One day to kick-off – but still no Thai TV World Cup schedule
Just one day before the 2022 Fifa World Cup kicks off on Sunday, fans in Thailand are still confused over the TV schedule for free live broadcasts of the matches.
Hosts Qatar face Ecuador in the opening match of the tournament, which kicks off at 11pm Thai time on Sunday.
The opening ceremony from 10pm will feature performances by British pop star Robbie Williams and Jungkook from K-pop group BTS.
Williams has faced criticism for taking money to perform in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and punished by up to three years in prison, with the possibility of the death sentence for gay Muslims. Williams has in the past won fame for supporting the LGBTQ+ movement.
Media have also reported that Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, and J Balvin could make surprise appearances at the opening ceremony.
The tournament features 32 teams, split into eight groups of four. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the last-16 knockout stage.
The round of 16 will be played from December 3 to 6.
The quarter-finals will kick-off on December 9 and 10.
The semi-finals are scheduled for December 13-14, before the losers face off in the third-place play-off on December 17.
The winners will fight for the trophy in the final on December 18.
The Thai government bought the broadcast rights for all 64 matches of the World Cup earlier this week, after three major conglomerates contributed 600 million baht to the purchase fund.
The Sports Authority of Thailand held a videoconference with digital television operators on Saturday. As a result, live World Cup matches will be broadcast on 17 digital television channels on a rotating basis.
Fans in Thailand can watch the tournament on True4U, T Sports 7, Channel 3, Channel 5, Channel 7, Channel 8, Channel 9 MCOT, NBT, TPBS, Thairath TV, Amarin TV, Mono 29, PPTV 36, GMM 25, Nation TV, ONE 31, and JKN18
The opening match will be broadcast on True4U channel while the schedule for other matches will be announced later.
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