World Cup Watch: And So It Begins ...

Five months after it should have been, in a nation where even Sepp Blatter now agrees it shouldn't be, World Cup 2022 kicks off this Sunday, in what organizers promise is not going to be the Fyre Festival of sporting events.

The Venue: Doha, Qatar

Already, the vanguard of an estimated 1 million visitors are pouring into this midsized Middle Eastern city/state – which itself has a population of 2.4 million, in a nation of under 3 million. And if you don't mind the human rights abuses and such, Qatar has done a remarkable job of trying to ready itself for the onslaught. Whether they've succeeded or not, no one knows. The temporary housing ranges from tents and camper vans to luxury suites in moored cruise ships, to "Cabin" sites consisting of rows of sectioned-off shipping containers. Then of course those people have to be fed, and transported en masse on the city's brand-new metro system. What could go wrong?

So I'll be curious about early reports on the housing and transportation, but the cultural side is much more interesting. Officials have promised to be accommodating and welcoming to all visitors, but who knows what the response will be when some of those visitors push the boundaries, as people will. For many on both sides, perhaps, this will be the first prolonged exposure to each other's customs. So, we'll see. It's safe to say that Qatar's general reputation in the West is not great; the next month could either change that, or reinforce it.

First Round Groups

(with world rankings)

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A: Netherlands (8), Senegal (18), Ecuador (46), Qatar (50)

With host nation Qatar as a first seed, this is on paper the most straightforward group, with Holland in good form and Senegal the best of the African entries. But Ecuador is young, athletic, and speedy enough to pull off an upset.

B: England (5), USA (16), Iran (20), Wales (19)

As I wrote just after the draw, this could be the toughest group, top to bottom, and the U.S. is in trouble if they're not better than they were in their last tuneups. Wales will go as far as Gareth Bale can carry them, Iran has an advantage in playing together a lot but may be torn by the recent unrest back home, and England is England: the class of this field, but destined to be knocked out in heartbreaking fashion later in the tournament.

C: Argentina (3), Mexico (13), Poland (26), Saudi Arabia (51)

Argentina and Leo Messi finally won a major trophy in last year's Copa América; they're a threat to make it a double. Mexico needs to figure out where to find some goals, or Robert Lewandowski's Poland could knock them out in the first game, 10am Tuesday. The Saudis are an enigma: They finished ahead of Japan and Australia in qualifying, then scored four goals total in nine warmup games this summer and fall.

D: France (4), Denmark (10), Tunisia (30), Australia (38)

All eyes are on defending champion France, who've alternated between titles and early exits in recent years. Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, and Karim Benzema are a crazy good attack force, but with Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kanté both out injured, can the midfield feed them? The rest of the field is gritty and capable of upsets. Denmark, with Christian Eriksen back from last year's cardiac arrest, has already beaten France twice this year.

E: Spain (7), Germany (11), Japan (24), Costa Rica (31)

There are two clear favorites here – Spain and Germany are among the overall favorites – but watch out for Japan, who is experienced and organized, and motivated to make up for 2018, when they almost beat Belgium in the knockout round. For Costa Rica, the golden generation's last hurrah could be a short one; it's not a good sign when your best player is your goalkeeper (Keylor Navas).

F: Belgium (2), Croatia (12), Morocco (22), Canada (41)

Belgium has "wall-to-wall superstars," as The Athletic puts it, but their golden generation hasn't won anything or made a WC final. They'll be challenged here by Croatia, who did make the final in 2018, plus two dangerous outsiders. I'll root for our northern neighbors: Canada's here for the first time in 36 years, with a talented multicultural team but a shaky central defense.

G: Brazil (1), Switzerland (15), Serbia (21), Cameroon (43)

This is the "Group of Death" according to 538.com: Brazil is the overall favorite, and Switzerland and Serbia both feel like they should advance. Oddly, the three were in the same group in 2018 as well. Cameroon will struggle.

H: Portugal (9), Uruguay (14), South Korea (28), Ghana (61)

This group feels wide open. Portugal's star-studded lineup seems emotionally fragile, and Cristiano Ronaldo's tabloid blowup with his club team, Manchester United, this week can't be good. Uruguay is strong as always; Korea has a solid defense – all four starters are named Kim – though star forward Son Heung-min isn't fully fit; and Ghana has the talent to pull off an upset.

Follow all of the Chronicle's World Cup coverage.

The Complete Schedule

Note: All times CT; all games on Fox or FS1.

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Sunday, Nov. 20

10am: Qatar vs. Ecuador (Group A)

Monday, Nov. 21

7am: England vs. Iran (Group B)

10am: Senegal vs. Netherlands (A)

1pm: USA vs. Wales (B)

Tuesday, Nov. 22

4am: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia (C)

7am: Denmark vs. Tunisia (D)

10am: Mexico vs. Poland (C)

1pm: France vs. Australia (D)

Wednesday, Nov. 23

4am: Morocco vs. Croatia (F)

7am: Germany vs. Japan (E)

10am: Spain vs. Costa Rica (E)

1pm: Belgium vs. Canada (F)

Thursday, Nov. 24

4am: Switzerland vs. Cameroon (G)

7am: Uruguay vs. South Korea (H)

10am: Portugal vs. Ghana (H)

1pm: Brazil vs. Serbia (G)

Friday, Nov. 25

4am: Wales vs. Iran (B)

7am: Qatar vs. Senegal (A)

10am: Netherlands vs. Ecuador (A)

1pm: England vs. USA (B)

Saturday, Nov. 26

4am: Australia vs. Tunisia (D)

7am: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia (C)

10am: France vs. Denmark (D)

1pm: Argentina vs. Mexico (C)

Sunday, Nov. 27

4am: Japan vs. Costa Rica (E)

7am: Belgium vs. Morocco (F)

10am: Croatia vs. Canada (F)

1pm: Spain vs. Germany (E)

Monday, Nov. 28

4am: Cameroon vs. Serbia (G)

7am: South Korea vs. Ghana (H)

10am: Brazil vs. Switzerland (G)

1pm: Portugal vs. Uruguay (H)

Tuesday, Nov. 29

9am: Netherlands vs. Qatar (A)

9am: Ecuador vs. Senegal (A)

1pm: Wales vs. England (B)

1pm: Iran vs. USA (B)

Wednesday, Nov. 30

9am: Tunisia vs. France (D)

9am: Australia vs. Denmark (D)

1pm: Poland vs. Argentina (C)

1pm: Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico (C)

Thursday, Dec. 1

9am: Croatia vs. Belgium (F)

9am: Canada vs. Morocco (F)

1pm: Japan vs. Spain (E)

1pm: Costa Rica vs. Germany (E)

Friday, Dec. 2

9am: South Korea vs. Portugal (H)

9am: Ghana vs. Uruguay (H)

1pm: Cameroon vs. Brazil (G)

1pm: Serbia vs. Switzerland (G)

Knockout Rounds

Round of 16: Sat.-Tue., Dec. 3-6, 9am & 1pm

Quarters: Fri.-Sat., Dec. 9-10, 9am & 1pm

Semifinals: Tue.-Wed., Dec. 13-14, 1pm

Third Place: Sat., Dec. 17, 9am

Final: Sun., Dec. 18, 9am

Round of 16

Saturday, Dec. 3

9am: 1A vs. 2B

1pm: 1C vs. 2D

Sunday, Dec. 4

9am: 1D vs. 2C

1pm: 1B vs. 2A

Monday, Dec. 5

9am: 1E vs. 2F

1pm: 1G vs. 2H

Tuesday, Dec. 6

9am: 1F vs. 2E

1pm: 1H vs. 2G

Quarterfinals

Fri., Dec. 9

9am: 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H

1pm: 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D

Sat., Dec. 10

9am: 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G

1pm: 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C

Semifinals

Tue., Dec. 13

1pm: Friday winners

Wed., Dec. 14

1pm: Saturday winners

Finals

Third place: Sat., Dec. 17, 9am

Final: Sun., Dec. 18, 9am