The Middle East country will be under the spotlight of the world's media over the next three weeks following the shock decision by FIFA last month to award them the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.

The announcement was met with much scepticism, with critics expressing concerns over the country's climate and social constraints as well as their lack of a footballing tradition.

While the Asian Cup will not allay all fears, it will provide a glimpse into how Qatar deals with hosting a major tournament and Bruno Metsu, coach of the country's national team, is confident they will do themselves proud.

"I think people will be surprised," said the Frenchman. "The stadiums will be ready for the spectators and players and it will be fantastic for football.

"There are a lot of preparations to improve the Qatar players and the facilities here and the whole world will be surprised in 2022."

It will be equally important for Qatar to impress on the pitch as well as off it this month with The Maroon perennial strugglers on the international stage.

Qatar have yet to qualify for a World Cup whilst their best record at the Asian Cup was a quarter-final appearance at the 2000 edition in Lebanon.

After their Group A opener against Uzbekistan tomorrow they will take on China and Kuwait in a bid to secure a place in the last eight.

Qatar's preparations for the tournament have gone well, with two wins and a draw from four warm-up games, and Metsu has every faith in his players to give the country's fans plenty to cheer about.

"The players want to show something not only for Qatar but for the world, especially because of the World Cup in 2022," he added.

"If we can do well at the Asian Cup it will be good for the future of football in Qatar."

Uzbekistan, meanwhile, have lofty aspirations of claiming a maiden title at the tournament having shown steady improvement over recent years.

Having only qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time in 1996, the Uzbeks have reached the quarter-finals in the last two editions and coach Vadim Abramov feels going even further in Doha is an achievable target.

"We are satisfied with our preparations. We had many training camps and our expectation is to win this tournament, just like all the teams here," he said.

"The opening match is an historical match. We want to show our best and we will do our best tomorrow."