Sunday is a red-letter day for Qatari football. Its men’s football team will make its World Cup debut as hosts of the tournament, taking on Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium to mark the opening of the 2022 World Cup. The Middle Eastern country of 2.8m people, mostly expatriates, qualified automatically as the host nation. The reigning Asian champions are ranked 50 in the world and are the first Arab nation to host the competition. In their run to lifting the Asian trophy, the country’s first big football title, the Maroons conceded just one goal and beat favourites and four-time champions Japan 3…