Ready for Qatar: Football World Cup kicks off on November 20

Vinayak Padmadeo

WINTER is coming. Rather, the winter storm is coming to Qatar, the tiny West Asian country where the ‘greatest ever show on earth’ opens in two weeks. The planning and execution of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is estimated to entail an expenditure of over $220 billion, making it the costliest ever World Cup. For four weeks — from November 20, when the first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador is played, till the final on December 18 — the world will be divided among the faithful transcending borders. Depending upon who we love, the perennial favourites are the slick Samba boys of Brazil, or Argentina, the second most loved team since the 1980s because of the legend, Diego Armando Maradona. Or The Netherlands, who wowed with the concept of Total Football played by the likes of Johan Cruyff, remnants of which are still to be seen in the cauldrons of Camp Nou, headquarters of FC Barcelona.

Come November 20, the hardcore football fans will become world citizens and Qatar will be the centre of their world for the subsequent month.

First things first

Qatar has registered several firsts, from being the first West Asian country to host the prestigious tournament, to holding it in the winter though the World Cup has always been scheduled in the northern hemisphere between June and August. Qatar will also become the first country to play without having qualified previously. Additionally, of the eight stadiums that were cleared for all matches, seven have been freshly constructed.

It would also be the last major tournament for two of the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) to have graced the football pitch. The little magician Lionel Messi and the workman striker Cristiano Ronaldo are on the last legs of their careers. Messi last month stunned the world as he announced that he will retire after the World Cup. Ronaldo, now 37, may not be around when the next World Cup is staged in 2026.

One man who will be in Qatar is clear about who among the two he would like seeing kissing the World Cup trophy. Nicknamed the Indian Black Pearl and Kalo Harin (blackbuck), IM Vijayan will spend a month in Qatar, his sixth on the trot as a football fanatic. He wants his beloved Argentina to send Messi off with a World Cup trophy. Vijayan, the former Indian captain, confesses to being a fan of Albiceleste (as the Argentina national team is known for its white-and-light-blue colours).

“There is no doubt that I will be celebrating Argentina’s win with the fans on December 18,” the 53-year-old says, unabashedly. “Messi bada player hai. He deserves to win one World Cup trophy.”

Rooting for underdogs

Qatar is another country Vijayan is rooting for. He is proud of the fact that a country with a population of 29 lakh will be the third in Asia to host the World Cup (after co-hosts Japan and Korea in 2002). Vijayan says the Qatar team will feed on the energy from home fans and can cause an upset or two.

“They are the underdogs so the onus is on bigger countries to score against them. This is football, we have seen bigger countries losing to underdogs. The home fans will give them the boost, a draw and win could do the business for them,” the former Indian international reckons.

Qatar is grouped with Ecuador, reigning African champions Senegal and the European powerhouse The Netherlands. The most exciting part for Vijayan is that the fans, including those from India, will have a unique chance of getting to see two live matches in a day as stadiums are in close proximity and matches are being held at a three-hour gap. The maximum distance between any two venues is a little over 70 km.

Price to pay

While the world is waiting for the new champions and some new stars to emerge from the plethora of superstars on show, hosting the event in Qatar means the budget for some of the travelling fans from India has more than doubled.

Benu Dasgupta, managing director of Leisure Sports Management and Travel Planners, the agency that has been helping Indian football fans join the football festival since the 1982 Espana World Cup, has flagged the price rise in airfare and hospitality charges. According to Dasgupta’s estimate, the going rate of airfares for Qatar which used to be Rs 35,000-Rs 40,000 is now pegged at over Rs 90,000. The boarding charges of FIFA-linked hotels are also steep — Rs 32,000 a night, while the apartments cost between Rs 8,500 and Rs 20,000 per person for a night.

“The hotels aren’t including breakfast in the package. The apartments will have no room service. So many fans will be sharing rooms to check costs,” says Dasgupta.

Grounding halt

Back home in India, as the country awaits the start of the show, a few among the football community are facing problems to hold local or regional tournaments. The Kerala Football Association (KFA) is having trouble finding grounds to host its Youth Leagues games.

Many corporates and even the state government have announced events riding on the World Cup wave. The companies have booked stadiums and fields for open-air viewing or sponsored events, while the government has booked other venues for training of enthusiasts between the ages of 10 and 12 as part of its One Million Goal scheme. Spread across 1,000 venues, the children will be given basic training in football for 10 days. Various government or corporate bookings have stalled the game in Kerala. KFA secretary Anil Kumar P says he is happy and yet in a bind as the association has been forced to postpone the U-13 and U-18 tournaments for a month.

“All venues are booked. We need a minimum of 14 grounds to hold these tournaments but now we have written to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that we are postponing the leagues for a month,” adds Kumar. “We are happy that everybody is joining in and this would be a celebration for the fans, but finding grounds has been our biggest challenge. I am also getting close to over 50 calls a day asking for FIFA tickets for those wanting to travel to Qatar! What can we say, this is the beauty of the football World Cup,” says the KFA secretary.

Youth Leagues can stop if the big-moneyed premier leagues across Europe and other continents take a winter break to accommodate this year’s mega tournament. Safe to say, when the World Cup begins, football across the world has to stop.

The showstoppers

Lionel Messi: The Argentinean magician will be seen for the last time in the white and light blue as he is set to retire after the World Cup. The Argentina skipper would love to go out on a high with the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese striker has been criticised for his below-par performances for both his club Manchester United and country, with many questioning whether age is finally catching up. However, teams would do well not to take this goal-poacher lightly as he’s still lethal and canny in the opposition half.

Kylian Mbappe: The world’s highest paid footballer, Kylian Mbappe, whose devastating pace demolished many an opposition as France became champions in 2018, will be the one to look out for. Smarting at critics in Paris for his run-ins with Paris Saint-Germaine bosses, the 23-year-old would look to hit the same form in Qatar as he seeks to restore his reputation as a team player.

Neymar: The Brazilian has found form at the right time. The striker, who has had a stop-start career ever since he moved from Barcelona to PSG, has outperformed both Messi and Mbappe in Paris this year and would look to recreate the magic as Brazil chase a record sixth title.

Karim Benzema: The veteran striker for Real Madrid and France upstaged many established stars as he won the Ballon d’Or (the most prestigious individual award), leading his club team to both the La Liga and Champions League titles.

Stars who will be missing

Zlatan ‘God’ Ibrahimovic

Sweden’s talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, who famously called himself God when signing for Manchester United — ‘I won’t be the King of Manchester, I will be the God of Manchester’ — will not be in Qatar, as Sweden were knocked out of the play-offs by Poland.

Paul Pogba

The French midfielder will be one of the biggest names missing. The Juventus star has been ruled out after a knee surgery. Pogba and N’Golo Kante, also ruled out due to a hamstring injury, will be missed by their team and fans.

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool star, Egypt’s Mo Salah could be on TV duty for an Arabic channel after missing a penalty against Senegal in the play-off. The striker was one among the three to miss scoring from the penalty spot. Egypt lost the play-off 1-3.

Erling Haaland

Football world’s hottest property, Norway striker Erling Haaland (22) will be absent as his team failed to qualify. The striker scored over 20 goals for Manchester City and is tipped to fill the void left by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Luis Diaz

Colombian winger Luis Diaz, who took the English Premier League by storm last year after switching from Porto to Liverpool, will be missing due to a knee injury. Colombia finished sixth in the qualifiers by a point and failed to qualify. The 25-year-old will watch the event from the confines of his home.

Riyad Mahrez

The Algerian maestro was booted out of the qualifiers through an away-goal rule in the play-off against Cameroon. After winning the first leg 1-0 and seemingly in control of qualifications, Mahrez’s team lost 1-2 at home to go out. Mahrez, who is 31, will be an unlikely starter for Algeria in 2026, provided they qualify.