It has already made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and now what looks set to be the most controversial FIFA World Cup yet is underway in Qatar.
The country is the first in the Middle East to host the tournament, but questions over the human rights of migrant workers and attitudes towards homosexuality continue to overshadow the event itself.
It's hard to believe the 2022 FIFA World Cup has only just started - inside the Bedouin tent-shaped, Kiwi-designed stadium, an opening ceremony message of 'unity' narrated by Morgan Freeman.
And outside, football fanatics from around the world flocked to the fan zones.
But as Qatar sent out its very best welcome, with the hosts facing off against Ecuador to officially start pool play, that message was not received by everyone around the world - protests took place in both Germany and France.
Participants held up red cards, threw deflated soccer balls and lit candles to highlight the reported deaths of thousands of migrant workers who helped build tournament stadiums.
The BBC - a rights holder - refused to broadcast the opening ceremony.
Those protests could reach the pitch too. Both England and Wales say their players will wear 'OneLove' rainbow armbands - even if they're yellow carded for doing so.
"We wanna wear the armbands, and I know we are talking to FIFA at the moment and I'm sure by game time tomorrow they'll have their decision," Kane said. "We've made our position clear."
So too did comedian Joe Lycett, who threatened to shred £10,000 of his own money if David Beckham didn't back out of his World Cup ambassador deal - a threat he later carried out to the horror of cash-strapped charities.
Hype and excitement is building around the teams as they start their campaigns, but any hopes that the start of play will silence the controversy are faint at best.
