Football’s grandest tournament will kick off for the first time in the Middle East on Sunday. Here is a guide to the host country
Qatar is a small monarchy of 2.7 million people – of whom about 300,000 are Qatari citizens and the rest expatriates – on the Persian Gulf that shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia. The entire country is about a 10th the size of New York City, and all the games will be held in a tight circle of eight stadiums near the capital, Doha.
