FROM the moment Sepp Blatter held up a piece of paper with the name of Qatar on it back in 2010, this was never going to be a ‘normal’ World Cup.

How could it be when it is being staged in a country roughly the size of Yorkshire, with no previous footballing pedigree? How could it be when the host nation has a horrendous human rights record, is openly hostile to the LGBTQ community, and has watched on as thousands of migrant workers have died during the construction of the stadia that will stage the World Cup matches? How could it be when the stifling summer temperatures have forced FIFA to move the tournament to the winter, disrupting the traditional footballing calendar and forcing the event to be squeezed with four matches on most days?

With the corruption allegations relating to the hosting decision having been a constant throughout the last decade, and with even Blatter now conceding that the decision to award the tournament to Qatar was a “mistake”, it feels extremely difficult to derive any enjoyment from watching the football that is about to be played over the course of the next month.

And yet, for all of that, this is still the World Cup. It is still the pinnacle of the international game, the arena in which superstars are born and memories are created that will last forever. Once the action begins, the grave reservations about a World Cup in Qatar will not disappear, and regardless of what happens on the pitch, the biggest hope ahead of the start of the tournament is that the global spotlight that is being trained on Qatar will result in meaningful, long-lasting change that will benefit the whole of the Qatari population. At some stage, though, attention has to switch to the football. There is nothing wrong with regarding a Qatari World Cup as utterly unpalatable, yet still buying in to the excitement and drama of the games.

From an English perspective, the key question ahead of Monday’s Group B opener against Iran is whether Gareth Southgate can preside over another successful major tournament to match those in Russia, when England made the semi-finals of the last World, and at last summer’s Euros, when England reached a major final for the first time since 1966.

England’s form in the year-and-a-half since they lost to Italy on penalties at Wembley has been wretched, with relegation in the latest installment of the Nations League hardly auguring well when it comes to the side’s chances in Qatar.

Southgate has proven himself adept at handling major tournaments though, and for all that England might have regressed, they find themselves in a group that should not pose too many challenges. Beyond that, things will start to get more difficult, with a potential quarter-final against France looming large on the horizon. For now, though, England’s main goal is to take care of Iran, United States and Wales in their group – Southgate will almost certainly revert to type and adopt a cautious approach, but with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden hoping to transfer their excellent club form onto the international stage, England still have the potential to excite.

Brazil should certainly serve up plenty of attractive, attacking football, and South America’s samba stars head into the tournament as deserved favourites. Neymar has flattered to deceive at previous World Cups, perhaps this will be the month when he successfully establishes himself as an all-time great.

Brazil’s attacking options are pretty much endless, with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Richarlison, Raphinha, Antony and Gabriel Martinelli all hoping to start, and with Allison and Ederson vying for the goalkeeping spot at the other end of the field, this is a well-rounded Brazilian side. Their head coach, Tite, has to get the balance right, and Brazil are in a tricky group that also features Switzerland, Serbia and Cameroon, but all things being equal, they should be hard to beat.

One of the main narratives in the next month will be that of ageing superstars looking to enjoy a final hurrah on the World Cup stage.

Lionel Messi finally broke his major international trophy duck last year when he helped inspire Argentina to success in the Copa America, and at the age of 35, this will almost certainly be the seven-time World Player of the Year’s final chance to lift the World Cup. With a strong side around him, this could well be his best chance to emulate another Argentinian icon, Diego Maradona.

Cristiano Ronaldo is two years older than Messi at 37, and this will almost certainly also be his final outing on the World Cup stage. He has tasted European Championship glory with Portugal, but been a peripheral figure at previous World Cups. As his explosive interview with Piers Morgan last week proved, Ronaldo does not like to stay in the shadows for long.

With both Messi and Ronaldo heading towards retirement, perhaps this will be the year when Kylian Mbappe emerges as the world’s undisputed number one. The Paris St Germain played a central role in France’s World Cup success in Russia in 2018, and if he was to inspire Les Bleus to back-to-back triumphs, he really would have carved out quite a legacy. France’s preparation for the defence of their trophy has hardly been smooth, but with the likes of Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann in their squad, they can hardly be written off.

Who is spearheading the next generation of stars that will be hoping to make their mark in Qatar? Spain’s midfield pairing of 19-year-old Pedri and 18-year-old Gavi has the potential to tower over the world game for much of the last decade. This could well be the tournament where they really come of age. Germany’s Jamal Musiala is another teenager with seemingly limitless potential, while the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo will be looking to further enhance a reputation that has already seen him linked with pretty much every major club side in Europe.

The beauty of the World Cup is that surprise superstars will inevitably emerge. There will be shocks and surprises, thrills and spills. The backdrop of Qatar will be ever-present, and the difficult questions that have overshadowed much of the build-up to the tournament will not disappear. This is a World Cup that should not be happening. It is though, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying the ride.