Qatar will be desperate to banish the memory of their miserable World Cup campaign but their preparations have been hit by the departure of coach Carlos Queiroz, who left last month after a year of mixed results. The Maroons take on Lebanon on Friday in the opening game of the 18th edition of the continental championship at the Lusail Stadium, which hosted Argentina's dramatic World Cup final win over France in December 2022. While the Gulf nations might be able to claim superiority in state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure, East Asia remains home to much of the cream of the continent's playing talent.
