It is very disappointing that Italy failed to qualify for the Qatar 2020 World Cup but that does not mean that we cannot enjoy a month of high-quality exciting football, especially if you like to have a punt.

A World Cup is a sort of community affair, it is a time when people come together, whether that is at the local bar or at someone’s house and that tends to involve, drinks, singing, celebrating, screaming and betting.

There really is nothing better than having a pint, some BBQ and seeing how your high odds acca is doing, something that a festival of football provides.

The first three days of the World Cup have no less than eight games to sink your teeth into and whether it is a simple Correct score double or straightforward match result on all eight fixtures, there is more than enough chances to fill your pockets

The tournament kicks off on Sunday, November 20th with the tournament hosts facing South American qualifiers Ecuador, then on the following day, we have England v Iran, Senegal v Netherlands and USA v Wales.

Those first four matches are not easy to call, well, maybe the England game but the other three could go either way and that means there will some competitive odds for the casual punter to enhance his World Cup enjoyment.

But it is not just about having a bet, there is ample opportunity to enjoy the social interactions that come with watching tournament football.

Pubs and bars will be full to the brim, national songs will be blasted out and a lot of banter will be undertaken, especially when you get two teams that create tension, like Iran v USA or Wales v England, the subplots are many.

Then we have the many superstars on display that we may never see again at this level, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi immediately spring to mind. This is what lasting memories are made of.

It is a shame that Italy is not participating but there are still many Serie A players partaking in the tournament and almost every club in the competition will have players in Qatar, for example, Juventus fans can enjoy watching Dusan Vlahovic, Adrien Rabiot, Danilo and so on.

A winter World Cup may not be everyone’s cup of tea and that is understandable, however, it is what it is, we cannot change it now and there is nothing to gain any more by moaning about it. That time has come and gone, now is the time to embrace the competition and everything it has to offer.