Qatar v Ecuador mightn’t be a clash of footballing giants, but Sunday’s fixture will signal the start of what many expect to be the highest grossing football world cup tournament of all time.

The Qatar World Cup 2022 could generate “maybe $10 billion or more” for Qatar, a partner at an elite Middle East firm said, while Bloomberg has placed a more conservative $5.4 billion value on it. Either way, though dogged by controversy, the four-week competition will be a money spinner for the wealthy Gulf nation.