It was impossible to feel guiltily impressed, but this party quickly lost its fizz once the football began

The words of Morgan Freeman, who once played God, seemed rich after Infantino’s attack on Europe and the West

- Malik Ouzia

TWELVE years and infinite controversies later, yet somehow still a day earlier than planned, this World Cup is finally underway.

It began, in truth, with a bit of a whimper, the host national outplayed by an Ecuador side who seemed to shake hands at 2-0 as the Al Bayt Stadium emptied from the half-time whistle onwards.

There has never been a World Cup at which the success or failure of the home team matters less, but even so, becoming the first hosts in 92 years to lose the opening game, and doing so in front of thousands upon thousands of empty seats, was hardly an encouraging start.

More alarming was the presence and positioning of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sat alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino for the second World Cup opener in a row, and this time without his country's involvement. So, are we all off to Saudi Arabia in 2030 or not until 2034?

For now, it was out into the Qatari desert, the 35-kilometre journey from central Doha to the most far-flung of the eight venues for this tournament serving as a reminder just how uniquely compact the whole thing is as the road north ran directly past two of the others.