Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction | World Cup 2022 ‣ Betiton™

On November 21st, 2022, at the Al Bayt Stadium, the hosts Qatar will kick off their FIFA World Cup against Ecuador to an audience of 1.1 billion around the world. This is the most prestigious footballing tournament to exist, and throughout, we will be giving you our World Cup 2022 predictions. In this prediction special, we will be analysing the opening World Cup match in our Qatar vs Ecuador prediction. We’ll be presenting each team, along with their history, road to the cup, top players to watch, and the popular betting odds that are offered by Betiton™.

Qatar Preview

The Qatar national football team will be making their first-ever World Cup appearance since the nation’s independence, which came about in 1971, be it by default by hosting the event. This is not to say that the nation and team lack any experience in cup competitions. Qatar has been a frequent participant in the AFC Asian Cup and gave a stunning performance in the 2019 Copa America.

So, what does this team offer that can affect the Qatar vs Ecuador odds?

World Cup History

Can we look at the history of the Qatar nation if there really isn’t any to help for our Qatar vs Ecuador prediction? One of the important factors of online sports betting is statistical data, but in this case, there has to be an exception made. Bettors must analyse the Qatar team based on other cup performances and balance it off when judging how the World Cup will play out.

Most recently was the 2019 Asian Cup tournament in which Qatar won. Now, their road to becoming champions had them facing North Korea, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia in their group. Having qualified top and not losing or conceding a goal, their fixtures in the qualifying rounds were as follows:

• Round of 16: Beat Iraq 1-0
• Quarter-Finals: Beat Australia 1-0
• Semi-Finals: Beat the United Arab Emirates 4-0
• Final: Beat Japan 3-1 to win the Asian Cup for the first time in the country’s history.

When looking at this in some context, Japan is a very strong team, and they have plenty of experience in World Cup stages. Japan and currently the 24th favourite to win the competition, above Qatar. For the Qatar national team to play 7 games and only concede 1 goal is an incredible feat and is something to take note of when we look at the odds and predictions of the fixture against Ecuador.

Qualification & Road to the World Cup 2022

For Qatar, the road to the World Cup was as simple as it can get. As hosts, they immediately qualify without having to play any qualification games. Getting to host the tournament came with a cloud of controversy, given that former FIFA president Sepp Blatter awarded the rights to Qatar. The former president was soon banned and replaced following corruption charges.

Qatar Players to Watch

Who are the players in the Qatar team that are going to make the biggest impact in this tournament? Many of the players will not be household names, as many play within Europe and Asian leagues. Here are our top 3 players to keep an eye on:

• Akram Afif: Position: Striker. Last season’s Player of the Year received 68% of the votes from the Qatar FA Award’s Board of Trustees. Currently, he has 83 international caps and 24 goals for his country. His strongest attributes are offence play and impact play. For his club in the 21/22 season, he scored 14 goals, made 17 assists, and played only 18 games. Qatar will be relying on him to put the ball in the net, no doubt about that.
• Homam Ahmed: Position: Left Full-Back. Has 25 international caps and 2 goals. With his league form, he has 5 goals and 4 assists. Homam has a knack for bookings with a total of 14 in the 68 games he has played in all competitions. Solid worker to watch out for and perhaps worth a bet on picking up a card or two in the competition.
• Abdulaziz Hatem: Position: Midfield. One of the older generation of players, Abdulaziz has 94 international caps and 11 goals. Aged 31, this more experienced player will be key to holding the middle line. For his league performances this season, he has amassed 15 games, 1 goal, and 3 assists. If coming on as a sub, expect it to be to strengthen Qatar’s attack.

Ecuador Preview

As it stands, Ecuador is currently the 18th favourite to win the cup, and is, therefore, seen as a stronger team than the hosts Qatar. Ecuador certainly comes with more experience in this competition, despite the 2002 World Cup being the first that they had ever qualified for. Look at their past results, and Ecuador has been an unfortunate team because when they lose, it’s more often than not just by the one goal.

World Cup History

Not an overly common sight to see within World Cup betting, Ecuador will be making only their fourth appearance in a World Cup. Their last appearance was in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but their best was notably in 2006 when they reached the Round of 16 and got dumped out by England (1-0).

Qualification & Road to the World Cup 2022

What needs to be remembered when it comes to qualifying for a World Cup, especially for teams in South America, is that you have to face the likes of Brazil and Argentina. A nightmare for most, but Ecuador qualified and here is how…

Ecuador Players to Watch

Who is going to make the biggest impact in the cup for Ecuador? Well, there are a fair few to choose from, but these are our top three Ecuadorians to watch:

• Moises Caicedo: Position: Midfield. The rising star on the Ecuadorian football circuit. Only aged 20 but is a ‘one-to-watch’ in this competition. His stats so far for the 21/22 season is 26 games, 3 goals, and 3 assists. Likes to collect bookies with 6 to his name already. Fiery temperament but a talent. Worth a punt for a goal and to be booked, even if coming on as a sub.
• Enner Valencia: Position: Striker. Now at 32, the Fenerbahce striker still is the first name down on the team sheet. So far, Enner has made 72 appearances and has scored 35 goals, and made 12 assists. His card count is quite high as well with 13 in total. Could be a dark horse for the group’s top goal scorer.
• Pervis Estupiñán : Position: Left Full-Back. His international career has seen him collect 26 international caps, 3 goals, 2 assists, and 4 yellow cards. Not too bad for a 3-year international career so far. He does have a very high card count with his domestic football. Currently, he has 14 yellows in 90 La Liga games. A safe football prediction is that he will pick up a card or two in the group stages.

Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Odds

So, with the details of each team discussed, what is our own World Cup predictor saying about the game and what are the hottest World Cup bets to lay down?

We are going to be sharing with you the odds for match-winner, and the odds for over or under 2.5 goals. These are two of the more popular football betting markets that members of Betiton™ opted for during the qualifying stages.

Match Winner

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Who Will Win? Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction

As World Cup predictions go, this may be one of the easiest to call out in the competition. With experience on their side and a highly impressive string of results in the qualifying stages, there is a very clear winner to this game and that is Ecuador. To hold draws against Brazil and Argentina is something quite impressive. The team managed by Gustavo Alfaro is young but packed with talent, so we think this will most likely end in a 2-0 win for the South American team.

Our Qatar vs Ecuador prediction: Ecuador to win.

Our Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Tips

Looking at our highly competitive World Cup 2022 betting odds, these are the best betting tips and football predictions we have for the match between Qatar and Ecuador.

To win the game put your money on Ecuador, which is currently at 1.60 odds. If you want to explore other betting markets, under 2.5 goals (again) at 1.60 odds could be a good shout, given that we think the game could end up 2-0.