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The World Cup’s Forgotten Team

Related Topics: Nepal, Gianni Infantino

BHOKTENI, Nepal — Shambhu Chaudhary accepts the cellphone and takes a long look at the man in the photograph. He is dressed in a dark suit and standing in bright sunshine at the center of what appears to be a giant construction project. At first, Chaudhary does not recognize the man. But he recognizes the place immediately.

“Lusail,” Chaudhary says, naming the gleaming $1 billion facility that is the centerpiece of Qatar’s World Cup. “I built that stadium.”

Chaudhary, 44, probably will not watch the World Cup matches that will be played this month and the next at Lusail, when the stadium he helped build will attract star players, global celebrities, heads of state and a television audience of more than a billion people for the final on Dec.