We’ve finally arrived after twelve years of long wait. The World Cup will begin on November 20 in Qatar. This World Cup will be unlike any other. It is the region’s and the Arab world’s first World Cup. Qatar will be the world’s smallest country to host the largest single-sport event. The timing, the size of Qatar, the innovation, and the legacy plan may result in the best World Cup for both players and fans.

Fresh Legs and Minds

If you can get past the cacophony of voices about the postponement of the World Cup from summer to winter, you can understand that it is a blessing for international football tournament. “What does a winter World Cup offer players and fans?”, you may ask. For players, it provides fresh legs to run for their countries while fans can enjoy better-quality football.

According to data from transfermarkt, when Lionel Messi arrived in Russia for the 2018 World Cup, he had already played 54 games-4,468 minutes of football- for Barcelona in the 2017/18 season. Cristiano Ronaldo played, well-managed, 44 games for Real Madrid, including the Champions League final, three weeks before leading Portugal in that infamous 3-3 draw against Spain in their group opening game. Kevin De Bruyne had 4189 minutes of football-52 games- under his legs for Manchester City before turning up for Belgium in Russia.

Even though players are well looked after by their clubs with the help of modern physical trainers, sleep specialists, nutritionists, and psychologists and can hire personal Chefs to stay injury free, they will be physically and mentally tired at the end of the club season.

The Qatar World Cup will be unique.  Since it is in the middle of the season for many players going to Doha, they are still fresh; their legs do not seem heavy. So far, De Bruyne has played only 15 games for Manchester City. He will add five more games for The Citizens until the World Cup if he plays in all of them. Messi has featured 16 times for the Paris club with four more games before he leads Argentina’s search for glory. The World Cup games will be mouth-watering clashes between players at the peak of their physical and mental conditions.

Qatar’s size will also keep players as fresh as possible. With the stadiums built in a radius of 12kms and the furthest stadium being less than 55km from Doha, players will have much-needed rest and recovery instead of flying thousands of kilometers between matches from their bases. In Qatar, 24 of 32 teams will be based in a 10km radius.

The frenemies World Cup

The usual suspects, the European teams, will be in the later stages of the competition. Either Brazil or Argentina, led by friends from Paris Saint Germain, however, might take the trophy to South America for the first time in two decades. The Europe vs. South America battle will make Qatar 2022 the best World Cup in recent memory.

Argentina is on the ascend, winning Copa America and beating Italy, the European champions, in the Finalissima 2022. The players seem ready to fight for Lionel Messi in addition to their country.

In 2006, Messi was beginning to make a name for himself. He became the youngest Argentine to play and score in the World Cup. Qatar 2022 might be his last.

In the first World Cup on the African continent in 2010, Diego Maradona’s Argentina experiment went awry when a ruthless German side beat them in the quarterfinals.

They reached the final four years later at the helm of their eternal football enemies, but they couldn’t pass the German test again.

2018 followed the same script without reaching a climax. France swept them aside on their way to becoming champions.

Qatar 2022 will be different. This is Messi’s team. He is the alpha of a pack of wolves ready to attack.

Messi’s teammate at PSG and friend, Neymar, is still the most crucial player for Brazil. He is also the team’s de facto leader. But the Seleção are not as dependent on him as the Albiceleste are on Messi, giving Brazil the edge in the battle to take the trophy to Latin America. They will probably have one of the best attacking lines in the World Cup. Vinicius Jr. is a LaLiga and champions league winner, scoring in the final. He has added goals and maturity to his dribbling and 1v1 skills. He has become more consistent. Coach Tite can choose between Raphinha or Antony on the right wing. Rodrygo has been showing his class whenever he is given a chance at Real Madrid. A five-time Champions League winner in Casemiro will marshal the midfield.

The team in Qatar 2022 will not be the same as the team that attended Zinedine Zidane’s masterclass in Germany in 2006, nor the team that didn’t show up in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

It will neither be the team that lived through the ghost of Mineirão on its home turf in 2014 nor the 2018 team that failed in its first big challenge against Belgium.

The current Seleção oozes a feeling of a team that is a fullback away from being complete.

Neymar and Messi having a top-drawer season will make the World Cup in Qatar an interesting one to look forward to. The unpredictability of the European teams, one of the African teams becoming a surprise, and Asia having strong candidates are spine-tingling anticipations.

Controlled Weather in Stadiums

Qatar 2022 will, arguably, have the optimal weather condition to play football. Seven of the World Cup stadiums are air-conditioned. They have advanced cooling technology for the players on the pitch and fans in the stands.

When Ronaldo is shooting the ball in Education City Stadium in Portugal’s final group stage game; Messi is curling freekicks and Neymar is dancing through defenders in Argentina’s opening game and Brazil’s third game in Lusail Stadium, respectively, and De Bruyne is making through passes in Al Thumama stadium, both the weather on the pitch and the quality of air will be regulated, providing players with an opportunity to perform at their optimal level.

A Non-White Elephant World Cup

170,000 stadium seats. Take a careful look at the number. It is not the number of total seats in all stadiums. It is the number of seats that can be dismantled after the World Cup and will be donated to other countries.  Qatar has a population of only three million. What would the country do with seven new stadiums and an upgraded one after the World Cup? This is where the legacy and sustainability plan comes into effect.

After the World Cup, the 80,000-seater Lusail Stadium, where the final will be played, will become a community hub.

Education City Stadium, where you could probably watch a Germany vs. Spain/Brazil quarter-final, has a capacity of 40,000. It will be reduced to 20,000 after the World Cup.

The 60,000-seater Al-Bayt stadium, which will host the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, will have only 32,000 seats.

While many stadiums will reduce their capacity, Stadium 974 will be completely dismantled and donated. It’s made from 974 shipping containers. It is the first fully dismountable stadium in World Cup history.

Some countries have had challenges maintaining stadiums and generating revenues after hosting World Cups. Qatar is showing the way to future hosts by building easily dismountable stadiums. But the dismantling of seats and dismounting of a stadium will have to wait since Qatar is hosting the 2023 AFC Asian Cup a few months after the World Cup.

You can find the abridged version of this article on Qatar Tribune : Why Qatar 2022 will be the best World Cup ever – Read Qatar Tribune on the go for unrivalled news coverage (qatar-tribune.com)