The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the tiny nation that has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East and most expensive in history.
In a show of Gulf solidarity, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was among the political leaders arriving in Doha ahead of the opening ceremony to be held in a tent-shaped stadium at 4.40pm SA time, before the first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador , both at Al Bayt Stadium.
Qatar and Fifa hope the spotlight will turn to action on the pitch after facing mounting criticism over foreign workers' rights, LGBTQI rights and social restrictions. Organisers have denied allegations of bribery for hosting rights. As some visitors savoured their first sips of beer at the launch of the Fifa Fan Festival on Saturday in central Doha, hundreds of workers, all men, gathered in a sports arena in an industrial zone on the city's edges where no alcohol was being served. They will be able to watch matches there.
Wealthy gas producer Qatar is the smallest nation to host soccer's biggest global event, organised at a cost of $220bn . Crowd control will be key with some 1.2 million visitors expected — more than a third of Qatar's population.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Qatar bans alcohol sales at World Cup stadiumsThis is a dramatic reversal of a decision to allow Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell Budweiser beer
Read more »
EXPLAINER: Human rights, worker deaths: Why Qatar World Cup is controversialHost country Qatar has come under scrutiny for a number of reasons, from allegations of bribery and corruption to human rights violations and worker deaths.
Read more »
Where, when, and who can buy and drink alcohol at the Qatar World Cup 2022 | BusinessinsiderThe 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be very different compared to previous tournaments when it comes to soccer fans drinking alcohol.
Read more »
Beer sales banned around Qatar World Cup stadiums - FIFA | SportFIFA announced Friday that beer will not be sold to fans around any of the eight World Cup stadiums following 'discussions' with hosts Qatar. | Sport24news
Read more »
PSL star backing Ghana to cause upsets at the Qatar World Cup | KickoffA PSL footballer who originates from Ghana has made a brave prediction about The Black Stars’ chances at the FIFA World Cup with a warning to Uruguay about what happened in 2010.
Read more »
Qatar: No alcohol sales permitted at Qatar’s World Cup stadium sitesDOHA Nov 18 (Reuters) - In a reversal, alcoholic beer will not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums, world soccer governing body FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
Read more »