Friday, at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. Belgian time), the Red Devils will face Egypt for their only friendly match before the start of the 2022 World Cup.
This match will be held in Kuwait, a neighboring state of Qatar, organizer of the World Cup from November 20 to December 18. The country was asking to host a prestigious match before the big international tournament. An intermediary company, MatchWorld, proposed the Red Devils, second in the FIFA ranking. Belgium chose Egypt to face a country from North Africa, a common point with Morocco, the second team that the Devils will meet in Qatar. Tunisia was another option explored, but they were already playing a match at the World Cup on November 22.
Kuwait is delighted that the opponent of the Belgians is Egypt. For the presence of Mohamed Salah, a star of international football, and because there is a very strong Egyptian community in Kuwait (the second foreigner in the country behind the Indian). The host country pays an amount of 500,000 euros to the Belgian Federation and covers the costs of stay for four days on site. This presence in the Persian Gulf from November 15 allows weather acclimatization to our selection. MatchWorld offered to play the match on the 17th, but manager Roberto Martinez preferred to wait another 24 hours.
This was the deadline because the rule requires a presence on Qatari soil at least five days before a nation enters the tournament. As the Devils start on the 23rd against Canada, they had to be in Doha before midnight on the 18th. This will be done since the Belgians’ plane will take off from Kuwait City around 11:00 p.m. on Friday, which also explains the unusual time of the match. against Egypt.
