The most prestigious and most watched World Cup football tournament in football has kicked off in the Islamic country of Qatar.
This is the second time the World Cup has been held in Asia. The first time, in 2002 World Cup was hosted jointly by Japan and Korea. However, this is the first time the World Cup has been held in the Middle East.
The opening ceremony of this year’s tournament was held at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar. The opening ceremony was attended by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. While Arab leaders dominated the list of world leaders who attended the opening ceremony, Prominent among those who attended were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close ally of Qatar, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the presidents of Egypt and Algeria, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General, were also in attendance at the glittering ceremony to open the first World Cup in the Middle East.
During the opening ceremony, the Holy Quran was recited by Ghanem Al-Muftah. Followed by many performances, including a performance by Jung Kook from BTS with the official World Cup song Dreamers with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. Meanwhile, Hollywood superstar Morgan Freeman donned the narrator role during the ceremony and gave a nostalgic monologue.
This year 32 teams will compete in 64 matches.
This is the second time the World Cup has been held in Asia. The first time, in 2002 World Cup was hosted jointly by Japan and Korea. However, this is the first time the World Cup has been held in the Middle East.
The opening ceremony of this year’s tournament was held at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar. The opening ceremony was attended by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. While Arab leaders dominated the list of world leaders who attended the opening ceremony, Prominent among those who attended were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close ally of Qatar, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the presidents of Egypt and Algeria, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General, were also in attendance at the glittering ceremony to open the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Morgan Freeman and BTS star Jung Kook at the FIFA World Cup ceremony! ⚽ pic.twitter.com/BC3gnTWfR4
— ESPN (@espn) November 20, 2022
During the opening ceremony, the Holy Quran was recited by Ghanem Al-Muftah. Followed by many performances, including a performance by Jung Kook from BTS with the official World Cup song Dreamers with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. Meanwhile, Hollywood superstar Morgan Freeman donned the narrator role during the ceremony and gave a nostalgic monologue.
This year 32 teams will compete in 64 matches.
