Qatar World Cup: Huge Murals of Lionel Messi, Sadio Mane, Neymar and Other Stars Set Up in Doha

• The organisers of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar have set up murals of some of the big footballing stars who are expected to grace the tournament
• Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are some of the players whose murals have been set up across different buildings in Doha
• The World Cup will begin officially on November 20th and end on 18th December across 8 stadia in the country

The World Cup fever pitch has gripped Qatar with only less than two weeks to the opening game between the host nation and Ecuador.

The month-long competition will be the first time a World Cup is held towards the end of the year. The choice of Qatar as the host nation received criticism, but the country is taking huge steps to cleanse its image and present itself as a true football destination.

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The capital city of Qatar, Doha, has mounted murals of various stars ahead of the showpiece. A video posted by the official account of the tournament shows the murals of the stars on different buildings making for a breathtaking view.

Argentina star Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar lead the list of high-profile players. Wales's Gareth Bale. Belgium's Thibaut Courtois, England's Harry Kane, Uruguay's Luis Suarez and the Netherland's Virgil Can Dijk also have their murals in the city.

Senegal's shining star, Sadio Mane's mural, is also seen. However, this comes at a time when he is expected to miss out on the World Cup after picking up a tendon injury during Bayern Munich's game.

The tournament will run until December 18th.

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Sports Brief had earlier reported that eight venues would play host to the 64 matches to be played during the 2022 edition of the World Cup in Qatar.

The tournament is set to kick off officially on November 20, with hosts curtain-raising the campaign against Ecuador.

all eight stadiums where the action will take place are ready, despite previous fears about the possibility of the venues not being ready in time. Construction of the facilities is understood to have started back in November 2015 in readiness for the prestigious tournament.