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A World Cup 12 years in the making

DUBAI: The first FIFA World Cup to take place in the Arab world will kick off Sunday in Doha when the host nation take on Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match at Al-Bayt Stadium.

The journey from winning the nomination on Dec. 2, 2010 to the big kick off on Nov. 20, 2022 has not been without challenges and controversies, but for the teams and fans who have landed in Qatar, and for millions around the world, the moment of truth has arrived.

As in Russia four years ago, there will be four Arab nations taking part in the tournament. This time around they are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among a record six Asian Football Confederation members taking part, along with Japan, South Korea, Iran and Australia.

Of the Arab nations, Qatar have an immediate chance to get three points on the board against Ecuador — arguably the easiest of their three matches in group A, which also includes the Netherlands and Senegal.

A win would leave the Asian champions requiring perhaps just a single point from their two other matches to become only the fourth Arab nation — after Morocco (1986), Saudi Arabia (1994), and Algeria (2014) — to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup.

Saudi Arabia have the toughest start of the Arab nations, taking on Argentina in their Group C opener, before facing Poland and Mexico in two matches that are only marginally less difficult.

A strong Morocco squad will have high hopes of causing an upset in Group F against Belgium Canada and Croatia, while Tunisia were dealt a tough hand when placed with champions France, Denmark and Canada in Group D.

While the Arab teams might struggle to progress beyond the group stages, it is a mission they should embrace. Players

Read more on arabnews.com