Al Khor, Qatar - The most controversial World Cup in history kicked off on Sunday with a grandiose opening ceremony, politics roiling in the background, and Qatar falling to a historic 2-0 defeat against Ecuador on the field.

It all started with BTS superstar Jungkook performing in front of an audience well short of the brand-new Al Bayt stadium's 60,000 capacity. Actor Morgan Freeman also made a surprise appearance, narrating an opening ceremony full of platitudes about unity and welcoming all cultures.

But despite Qatar's almost desperate efforts to give this tainted event a glamorous sheen, it ended on a vaguely embarrassing note, with the home team becoming the first host nation to lose an opening match at a World Cup.

In truth, the actual soccer match was a non-event – somehow appropriate for a tournament so overshadowed by death, corruption, and hard geopolitics.

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Ecuador striker Enner Valencia had a third-minute effort disallowed for offside in the build-up, but then converted a penalty in the 16th and headed the second in the 31st minute of a grotesquely uneven affair.

Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb often looked short of the standards of a professional player, never mind the quality expected at the pinnacle of international soccer. He can thank Ecuador for taking its foot off the gas in the second half, when Valencia sadly had to go off injured.

By that point, the stands had almost completely emptied. Not that it made much of a difference to an atmosphere that was muted at all times.

As full time neared, it felt almost as if the only people left watching were a few thousand ecstatic Ecuador fans, FIFA president Gianni Infantino – he of recent "I feel gay, I feel disabled" fame – and the assortment of authoritarian leaders flanking him in the VIP seats.

Qatar faces an almost impossible challenge to survive the first round, with its other Group A games Friday against African champions Senegal and November 29 against the Netherlands.

The mind boggles at what those two strong sides could do to the hosts. Then again, it's even harder now to escape the feeling that the soccer doesn't really matter here.