AL-RAYYAN, Qatar -- The preparations involved in getting a team ready for the World Cup are always complicated. In some cases, they can make or break a tournament. Germany's hideaway in Brazil in 2014 was widely hailed as being key to their eventual title. Conversely, the United States men's national team's decision to sequester themselves in a remote chalet in 1998 has often been cited as one of several factors that led to the team's miserable time in France.
The reality is that every tournament has its own peculiarities, be it the host nation, venues, training base or opponents.