Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to Qatar in recent years to work on giant construction schemes as it boosted its infrastructure ahead of the World Cup.

Germany begin their path to World Cup redemption on Wednesday after the 2018 horror show in Russia, with Spain and Croatia also kicking off their campaigns in Qatar.

France defender Lucas Hernandez will miss the rest of the defending champions' World Cup campaign after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday's opening match against Australia, a source close to Les Bleus told AFP.

Few experiences can compare to watching a World Cup in Brazil: the borderline-obsessive football passion; the explosion of pride around the national team. And the schadenfreude when rivals Argentina lose.

Argentines woke up early in the capital Buenos Aires to cheer on their team in the soccer World Cup over morning pastries and coffee, but were left with a bitter taste after the team was humbled in a shock loss to Saudi Arabia.

Argentina's 35-year-old captain and all-time top scorer Lionel Messi shrugged off some fatigue niggles to lead the line on Tuesday in the Group C opener against Saudi Arabia where he begins his last quest for an elusive World Cup trophy.

For over 15 years, the footballing world has been split in two. It had become almost impossible to not compare the genius of two players christened by each’s fanbase as the greatest of all time, fondly abbreviated to ‘GOATS’: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi will embark on Tuesday on what will surely be his last chance to win the World Cup, with Argentina and holders France both in action in Qatar.

Taking selfies from the stands and sitting on the grassy pitch, thousands of migrant workers gathered in a Doha stadium to watch the opening match of the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Nearly three million World Cup tickets have been sold, FIFA said Sunday, as the governing body's president revealed the tournament had helped push revenues over the past four years to a record $7.5 billion.

Bangladeshi chemist Abu Kowsir says South Korea gave his family prosperity -- so the least he can do is cheer on his benefactors when they begin their World Cup campaign this week.

Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday

Qatar became the first home team to lose their opening World Cup match as Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 victory over the hosts, with Enner Valencia scoring twice in the tournament curtain-raiser on Sunday.

 The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the tiny nation which has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East and most expensive in history.

France's hopes of successfully defending the World Cup were dealt a huge blow late on Saturday as Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar with an injured left thigh.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Saturday that World Cup fans can survive for three hours a day without beer after sales were banned around stadiums.

Spain coach Luis Enrique has said that if his team cannot triumph at the World Cup in Qatar he would like to see Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez crowned with Argentina and Uruguay respectively.

Brazil's former midfielder Ze Roberto said criticism of Dani Alves' call-up for the World Cup in Qatar was due to a cultural taboo on veterans that was still present in Brazilian football, something that he experienced in his last finals in 2006.

Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Egypt in a friendly international on Friday in a sobering defeat that belied their status as one of the fancied teams for the World Cup in Qatar.

Bangladesh football team may remain light years away from playing a FIFA World Cup, but the upcoming showpiece event in Qatar has a strong connection to Bangladesh -- regarding the construction of one of the eight World Cup venues this time.