in that match against Mexico, winning it 4-1.

“When I scored my goal, which was the first of the tournament and my first for France, we congratulated each other but without jumping all over one another like they do now,” explained Laurent at a gala dinner held by the organisers of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

Angelo Shiavio was one of the most significant players of the Italian National Team as the Azzurris won its first World Cup, beating Czechoslovakia on home soil.

The forward scored the winner in extra-time. At the end of regulation time the score remained 1-1 and Shivaio – getting a cross from Enrique Guaita – drove the ball home to give Italy the edge.

But Shiavio got his name into history books before that match, in Italy’s first game, against the United States of America.

Angelo Shiavio (fourth from left) was one of the most significant players of the Italian National Team as the Azzurris won its first World Cup.

Angelo Shiavio (fourth from left) was one of the most significant players of the Italian National Team as the Azzurris won its first World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP

In the 64th minute – shortly after Giovanni Ferrari scored from an Anfilogino Guarisi corner-kick – Schiavio completed his hattrick in style to score the 100th goal of the FIFA World Cup.

At the World Cup, he set multiple records. He scored Italy’s first world cup goal, first hat-trick by an Italian in the World Cup and finished the tournament as the second highest goal scorer with four goals.

500 – Robert Young Collins, Scotland – 1958

In the 1958 FIFA World Cup, Scotland had a rather unimpressive run, as it got eliminated in the group stage with no wins in the tournament. But Bobby Collins, the forward got his name on record books despite losing the game, to Paraguay.

The Scotland football team set to take part in the World Cup in Sweden, 13th May 1958, featuring Robert Young Collins (front row centre).

The Scotland football team set to take part in the World Cup in Sweden, 13th May 1958, featuring Robert Young Collins (front row centre). | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The South Americans – leading 2-1 at half-time – further increased its lead with a goal by Silvio Jose Parodi in the 73rd minute. Playing inside-left, Collins replied with a quick goal within three minutes, reducing the deficit of goals to just one.

It was his seventh international goal and the 500th goal of the FIFA World Cup.

1000 – Rob Rensenbrink, Netherlands – 1978

Rob Rensenbrink – the Dutch forward who initially struggled for chances in the 1974 World Cup – rose to prominence after Johan Cruyff retired from international football.

Playing mostly as a left-winger, Rob ended up as the second-highest goal scorer in the World Cup and was crucial in the team’s run-up to the final, where it lost to Argentina.

Reports from varoius media.