Razzmatazz of World Cup missing but Asian Cup a chance for Qatar to make progress on pitch

The 974 Stadium looms large on the Express Road that connects the Hamad International Airport to Downtown Doha.

The arena, which gets its name from the almost 1,000 shipping containers that formed its structure, was built for the 2022 World Cup. It was to be dismantled two Decembers ago, immediately after Lionel Messi and Argentina reigned supreme in Qatar, and donated to countries deemed to need it most.

As one of the first landmarks to come into view for those who touch down in Doha and head for the city’s heartland, it feels now of another era, the top tiers gone to leave a barren ring around its upper half.

Yet signposts on the highway still demarcate designated lanes into the stadium for media and TV; the overpass bridge that straddles the multi-laned road is emblazoned with Qatar 2022 insignia. “Welcome Amazing”, the tournament tagline, peers down, in large script, from the flyover.

Not much more than a year on from Qatar’s major moment, the Gulf state has welcomed another marquee international tournament this month and midway into the next. The 2023 Asian Cup, relocated from China and thus rescheduled in Qatar, got under way on Friday night to the north of Doha, where the hosts fared mightily better than they did upon the grand opening to the Arab world’s first World Cup, 14 months ago.

At the same Lusail Stadium that hoisted Messi, finally, among the immortals, Qatar overcame Lebanon with minimal fuss, winning 3-0. The defending champions, Asian Cup winners four years previously in the UAE, gave the majority of the near 82,500 crowd what they wanted; Akram Afif and Almoez Ali, that transcendent tandem from 2019, recaptured form of old to rekindle possibilities of repeat success for their country.

Coming into the