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Aaron Morris

England vs Wales, Iran vs USA: Why World Cup 2022 fixtures are now being played at the same time

The initial group stage of the Qatar World Cup this week comes to a close, with just 16 teams qualifying for the next stage of the tournament.

And that signals the end of four back-to-back games each day that football fans around the world have been enjoying - waving goodbye to the earlier fixtures at 10am and 1pm.

And although we're not quite at the round of 16 yet, with all teams left to play one final game before qualifying or missing out - scheduling changes have already began taking place.

Read more: World Cup 2022: Portugal vs Uruguay halted as pitch invader storms field with rainbow flag

At the time of writing, both of the Group A fixtures have already kicked off - with Ecuador facing Senegal and the Netherlands taking on hosting Qatar from 3pm onwards. And tonight will see all four Group B sides kick off at the same time in a similar style at 7pm.

Iran face USA at the Al Thumama Stadium, while the battle of Britain between Wales and England simultaneously takes place at the Ahmed bin Ali. But why are all group games taking place at the same time, instead of being staggered throughout the day?

Why have the kick-off times changed?

The final round of group stage games have always been played at the same time since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. This was thanks to the 'Disgrace of Gijon' between West Germany and Austria four years earlier.

Algeria and Chile had played their final game of the group the day before, and it gave both West Germany and Austria knowledge that if the Germans won by one or two goals, then both the teams playing that day would qualify - leaving Algeria and Chile eliminated.

West Germany would go on to score the first and only goal of the game within 10 minutes of play, progressively leading the game to an all-but standstill in the second half. While spectators of the match itself accused both teams of match fixing, FIFA ruled that no rules were broken.

Now, with all teams in each group kicking off at the same time - no team can gain an unfair advantage by going into their final game, knowing the exact result they need to qualify.

Why 3pm and 7pm?

The climate of Qatar cools significantly in the evening, meaning that the severe heat is at its lowest between the two later kick off slots. As well as this, more people are able to watch games in the evening - which allows broadcasting station to achieve higher viewership.

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