First impressions count and the sight of security staff trying to stop a few drunken Flamengo fans singing football songs at 2am in the hotel lobby was not a great one on arrival here. The Brazilians obliged and went off in search of somewhere else to drink, security returned to the main entrance and check-in proceeded without further incident, but reservations over Qatar’s ability to stage a World Cup – never mind its suitability – had begun. Six days at the Club World Cup have not dispelled them.

Qatar is a desert under construction with a global workforce mobilised to build eight stadiums and new infrastructure in time for 2022. The results from the cheap migrant labour are extremely impressive. The new metro system is immaculate – and 40p to ride in a spacious carriage that could pass for first-class in Britain – the completed and even half-built stadia look spectacular and so, too, the hotel complexes that are rising up along the Gulf coast.

But a World Cup is not just about 64 matches and the experience for those visiting Qatar between 21 November and 18 December 2022 promises to be unlike anything encountered before. As it does for the World Cup’s Muslim hosts and hopes that fans of 31 other nations will respect their culture and beliefs. Read more via Guardian