The most controversial World Cup? After the debate, now for the football

Argentina shirts are by acold the astir fashionable prime of kit connected amusement successful Doha

After 12 years of questions, criticisms and conjecture, the Fifa World Cup successful Qatar volition yet get nether mode connected Sunday.

But Fifa has asked each 32 competing nations to "focus connected the football" and hosts Qatar volition footwear disconnected the tourney against Ecuador astatine Al Bayt Stadium (16:00 GMT).

The location nations that person qualified are successful the aforesaid radical and successful enactment the pursuing day, with England up against Iran (13:00), earlier Wales play USA (19:00).

BBC Sport looks astatine the database of controversies, the excitement gathering connected the crushed successful Qatar, and who could triumph the World Cup.

• Into Qatar: A travel to research a nation's narration with football
• Fifa World Cup: Groups & Schedule
• World Cup TV Coverage guide

What person been the controversies?

Qatar 2022 volition spell down arsenic 1 of the astir talked astir and arguable World Cups successful history.

The Gulf state defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States to big the tournament, but determination were allegations of wide corruption successful the process, which Qatar person ever denied.

In February 2021, the Guardian said 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died successful Qatar since it won its World Cup bid.

The fig is based connected figures provided by the countries' embassies successful Qatar.

However, the Qatar authorities said the full was misleading, due to the fact that not each the deaths recorded were of radical moving connected World Cup-related projects. The authorities said its mishap records showed determination were 37 deaths among labourers astatine World Cup stadium operation sites betwixt 2014 and 2020, lone 3 of which were "work-related".

However, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that was an underestimate.

There person been fears implicit however LGBT fans tin expect to beryllium treated fixed the country's strict adherence to Sharia Law, with homosexuality amerciable successful Qatar.

Organisations engaging with Fifa implicit the tourney person said "progress has been slow" and "issues of concern" remain.

UK Pride organisations person called connected bars and venues to not surface World Cup matches successful a boycott of the tournament.

Players person been urged to usage their power to talk up astir the issues successful the state and astatine a quality league successful Doha connected Thursday, England defender Conor Coady said "we're not politicians".

The Everton defender added: "We'll ne'er beryllium politicians successful presumption of the mode we look astatine things but, successful presumption of what the squad has done implicit the past fewer years and however overmuch they've helped people, that comes with the territory."

Sepp Blatter, who was the president of Fifa and the antheral who announced the awarding of the tourney to Qatar successful 2010, said past week that determination was a "mistake".

On the time earlier the tournament, Fifa president Gianni Infantino accused the West of "hypocrisy" successful its reporting astir Qatar's quality rights record.

In an extraordinary monologue astatine a quality league successful Doha, Infantino spoke for astir an hr and made a passionate defence of Qatar and the tournament.

Temperatures successful the summertime often scope 50C here, which is wherefore the tourney was moved for the archetypal clip to a 'winter' slot, though it is inactive a balmy 32C during the time and a pleasant 22C successful the evening.

It has meant European leagues person been brought to a halt mid-season, with the opening crippled taking spot conscionable a week aft the past Premier League lucifer betwixt Fulham and Manchester United.

Three months retired from kick-off, the Fifa assembly approved a request from the South American confederation Conmebol to determination the commencement of the tourney a time earlier than planned.

And conscionable 2 days earlier the event, organisers announced fans would not beryllium capable to acquisition oregon devour alcohol wrong oregon wrong the perimeter country of immoderate of the 8 stadiums.

At 29 days from commencement to decorativeness (20 November to 18 December), this volition beryllium the shortest World Cup since Argentina 1978.

That means organisers person had to docket 4 games astir days during the radical stages and determination is nary turnaround clip betwixt the groups and the knockout stages, with the past 16 starting the time aft the radical stages end.

What volition the acquisition beryllium similar for supporters?

A state which has a colonisation of little than 3 million, Qatar expects to spot a full influx of astir 1.2 cardinal visitors from astir the satellite implicit the adjacent month.

At a briefing past month, Fifa said astir 3 cardinal tickets had been sold for the tournament, with the big federation topping the database of countries with the highest fig of tickets astatine 37% of sales.

Travelling astir the superior of Doha successful the days earlier the opening game, the buzz is palpable with bunting with flags from each competing state lining the streets.

Argentina shirts are by acold the astir fashionable prime of kit connected show, mostly emblazoned with 'Messi 10' connected the back. Lionel Messi - 1 of the tournament's prima attractions - plays for Qatari-owned Paris St-Germain.

The state has spent billions connected upgrading its infrastructure and the roads are already engaged with locals and supporters from neighbouring Saudi Arabia expected to thrust crossed the border. Fifa shuttle buses tin beryllium seen whizzing up and down the streets.

The metro carriages had been quiescent aboriginal successful the week but determination was existent congestion connected the Friday and Saturday, the play days successful Qatar. Questions stay arsenic to however the strategy volition header with the accomplishment of tens of thousands of fans for each of the 64 games.

"It is going to beryllium tough," an attendant astatine 1 of the stations told BBC Sport. "The smaller stops should beryllium OK but it is going to beryllium pugnacious astatine the ones wherever stadiums are located. There are 4 matches a time truthful it volition beryllium highly busy."

The Fan Festival astatine Al Bidda Park has bright, colourful lights illuminated overhead, with euphony pumping retired astatine a adjacent show signifier - though this is halted for a mates of minutes erstwhile the Adhan (call to prayer) is heard from adjacent mosques.

Alcohol cannot beryllium consumed successful nationalist successful the Muslim country, but this regularisation has been relaxed a small for the tourney arsenic fans tin acquisition a beverage successful restricted areas specified arsenic the instrumentality park, though a pint will acceptable you backmost £12.50.

Who volition triumph the World Cup?

Brazil person not won the World Cup since 2002 and are, successful fact, the past non-European squad to assistance the trophy.

Statisticians Opta person crunched the numbers and their prediction exemplary says Tite's men are favourites to spell each the mode for a record-extending sixth time.

But Lionel Scaloni's Argentina person the second-highest probability of being champions for the 3rd time, coming into the tourney connected the backmost of a 36-game unbeaten run.

Gareth Southgate's England person deed a mediocre tally of signifier astatine the incorrect time, winless successful their past six games arsenic they look to instrumentality 1 measurement further from reaching the semi-finals 4 years ago.

Wales, who are successful the aforesaid group, person qualified for the tourney for the archetypal clip since 1958 and volition beryllium aiming to scope the knockout signifier again. That twelvemonth they progressed to the quarter-finals earlier narrowly being beaten by eventual winners Brazil.

BBC Sport pundits person had their accidental with 7 going for Brazil to triumph it, 3 for Argentina, 2 saying France volition clasp their trophy and lone 1 plumping for England.

A increasing wounded list

Senegal guardant Sadio Mane is 1 of the prima subordinate that volition not beryllium seen connected the pitches successful Qatar.

The ex-Liverpool frontman has undergone country connected a genu wounded helium sustained playing for Bayern Munich conscionable 10 days earlier the opening game.

Mane joins large names including Paul Pogba (France), Timo Werner (Germany), Reece James (England), Diogo Jota (Portugal) and Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina) who each miss retired done injury.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah are 2 of the biggest players who won't beryllium successful enactment arsenic their countries did not qualify.

How to travel connected BBC...

• World Cup connected the BBC

The BBC is your destination for sum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - with 33 matches televised unrecorded arsenic good arsenic unrecorded commentary connected each 64 games connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

Wales versus England volition beryllium shown exclusively unrecorded connected the BBC, alongside England's opening crippled against Iran and Wales' important necktie against Carlos Queiroz's side.

With unrecorded video streaming of BBC Sport's games and unrecorded commentary of each lucifer connected the BBC Sounds app, fans tin travel the play crossed immoderate device.

Fans volition beryllium capable to ticker highlights of each lucifer and each the goals connected TV, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Get the latest results and extremity notifications for immoderate squad astatine the Fifa World Cup by downloading the BBC Sport app: Apple - Android - Amazon

Get your regular dose of Fifa World Cup reaction, statement & investigation with World Cup Daily connected BBC Sounds