QATAR

The word “redemption” gets thrown around a lot, including by us. Every World Cup features a spate of teams looking to recover from shocking exits four years earlier or shake off the rust after underwhelming qualification performances. Yet somehow the magnitude of Qatar’s previous failures puts their redemption arc on a singular pedestal. International PR disasters piled up like cars on a freeway in the lead-up to 2022, with coverage focusing on accusations of sportswashing, bribery and unsafe working conditions. FIFA’s own former president, Sepp Blatter, weighed in to suggest awarding them hosting duties was a “mistake”. Then came the actual soccer. Earning zero points while scoring only one goal across three group games, Qatar bombed out of the tournament in what can fairly be considered one of the worst performances by a host country in the history of the World Cup. And yet here we all are, a mere four years later, and the Maroons have punched their own ticket to the big dance for the first time ever. That they did it against a team (UAE) that had dismantled them 5-0 during their last WC Qualifiers meeting and held on despite playing down a man during the chaotic closing stretch makes the message clear: Qatar is back, and they’re not backing down.