Qatar vs. Ecuador makes clear this is a World Cup like no other

AL KHOR, Qatar -- There was the tainted bid vote. The convoluted date shift. The endless (and tragic) construction. The allegations of alarming quality rights abuses. The fear from LGBTQ fans. The climate concerns implicit air-conditioned outdoor stadiums. The last-minute flip-flop connected brew sales. The disturbing rant from the FIFA president successful what was expected to beryllium his greeting.

It has been, by immoderate measure, a preamble similar thing sports has ever seen before, a prologue that could besides beryllium its ain book. But this bizarre, astatine times Orwellian gathering successful the Arabian godforsaken is besides the biggest shot tourney connected the planet. And truthful it was, connected Sunday night, that the games yet began.

- Report: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador | World Cup fixtures, features

The country was, similar beauteous overmuch everything other here, thing acquainted wrapped successful thing new. Royals and different VIPs arrived to ticker Qatar look Ecuador with an grant defender of camels and horses lining the road. Men successful achromatic thobes and women successful achromatic abayas filed done the concourses and filled the stands. After overmuch consternation, determination was nary intoxicant being sold connected site. The in-stadium announcements began, "Your highnesses, your eminences, ladies and gentlemen ..." and the Al Bayt Stadium felt modern connected the inside, but volition person astir of its framework dismantled and recycled erstwhile the tourney is implicit due to the fact that it isn't needed.

The fans inactive screamed, though. They inactive chanted. They inactive danced and sang. There were inactive elephantine flags and a monolithic replica of the World Cup trophy surrounded by a ringing of occurrence connected the tract conscionable earlier the crippled began. Drummers inactive pounded a thrumming bushed for hours connected the esplanade starring up to the gates, and erstwhile Qatar's nationalist anthem played, the players inactive pulled their shoulders backmost with honor.

The referee's whistle blew. The players began to run. A roar reverberated astir the stadium vessel as, for the archetypal time, the World Cup had travel to an Arab country.

"I consciousness arrogant to beryllium the archetypal subordinate to skipper our nationalist squad successful the World Cup," said Hassan Al-Haydos, the Qatari guardant who has present made 170 appearances for his nationalist team. "All my teammates are acceptable for this tournament."

- World Cup Daily: Benzema ruled out, Infantino's rant, brew income connected hold

This is by acold the biggest signifier Qatar has played on. They are the second-lowest-ranked World Cup big ever, 50th according to FIFA, down South Africa (ranked 83rd successful 2010). And the spread successful endowment showed arsenic Ecuador had 1 extremity ruled retired by VAR for a precise choky offside telephone aft conscionable 3 minutes and scored different connected a punishment footwear from Enner Valencia conscionable 13 minutes aboriginal successful their 2-0 triumph implicit the hosts.

Understandably, the location side's players slumped a little. The Qatari supporters conception down the extremity was unmoved, though, staying successful afloat pharynx passim the archetypal half, consenting its players -- nary substance the people -- to propulsion on.

One day earlier this week, successful the Doha marketplace known arsenic the Souq Waqif, 2 men successful accepted formal rode horses cautiously among the fans and stalls. It was quaint, a country of seeming authenticity that included -- arsenic happens with horses -- a infinitesimal wherever 1 of the animals relieved itself, its droppings falling into a heap connected the street.

Suddenly, a antheral successful a grey garment and bluish pants carrying a reddish integrative shovel appeared retired of nowhere. Within seconds of it hitting the ground, the droppings were swept into his bucket and disappeared again, expeditiously and efficaciously removing thing that mightiness mar the market's pristine quality earlier anyone could announcement (or could measurement successful it). It was impressive. Unfortunately, this overarching attack has not been likewise effectual successful erasing the myriad different pitfalls related to the enactment of this World Cup.

The database feels endless. Some issues, similar the jamming of a tourney into the mediate of the nine play due to the fact that of Qatar's utmost summertime temperatures, straight impact the players and, potentially, the play. Others are much astir the instrumentality experience: concerns from the LGBTQ assemblage astir acceptance, for example, oregon instrumentality villages comprised of repurposed shipping containers, oregon the years-long committedness to unbend intoxicant restrictions successful this blimpish Muslim federation that was abruptly reversed conscionable 2 days ago.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has continually positioned his enactment arsenic staunchly opposed to the thought that determination is thing perchance incorrect with Qatar oregon its hosting of this event. His introductory quality conference connected Saturday, which included his proposition that helium knows what it's similar to beryllium cheery successful a state wherever homosexuality is amerciable due to the fact that arsenic a kid helium was bullied for having reddish hairsbreadth and freckles, was much onslaught than salutation. Infantino's main statement seemed to beryllium that Europe's past of assorted atrocities disqualified anyone from the West from identifying injustice that mightiness beryllium going connected close now.

A time later, during the opening ceremony, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, struck a much conciliatory code successful his invited address, echoing the rhetoric organizers person offered for years, but a measurement of discomfort inactive lingered.

How could it not? Players, coaches and teams person already ignored FIFA's pre-tournament missive requesting they absorption lone connected shot and alternatively doing what they tin to item messages of inclusiveness and positivity. Several countries, including England, volition person their captains deterioration armbands with the connection "One Love" connected it. The U.S. squad displayed their federation crest infused with rainbow imaging astatine their edifice and grooming center. Denmark's azygous manufacturer, Hummel, purposely designed "toned down" kits for this tourney without disposable branding arsenic a protestation against the alleged mistreatment of migrant workers who are liable for gathering overmuch of the tournament's infrastructure.

"We admit that Qatar has made strides and there's a ton of progress, but there's inactive immoderate enactment to do," said U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter. "I deliberation erstwhile we're connected the satellite stage, it's important to bring consciousness to these issues."

Ecuador's 2nd extremity connected Sunday nighttime came aft conscionable fractional an hour, a whipping header from Valencia (who would person had a first-hat instrumentality prevention for VAR) that finished disconnected a slick first-time transverse from Ayrton Preciado. Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb had looked enraged aft the archetypal extremity that was called back, frustrated aft the punishment and deflated arsenic helium pulled the shot retired of the nett for a 3rd time.

- O'Hanlon: How to recognize the 2022 World Cup (ESPN+)

It was not the opening Qatar wanted, and surely not the auspicious commencement they dreamed about. No big has ever mislaid the opening lucifer of a World Cup, but then, nary big has ever had arsenic small a shot pedigree, either. By midway done the 2nd half, with Qatar having hardly threatened, galore fans began to permission and the vigor successful the stadium sunk deeper.

Might they inactive marque a astonishing tally successful their location tourney similar South Korea did successful 2002 oregon adjacent Russia did 4 years ago? It is, successful the purest consciousness of the word, possible. But adjacent if they don't, they volition person succeeded successful making history. They've opened a sporting door, and expanded the scope of a expansive tourney that has for a precise agelong clip hewed rigidly to the places and the radical that it knows.

This World Cup makes for a dizzying juxtaposition, a confusing premix of that which feels discomfiting with that which mightiness reasonably beryllium termed progress.

What is close to consciousness arsenic it plays retired implicit this adjacent month? What is the takeaway? There is nary close answer, and Sunday's opener served to punctual that determination is lone 1 happening certain: This World Cup volition beryllium antithetic than thing seen before.