The long waiting host

This is the first World Cup in the Arab region, and as the hosts, Qatar are about to embrace their first World Cup tour. The Qataris have waited 45 years from their first World Cup qualifier in 1977 to finally stand on the main stage.

Taking advantage of the preparations for the World Cup, the Qatar national team has made great progress and become an emerging force to be reckoned with in Asian football. Qatar, winners of the 2019 Asian Cup, will join Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia in carrying the banner of Asian football at the World Cup.

For the hosts, the performance on the field is not all, its ability to run the tournament is also worthy of attention. With its state-of-the-art air-conditioned stadiums and distinctive urban architecture, the World Cup is a way for Qatar to reassure the world that there is more to this land than oil and desert.

Last dance for Mero?

After the World Cup in Russia, Messi and C Luo's career has changed a lot, the former left Barcelona, the latter moved back to Manchester United. It is undeniable that with the growth of age, the state of both people has declined to varying degrees. But on the turf of Qatar, they are still the most watched stars.

Both men have done great things, and the World Cup is the final piece in their book of honours. Messi has made it clear that this is his last World Cup, considering C Luo's age, his World Cup experience is also likely to end in Qatar, this time, they can realize the dream?

The topic of Messi and C Luo's strength and weakness has been discussed by fans for more than ten years is still inconclusive, if one of them can stand on the top of the world in the stadium of Lucel on December 18, the term "peerless double pride" will become history.

The twilight of the gods

Of course, the World Cup will not only belong to Messi and C Ronaldo, a number of football stars will gather in the center of the stage, their stars will light up the night sky in Qatar. Just a lot of familiar names, will complete the World Cup curtain performance.

Among them will be Luka Modric, the "magic flute" who managed to run through three extra-time matches at the last World Cup and will play the final chapter of Croatian Rhapsody in Doha; There will be Luis Suarez, the often stunning Uruguayan striker, who will seize the last chance with his old partner Edinson Cavani; There may even be a "post-90" Neymar, once considered the "horse" of the third person in the world outside of "Mero", claiming that he is not sure whether there will be a next time.

These veterans prolong the life of the sport with their hard-working professional attitude, but in the brutal World Cup, someone always has to leave the field first.

The first experience of the post-00s

No one is always young, but someone is always young. The retirement of veterans is the natural law of football, but it also means that the new generation of players to the front.

The 2018 World Cup did not feature a single player born after 2000. In the past four years, a large number of "post-00" began to emerge and even pick up the team. Although today's strongest "00" Haaland regrets to miss, but his teammate, also born in 2000 Foden has been selected by the England squad with a strong performance, is about to complete the World Cup experience.

Under the banner of Spain coach Enrique, there are as many as eight players with the "post-00" label. Garvey, who was born in 2004, has been integral to big clubs such as Barcelona, winning France Football's Copa award and Turin Sport's Golden Boy Award this year. Germany's Mukoko, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on the opening day, the World Cup is his best rite of passage.

Many of these "post-00s" are not well known, but countless young players have completed their transformation from ugly duckling to swan through the World Cup. After the training in Qatar, who will win the stepping stone to the grand family, and who will get the ladder of career?

Semi-automatic offside recognition technology

The World Cup records the growth of young people and also witnesses the innovation of technology on the field. Goal-line technology will be introduced in Brazil, video assistant referees (VAR) will be used in Russia, and semi-automatic offside recognition technology (SAOT) will also make its debut at the World Cup.

Although VAR can also assist referees in offside identification, sometimes due to the Angle of the camera and the position of the line, VAR still has its limitations in some body hair level offside judgments.

SAOT can be understood as an extension of VAR, and 12 special cameras will be set up on the top of each pitch to track the football and players on the field, sending data 50 times per second to accurately determine the position of each player. The data collected by the special cameras and sensors inside the ball will be analyzed by an artificial intelligence system, which can determine the offside situation in just a few seconds. After the referee's decision is made, SAOT generates a 3D animated image, which is shown on the big screen in the stadium as well as on the TV, to more intuitively show the specific location of the player's offside.

Previously, SAOT has been used in the 2021 Arab Cup, this season's Champions League and other competitions. Of course, this technology is still only auxiliary, and the referee is still responsible for the final decision.