The most anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 has been kicked off with a grand opening held on Nov 20th at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. This is the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East and in any Muslim country. The stadium is located 40km north of Doha in Al Khor with a capacity to accommodate 60,000 people. Millions of fans will watch the FIFA World cup 2022 opening ceremony via online platforms.
Around US$200 billion was spent on the infrastructure and the development of all the projects related to the world cup. The world cup has commenced today and will continue till Dec 18th. Interestingly, this is the last 32-team world cup that has been going on since 1998. After this, the world cup in 2026 will have 48 teams.
Opening ceremony and performances
The Fifa world cup 2022 ceremony started at 2 pm GMT. It took place before the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, which begins at 5 pm GMT.
The opening ceremony started with a presentation narrated by senior actor Morgan Freeman and Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al-Muftah.
The Youtuber read out a verse from the Holy Quran about diversity: “Oh mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.”
The world cup 2022 grand opening was a dazzling affair as Doha used the platform to put on a show and set the tone for possibly the world’s largest sporting spectacle. It is also predicted that this football tournament will be the most-watched event in history.
According to Qatar state media, the ceremony lasted for about two hours with the participation of Jungkook, a member of BTS. Jungkook took to Twitter to share the news. He also confirmed his involvement in the tournament’s original soundtrack.
Also, Qatari star Fahad Al Kubaisi of the official World Cup song Dreamers took part in the opening ceremony. The traditional Qatari and Arab art form of the “ardha” war dance was also performed.
Bollywood actress and singer, Nora Fatehi and Grammy-winning rapper Lil Baby performed at the world cup.
Shakira was also said to perform in the world cup but due to personal reasons, she was not available at the grand opening. Other performances were from include J Balvin, Black Eyed Peas, and Patrick Nmaeka Okorie. Moreover, the British singer Dua Lipa denied it.
There will be 32 teams in the FIFA world cup™ which will begin in a group stage, with teams divided into eight groups of four. Each group has 4 teams, and all the teams play against each other once. So, each team plays 3 games in the group stage. The top 2 from each group advance to the Round of 16 stage which is a knockout. The winners of the knockout then reach the quarter-final, then the semi-final, and then the final.
Brazil, France, Argentina, Portugal, Belgium, England, Spain, Croatia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Brazil being the team with the most world cups in history (5) have a strong team and is the favourite, England made the semis of the last world cup and the final of the last Euro cup and hence has a strong team, Argentina is the Copa America winners and hence have a strong team and this is Messi’s last world cup so ending it with the only trophy that eludes his cabinet would be the perfect end to a perfect career.
Spain has a very promising team because they have some superb young players (Pedri, Fati, Gavi) and they have an Elite manager in the form of Luis Enrique who’s arguably the best in this world cup. Spain historically plays a possession style of football where they dominate the ball through short passes, keeping hold of possession until they see an opening. They rely on their opponents’ making mistakes under pressure and then pouncing on them.
FIFA President rejects criticism
The decision to allow Qatar to hold this year’s world cup has spiked some criticisms. Qatar is already in hot waters for the treatment of its migrant workers, who with other foreigners comprise the bulk of the country’s population.
The above allegation was rejected by FIFA President. He blasted the hypocrisy of Western critics of alleged Qatar’s human rights violations.
Furthermore, because Qatar is a Muslim country where alcohol is prohibited but there are alcohol regulations.
The #FIFAWorldCup is here… which means it's time to #BringTheMoves!
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) November 20, 2022
Kids, create your celebrations! Players, answer the challenge and #BringTheMoves 🕺
Find out how to get involved:
Where can you watch the 2022 World Cup?
The live streaming of Qatar World Cup 2022 can be watched at FOX and Fox Sports live, CTV, TSN, BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website, SBS, and SBS On Demand. The World Cup will be streamed live on tv, DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Video, and YouTube TV.
Read More:
Coca-Cola 2022 FIFA World Cup releases Latin Arabic fusion anthem. A Kind of Magic
Fifa Qatar World Cup 2022: 3 million tickets sold – Abu Samra opens its gates for fans
Fifa Qatar World Cup 2022 – Tickets, Schedule, Transport, and Stadiums
