In just under eight months, Qatar will host world football for the 22nd World Cup, one of the most controversial in history.
And the big launch of this final phase will take place this Friday with the draw from the huge Doha exhibition center in the heart of the business district, where Fifa has settled down since the beginning of the week.
Here are the answers to your questions before this draw which obviously concerns the French team, the reigning world champion.
29 teams already qualified, three to come
As has been the case since the 1998 World Cup in France, 32 nations are taking part in the international competition.
Host country Qatar was automatically qualified and was joined by 28 other selections from the continental qualifiers.
Three therefore remain to be determined during the last play-off matches scheduled for June.
The winner of the Scotland-Ukraine match will face Wales for the last European spot.
The winner of the Australia-United Arab Emirates match will face Peru for an Asia-South America final.
Finally, the last place will be decided between Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Four hats of eight teams
The draw will not be "full".
The qualifying nations have been split into four pots based on their rank in the current Fifa rankings, with the exception of the three unknowns, which go directly into pot 4, and Qatar, which goes directly into pot 1. The host nation will be, whatever he arrives, chosen first and placed in group A. Each group, from A to H, will consist of four nations.
France are part of pot 1 and will therefore avoid Brazil, Spain, Portugal, England, Belgium and Argentina in the first round.
What rules?
Pot 1 teams will be placed in each group in turn.
They will be joined by the teams from hat 2, then hat 3 and finally hat 4. Two European teams (maximum) can be in the same group.
On the other hand, two teams from another confederation will not be able to face each other in the first round.
Impossible to end up with a Brazil-Uruguay, for example.
Stars in the draw
Two former World Cup winners will make the draw: Germany's Lothar Matthäus and Brazil's Cafu.
They will also be joined by other big names in world football: Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (RI Iran), Bora Milutinović (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia).
In addition, coach Didier Deschamps and FFF president Noël Le Graët are in Doha to attend the ceremony.