The first World Cup to boast air-cooled stadiums got a downright frosty reception when Qatar was announced as its host in 2010.
After all, who would think a desert nation with a population of under three million was an apt venue for the staging of football's most important tournament?
The winning bid has also been dogged by corruption accusations, which have ensnared some of the sport's most powerful office holders, and human rights abuses.
And yet 20 years after Asia first welcomed the world's best footballers in Japan and South Korea, they will return to the continent, this time to the Middle East.
In doing so, they will create a World Cup of many firsts.
It will be the Arab world's maiden World Cup and comes at a time when the region has begun to assert itself in the wider sporting world.
While its journey in sport started over 10 years ago with the capture and transformation of major football clubs such as Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, the Middle East has since expanded its presence.
In Formula One, it has doubled the number of races it hosts to four with the inauguration of the Saudi Arabian and Qatar Grands Prix last year, meaning it stages nearly a fifth of the 22-race series.
The Saudis turned heads last year by investing a whopping US$200 million (S$272 million) in the Asian Tour and, with the European Tour finale also sited in Dubai, the Arab world is beginning to flex its muscles in golf as well.
Tackling Qatar's heat issue has also given football its first year-end World Cup following the quadrennial event's shift away from its traditional June-July slot.
The move will upend the sport's global calendar and see the major European leagues take an unprecedented mid-season break so players can join their national teams for the Nov 21-Dec 18 event.
While it is a major disruption, many leagues have already had some practice with compressing fixtures because of the coronavirus, which resulted in competitions worldwide being suspended for a period of time in 2020 before resuming.
It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the coronavirus will have on Qatar 2022, the first World Cup to take place since the start of the pandemic.
Euro 2020 was held in multiple cities last year with reduced stadium capacities but with strict travel and testing regimens.
In contrast, the Tokyo Olympics, which like the World Cup is a global gathering of the elite and the faithful, was held weeks later but was devoid of spectators, with teams and media adhering to tightly controlled itineraries.
At 92 years old, this year's World Cup will also mark several important "lasts".
This will be the final time fans will see a 32-team edition, for the tournament expands to a mammoth 48 teams from 2026.
The sport's two great modern warriors - Argentina's Lionel Messi, 34, and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, 36 - will very likely grace the event for the last time.
Ronaldo, in fact, might not even make the trip with Portugal's qualifying chances in the balance.
Messi has etched his name on countless trophies but a World Cup winner's medal eludes the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, as it does all South Americans since 2002.
Will this be the year of the continent that has produced the likes of Pele and Maradona?
Who knows?
But what is certain is that nothing turns on the imagination like a World Cup. According to Fifa, the 2018 edition in Russia was watched by 3.572 billion people, that's half the globe.
The fortunes and following of other sports rise and fall with the stars of the day, like golf with Tiger Woods and athletics with Usain Bolt.
But the world's obsession with The Beautiful Game remains a constant, even in Singapore. Not just because of our love of the game, but also because of hope. Because one day, it's where we want to be.
