This year's event stretches 8,549 km over 15 days of racing, including a four-day excursion into the as yet unexplored desert dunes of the vast Rub' al-Khali, or Empty Quarter.
A hugely significant victory broke new ground for the game outside of Europe and South America, who have been the dominant force in the sport, winning all 21 previous editions of the World Cup.
After three weeks of pulsating action in Qatar, just eight teams are left standing as the 32-nation tournament heads into the final rounds of the knockout competition after a two-day break.
A Norway-based Iran Human Rights group says more than 410 people have been killed in a government crackdown.
The market for fan tokens, a volatile cocktail of crypto and sport, is heating up in the desert of Qatar.
The diminutive superstar with magic in his boots insisted he was in fine shape physically ahead of his last World Cup.
Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi's Argentina thanks to a scintillating second half comeback.
Taking selfies from the stands and sitting on the grassy pitch, thousands of migrant workers gathered in a Doha stadium to watch the opening match.
Balloons festooned the departure gate for the first commercial flight between Israel and Qatar on Sunday, permitted by Doha for World Cup fans despite a lack of formal bilateral relations.
Long before the final whistle at the spectacular Bedouin tent-inspired Al Bayt Stadium, the host nation's fans among the 67,372 crowd had started heading for the exits.
Although the November 20-December 18 tournament is geographically close for many Arab fans, high costs are a problem as a cocktail of crises and economic woes plague much of the Middle East and North Africa.
Wth Qatar bracing for the arrival of more than one million fans for the World Cup, the camel race track at Al-Shahaniya hopes to get a boost on the back of the world's most popular pastime.
Qatar has agreed to allow special direct flights from Israel that will be open to both Israeli and Palestinian fans for the World Cup, FIFA announced on Thursday.
Qatar will accept gay visitors but "they have to accept our rules", former international footballer Khalid Salman said in the interview.
An India-based computer hacking gang targeted critics of the Qatar World Cup, an investigation by British journalists said on Sunday, as the Qatari government furiously denied it had played any part in commissioning the eavesdropping.
After signing for just £4 million, Moises Caicedo has been performing well for Brighton this season.
Qatar's glitzy World Cup is ready and expensive
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, came fourth representing Iran in the boulder and lead combined event at the Asian Championships in Seoul.
Benzema is the first French winner of the most prestigious individual award in football since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
Despite some concerns, organizers have insisted there will be enough accommodation for all fans in the emirate of just 2.8 million people.
