In four years' time, Qatar's Khalifa International Stadium will host a quarter-final of the World Cup, but this Tuesday had to settle for a big screen.
4,500 people filled the fan zone of the stadium, where the semi-final between Belgium and France of the 2018 World Cup Russia was shown, while the clock is ticking for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Atef, a 30-year-old local that supports Belgium, explains that he has enjoyed the tournament, whose final is played on Sunday.
"It's competitive, seeing a new team in the World Cup makes it more interesting," he says, although he admits that Russia's unexpected success has put more pressure on Qatar to repeat the feat with an equally successful tournament. "To be honest, yes, there is a lot of pressure. This will be the first World Cup in the Middle East. It's not just big for Qatar, it's big for the region.
The match attracts people from all over Doha, mostly men, but there were also many families and women present. Followers from Qatar, Kenya, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan stick to the screen, shouting and jumping at every scoring chance.
Soda and popcorn vendors move through the crowd and people still arrive about 30 minutes after the start.
The stadium has air conditioning and requires it, as the humidity of a Doha summer makes the temperature feel like it is above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) after nine o'clock at night.
Belgium are clearly the fans' favourites at the Khalifa Stadium, although some fans wear French replica shirts.
But the game also shows the appeal of the World Cup: an Indian fan, Pooja, admits she doesn't really like football, but is interested every four years when the World Cup arrives.
Nearby is Mohamed, a teacher from Qatar accompanied by his family, but who is also thinking about four years ahead. "I think we can do better than Russia, because before there were more sports in Doha," he says.
Qatar's World Cup bid has been hit by several controversies over accusations of corruption, human rights abuse and the problem of alcohol for fans when about 1.5 million fans are expected to travel to Doha in 2022.
Qatar, a conservative Muslim country, is not a 'dry state', but it maintains strict rules on the purchase of alcohol. Alcohol will be sold at the tournament, but the plan for now is to restrict it to certain areas.
Mohamed, however, is not upset. "There's no problem with that. If you want to drink, drink," ditch. But won't the locals be offended? "No, I don't think so," says Mohamed.
Extending the visa
Teenage boy Jassim from Bangladesh wears a Qatari outfit and says he can't wait to enjoy the games live in four years' time.
"I'm so excited that I'm going to the games in 2022," says the 15-year-old.
At the top of the stands is 29-year-old Kenyan security guard Alex, who encourages Belgium because a former national team player, Divock Origi, has roots in Kenya.
But his mind is both in 2022 and the semi-final. He has been in the Gulf for two years and one of the reasons he came to Qatar is the World Cup.
"It will be a privilege for me to watch the World Cup," he says enthusiastically. "If my visa expires, I'll have to find a way to extend it, so I'm here for 2022.
