Just by the stadium where the World Cup final was played, there runs a broad shopping street, the Lusail Boulevard, which claims to be the Champs Elysees of the Middle East. It’s an odd mix of high-end shops, a Sainsbury’s, and some pretty grim-looking American fast-food chains. It’s outside but air-conditioned, as so much of Qatar is. Over the past month it has been covered in World Cup branding; flags from the competing nations hung from the lampposts; the World Cup anthem dribbled out of speakers; huge adverts featuring the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi. But what there was not was any football, or any fans.
On the day Argentina played Mexico in Lusail, I headed up from Doha early, thinking I’d be able to watch Poland v Saudi Arabia somewhere nearby. But there was no big screen. There were no cafes or bars showing games. Most didn’t even have TVs. I headed to the
