Qatar sets new record as exceptional World Cup kicks off

Doha, The Gulf Observer: The State of Qatar entered the history of football and international sports, with the start of the special edition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on yesterday, setting a new record for World Cup hosting, with this edition being the first for an Arab and Middle Eastern country to host this great global event.

The defining moment that Qataris yearn for is now the result of strenuous efforts made by all state institutions over the course of 12 years. Those 12 years saw a new modern country built on firm immortal roots in Arab and Islamic history embodying a legacy that esteems and cherishes ancestral customs and traditions whilst at the same time based on sustainability that will serve generations to come, and who will praise the achievements made on every aspect of life, including an event that will linger, having served as an accelerator to a vision set and implemented by officials full of patriotism and love for this country.

Qatar has now opened its arms to every football lover, welcoming all those who come to watch the World Cup. By so doing, Qatar sends a message of love and peace to all the world’s peoples echoing the message that all guests will find all respect and appreciation and live an exceptional historical experience in a region that has always wanted to present itself to the world. Qatar carried the torch of representing the Arab peoples with their traditions, customs, generosity, and kindness that puts the guest center of attention.

As fans flock to and national teams arrive in Qatar, it becomes evident that what International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino has reiterated at every opportunity is an irrefutable truth, stressing that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the absolute best and masses will have an exceptional experience. Infantino realized from the first moment that the preparations and achievements that began since the winning of the hosting bid, are capable of making this edition of the World Cup a source of pride for FIFA, Qatar, and all Arabs, given that Qatar has always emphasized the World Cup’s Arab identity. Despite the discordant and hateful voices and the systematic criticism and slander that took place, faith in this edition and the reality that it will materialize on the ground was maintained, leaving the reality on the ground to speak for itself.

The world stood on tiptoe during the moment of the official launch of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, at 6:00 pm yesterday at Al Bayt Stadium, bearing witness to the great symbolism of the chosen venue, the stadium’s name (the house), and the messages that Qatar sent to the world during an impressive ceremony that placed Qatar in the heart of the world. Billions of the Earth’s population have watched the event on their TVs, while more than 60,000 attended the ceremony in the stadium, as well as hundreds of thousands, were followed it through giant screens all over Qatar, along with other screens in various Arab and foreign cities around the world.

Confidentiality surrounds all details of the ceremony, with FIFA officials affirming the distinction and uniqueness of what is to come. One such official is FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura who said that the ceremony is the most impressive in the history of the World Cup, and will be the most beautiful of all, noting that all eyes were directed towards Qatar, the country that will experience a month-long full of football events and festive celebrations, describing the World Cup as a unique opportunity for football fans around the world to come and watch the largest football event ever, especially in light of what the world went through in the past two years under because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The official opening of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 took palce, unfolding a unique edition of the tournament, one that is prepared on a totally different scale from its predecessors. One such unique characteristic is the fact that such a huge event is taking place on a small surface, whose sides do not exceed 75 kilometers, which means that fans will not have to travel long distances from one corner to another, nor have to make multiple accommodations and transport arrangements.

Additionally, all preparations were well calculated and planned to the smallest detail, ensuring a safe and smooth flow of movement and events. Not only that, but the global vibe will be ever-present, given that all teams and matches will be nearby enabling fans to attend more than a match a day, unlike in previous tournaments, where fans only experience a single group of competitors due to distance, as in the USA 1994, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, and Russia 2018.

Players are the essence of the competition, and they were the first to recognize the uniqueness of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 edition, given that they will not have to lose time traveling, with everything being an hour away maximum, allowing them to rest and prepare for their next match. Additionally, the tournament is held from late November until mid-December, which is when footballers are at the height of their performance, making this edition one of the strongest technically and competitively, according to international football experts.

Not to mention the particularity of this edition of the tournament because this is the first tournament for which a host country has built seven stadiums from scratch, with an eighth stadium Khalifa International rebuilt to be at the same standing as the rest. Therefore, footballers will compete in modern and special world-class stadiums, and fields that are designed using the latest technology. Furthermore, fans will be guaranteed to have a luxurious, comfortable, and pleasurable experience. Thus, with both players and fans take care of, it is up to footballers and teams to amaze and perfect the experience.

Yesterday was a significant day and all eyes were directed to Qatar national team in its first participation in World Cup competitions.

The interest in Al Adaam is not be as the host who will benefit from the exceptional support of its fans only, but also from a different bet represented in the question that observers will ask: will the organizational success achieved in the World Cup extend to the technical success of the Qatari team at the competitive level by securing a seat in the round of 16 and avoiding South Africa national team’s experience, which remains the only host in the World Cup history that did not manage to qualify from the group stage.

For this particular matter, the officials of the Qatar national team developed a long-term preparation plan that continued for years through an essential building block represented by the youth generation that achieved success in age groups teams and to be the project of the team that will be prepared for the World Cup. Hence, the new team went through several great events and it proved good faith when it was crowned as champions of the Asian continent in 2019, then it went on to appear in various arenas, including the 2019 Copa America and 2021 Gold Cup, then the European qualifiers in a legal capacity without counting the results, along with many other friendly matches.

It can be said that the Qatari national team is on high alert after that long journey, but the players and their Spanish Manager, Felix Sanchez, are aware that all the experience that the team has built up must appear in the first group competitions, despite the difficulty of the task because the other three teams in the group have a long history.

The kick-off against the Ecuador national team was of great importance because it constituted a “key” to pave the way to the second round. but Ecuador won and this opened horizons for the team. We hope the Qatar team will remain an active side in the racetrack towards reaching the second round winning the next two difficult confrontations against Senegal, champions of Africa, then the Netherlands, the world’s runner-up three times.

The Manager, Felix Sanchez, emphasized that the Qatari national team is ready to compete in the World Cup after years of preparations to reach this historic moment, realizing that the task will not be easy at all, which requires its cadets to be at the top of the mental and physical presence to keep up the other teams in the group. Pointing out that each match will be dealt with separately, appreciating the advantage that the Qatari team will have when it finds support from the fans who will spare no effort to support the players and sharpen their efforts to score an honorable appearance.

Recently, most of the players have made statements that mix confidence and caution at the same time, as the stars of the Qatari national team realize that they are in front of a battlefield that has always been a dream for them since childhood, appreciating at the same time the size of the responsibility placed on them as the first generation to represent the Qatari team in the World Cup.

Beyond the Qatari national team, and as it’s the case in every version of the World Cup, all observers, followers, and fans put speculation aside, especially after the launch of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 amid high hopes that the technical level would be as exceptional as the event, whether in the place of its residence or the date when it arrives when the players reach the peak of giving with the halfway point of the football season in the world, especially in the European leagues that knew historical programming for the World Cup.

Great names enter the competition as qualified teams to be crowned including a traditional candidate permanently with each tournament, as well as the Brazilian national team that sits on the throne of world football being the most crowned team in history, with five trophies and seeks the sixth. The same applies to the German national team which has four titles and the French national team, the title winners, of the last tournament of the World Cup (Russia 2018), as well as Argentina.

The European-South American conflict remains, especially after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is seen as an opportunity for the South American giants (Argentina and Brazil) to break Europe’s dominance in the title since 2006 when Italy was crowned, and then Spain won the cup in South Africa 2010. While the German national team won the title in Brazil in 2014, and finally France won the cup in Russia in 2018, and therefore the last South American title dates back to the World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002, which is the first World Cup to be held in Asia.