Qatar makes its World Cup debut in a controversial first-ever tournament.

The men's World Cup has seen 21 iterations since its debut in 1930, but Qatar 2022 is expected to be a tournament unlike any other.

It was always going to be a World Cup of firsts when it was chosen as the host city over 12 years ago.

Doha debut

The Qatari men's national team previously failed to make it through the regular qualifying processes, therefore this will be their first time taking part in a World Cup finals.

The little Gulf state may now compete against the best in international soccer thanks to FIFA, the sport's governing body, which allows a host country to participate in a World Cup without having to go through the qualifying stages.

Since playing its first official match in 1970, Qatar is a relatively newcomer to the sport, but the public has developed a fondness for it and the national squad.

The Aspire Academy was established in 2004 with the intention of identifying and nurturing all of Qatar's most gifted athletes.

That has paid off for its soccer squad in recent years. With just one goal allowed throughout the competition, Qatar won the Asia Cup in 2019, completing off one of the most spectacular runs in the competition's history.

Seventy percent of the team that won the title came from the academy, and going into the World Cup, that percentage has only risen.

Qatar, under by Spanish coach Felix Sanchez, will want to surprise its opponents as it competes in a group that also includes Ecuador, Senegal, and The Netherlands.

The Winter Cup

The World Cup has always been staged in May, June, or July, however Qatar 2022 will depart from this custom for more practical reasons.

The competition was changed to a cooler period since temperatures in Qatar often soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius during those months.

The organisers intend to tackle the heat with a variety of strategies, including cutting-edge cooling systems in the stadiums, despite the fact that winter in Qatar is a relative word and temperatures are still projected to be over 30 degrees.

Some of the greatest domestic leagues in the world have been severely impacted by the shift in tournament dates.

Due to the need of fitting a winter break into their schedules, all of Europe's major leagues have packed fixture calendars before and after the competition.

Hosts at mallest

Given that it is the smallest nation to host the World Cup, with a population of just under three million, another concern surrounding the event is how the nation would manage the flood of an anticipated one million tourists.

As a consequence, all eight stadiums are located in or close to Doha, the country's capital, and are all accessible within one hour of one another by car.

According to the organisers, the transport infrastructure, which includes buses, the metro, and car rentals, will be able to handle the additional demand.

Fans will be able to attend up to two games in a single day because to the close proximity of the stadiums. Should drivers be courteous.

Qatar has had to be creative with its accommodations because of its size. MSC Poesia and MSC World Europa, two cruise ships, are berthed at Doha to help out the local hotels.

'Carbon neutral' competition

In keeping with its promise to make soccer more ecologically friendly, FIFA has promised to make Qatar 2022 the first carbon free World Cup.

Together with Qatar, it committed to purchase carbon credits and invest in green initiatives to "balance off" the effects of carbon emissions. This is a standard practise for corporations.

Qatar, which has pledged to reduce emissions and remove as much carbon dioxide from the environment as the competition generates by investing in initiatives that would capture greenhouse gases. Qatar is the country with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person in the world.

For instance, by planting 679,000 shrubs and 16,000 trees, it would plant the seeds for the biggest grass farm in the world.

The plants, which will be installed in stadiums and other locations around the nation, are intended to remove thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

Critics, however, have charged the event's organisers with "greenwashing," a phrase used to criticise those who attempt to mask their destruction of the environment and climate with green activities that are either untrue, deceptive, or exaggerated.

Qatar's projections, according to Carbon Market Watch (CMW), a nonprofit advocacy organisation that focuses on carbon pricing, are substantially understated.

Female Executives

Additionally, a men's World Cup match will be officiated by female referees for the first time in Qatar 2022.

The 36 officials chosen for the contest include Stephanie Frappart, Salima Mukansanga, and Yamashita Yoshimi.

As assistants, Neuza Back, Karen Diaz Medina, and Kathryn Nesbitt from the United States will accompany them to the Gulf country.

As the first woman to serve as the match referee for a men's Champions League match in 2020, Frappart is undoubtedly the most well-known name on the list.

Rwandan Mukansanga, who told CNN she was eager to take on the task of officiating at a big competition, is hoping to learn from her in Qatar.

She said that her family couldn't wait to see her enter the field. "I would look at what the referees are doing, simply to replicate the greatest things they're doing, so that one day I would be in the World Cup like this," she said.

There will be some new regulations to uphold; the exact day that the women will officiate their first game in the competition is yet to be determined.

Teams will be permitted to deploy up to five replacements for the first time, and managers will now have a roster of 26 players to choose from rather than the customary 23.

The commencement of Qatar 2022 is scheduled on November 20.