From now, it’s a 14-day wait for the curtain to rise on one of the ‘greatest shows on earth,’ the World Cup Football 2022 in Qatar.
In the opener, hosts take on Ecuador in a Group A match on Sunday, November 20 at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The extravaganza wraps up in less than a month, with the final due to be played on Sunday, December 18.
Crores of fans are around the corner, and every country in the world is accounted for in the most attractive show. All the preparations have already been completed to stage the biggest soccer carnival when Qatar, one of the richest countries in the World, is decorated to receive all the teams and the thousands of visitors.
Qatar has faced strong scrutiny since winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup for its different laws and the treatment of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who helped build the infrastructure needed to stage such an event, but the concerns are over and they are ready to make it a successful World Cup.
FIFA has requested teams that are set to participate at the World Cup in Qatar to "now focus on football" and not allow the sport to be "dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists".
The call was made in a letter sent by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura to all 32 nations which are due to compete in Qatar, with a little over two weeks to go until the World Cup is due to start, the FIFA leadership has called on teams to concentrate on playing football.
According to Sky News, Infantino said that FIFA try to "respect all opinions and beliefs without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world" and insisted that everyone will be welcome in Qatar "regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality".
"One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity," added Infantino.