Live outside Al Bayt stadium where football fans arrive for the opening match between host Qatar and challenger Ecuador.
Qatar opens the tournament against Ecuador on Sunday. The World Cup is a source of immense national pride for Qatar in its attempt to raise its profile on the global stage and drive toward modernization.
Qatar has never before appeared in a World Cup and faces a major challenge just to emerge from Group A, which also includes Senegal and the Netherlands. South Africa in 2010 is the only host nation to fail to get beyond the group stage, so to avoid sharing that distinction would be a success in itself.
Sunday may be Qatar’s best hope for a victory against an Ecuador team that is only five places above it at No. 44 in the FIFA rankings.
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