Commentary: Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar amid rising tensions in Middle East

PARIS: Little more than a year after Qatar hosted FIFA’s 2022 World Cup, the country is again set to host one of global football’s biggest national team competitions – the Asian Football Confederation’s Cup.

The small Gulf nation will take on Lebanon at the Lusail Stadium, the venue at which in December 2022 Lionel Messi captained Argentina to tournament victory.

Qatar will be hoping to repeat its 2019 Asian Cup triumph, at a competition taking place for the first time since it defeated Japan in the United Arab Emirates. The last five years have been dynamic, turbulent and uncertain; indeed, China was supposed to have hosted the Asian Cup in 2023, having won the right to stage it in June 2019.

Back then, China was aspiring to become one of the world’s leading football nations. Nowadays, such dreams have been thwarted by underachieving players, interfering politicians and an air of cautiousness among Chinese officials. In 2022, as most of the world exited pandemic controls, China’s zero-COVID policy saw it withdraw from hosting the Asian Cup.

The AFC therefore reopened bidding for the rescheduled 2024 event, which proved to be a serendipitous opportunity for Qatar. Having spent over US$200 billion preparing to host the World Cup, the country will be able to utilise its new infrastructure and demonstrate that tournament hosting can yield positive legacies. This is especially important for Qatar because neighbouring Saudi Arabia has emerged as a serious rival in organising sport events.

At the 2022 World Cup, Qatar established itself as a reliable host capable of successfully delivering events, a focal point for communicating a vision of Arab unity and a legitimate, trustworthy member of the international community.