The most special and strange World Cup in history will start this evening (Sunday), with the opening match between the host team Qatar and the Ecuador team, in front of 60 thousand spectators at the El Beit stadium, and hundreds of millions of television viewers all over the world.
Why special?
Because this is the first time that the biggest sporting event in the world takes place in a Muslim Arab country, and it happens at an unusual time - in the middle of the season, in the middle of the European winter.
Because of this, all leagues in the world were stopped for a period of one and a half months.
And why strange?
Because my feeling, after more than 24 hours in the capital Doha, is that for now, at least, it is something artificial.
It may be that when the real tournament starts tomorrow, when the big teams of Holland and England come into action, it will feel different, certainly when Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil take the field.
But in the meantime, the feeling is of an event that does not overwhelm the locals, who prefer to drink their coffee leisurely and take another puff of hookah.
It is a bit hard to digest that a country without a real football tradition is hosting this mega event.
The eight magnificent stadiums that were built, with a capacity of between 40,000 and 86,000 seats, are spread over an area equivalent to that between Haifa and Hadera.
A fan and a local resident play football in Doha, photo: Reuters
Nevertheless, the streets of Doha radiate festivity.
The flags of the 32 participating national teams hang in every corner.
The round roof of one of the towers in the center of the city is lit up with the flags of the countries one by one.
Qatar has been preparing for the biggest event in its history for 12 years, and it has spared nothing.
According to estimates, the investment reaches around 220 billion dollars - 15 times that of the World Cup held in Russia four years ago, which was then considered the most expensive in history.
So money was invested here, in crazy amounts.
And in terms of logistical preparations, nothing is missing.
Still, something basic is missing: the soul, the popular enthusiasm, like in Brazil eight years ago and in Russia four years ago.
Until now, mainly Argentina and Mexico fans, who arrived early, have been seen at the airport and on the streets.
The fans of the other teams will arrive later, for the first games of their teams.
Staying in Doha is very expensive, and people do the math and save.
The Qataris are very kind, even to us Israelis.
And what is very impressive, apart from the magnificent buildings, is the exemplary cleanliness everywhere.
At the supermarket next to the hotel, the person responsible for the carts cleans them with a special spray before allowing you to purchase groceries.
El Beit Stadium.
will host the opening game, photo: EPA
When it gets dark, around 5:00 p.m., it's very pleasant.
But it must be said - during the day it is very hot, even though we are in the middle of November.
It won't be easy for the European teams to play at 13:00 and 16:00 (local time), and that's what will happen here at least in the group stage.
Despite all the background noise, it is clear to everyone that the one who will win is football.
The whole world is crazy about the game, and when the action starts, other matters will be pushed aside.
It happens every four years, and this time will be no different.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
