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FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off with glittering opening ceremony

32 teams are participating in the event in Qatar

By Web Desk

November 20, 2022

Official mascot La'eeb makes an appearance in the opening ceremony — Reuters

DOHA: The highly-anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 began with a glittering opening ceremony on Sunday at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Qatar's capital, Doha.

The World Cup’s first match is between host nation Qatar and Ecuador today as the month-long football showpiece finally gets under way after a tortuous 12-year build-up dogged by off-field controversies.

Morgan Freeman and Ghanim al Muftah were among the stars of the glittering event — Reuters

Foreign government officials, VIPs and celebrities were in the crowd as the first World Cup staged in the Arab world opened at the Bedouin tent-inspired stadium.

The venue is one of an array of new stadiums built for the tournament, which has cost Qatar an estimated $200 billion, the most expensive World Cup in history.

South Korean K-pop star Jung Kook headlined the opening ceremony, which reflected themes of "humanity, respect and inclusion".

Singer Jung Kook won fans' hearts with his performance — Reuters

World Cup organisers hope the start of the football will quell the controversies that have overshadowed preparations for the tournament ever since Qatar was named as host nation in a shock FIFA vote in 2010.

Qatar´s treatment of migrant workers and the Gulf state´s human rights record have dominated the pre-tournament headlines.

Criticism

On Saturday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino went on the offensive in an aggressive rebuttal of the opprobrium aimed at the event, arguing that much of the criticism was unfair.

"Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker," Infantino said.

"I feel this, all this, because what I´ve been seeing and what I´ve been told, since I don´t read, otherwise I would be depressed, I think."

Camels during the opening ceremony — Reuters

Controversies look certain to rumble on into the tournament even after the action starts.

The World Cup will be a mostly alcohol free after officials decided to ban beer inside stadiums, which led to even more criticism.

Beer or no beer, Qataris and thousands of visiting fans have arrived ready to party with throngs packing the FIFA Fan Festival zones in central Doha along the city's famed Corniche.

All 32 teams competing at the World Cup have now arrived, with five-time champions Brazil the last to touch down in Doha late on Saturday.