Al-Khor (Qatar) – Qatar opened the FIFA World Cup on Sunday with the slogan “Meeting Humanity” inside the Al-Bayt stadium, inspired by the design of the Bedouin tent.
Qatar gave the finals an Arabian flavour, and the Emiri Guard lined up with horses at the entrance to the VIP area outside the stadium.
The international federation (FIFA) said the theme of the opening ceremony was “a meeting of all humanity, as football enables us to bridge differences through humanity, respect and inclusion, and to come together as one tribe, and the earth is the tent in which we all live.”
The finals were due to start on Sunday 21 November, with the England-Wales match, but FIFA decided to bring the opening day forward to ensure Qatar were in their first match against Ecuador.
The ceremony included seven performances that combined Qatari traditions and international culture and honored all 32 teams participating in the finals, previous host countries and volunteers.
Among the opening ceremony was the song “Dreamers”, or “Dreamers”, by South Korean singer Jung Kook and Qatari singer Fahd Al Kubaisi.
Ghanem Al-Moftah and Dana Al-Fardan performed a song about inclusion and diversity.
The ceremony began with an Arabic song by a woman wearing a Bedouin veil over her face and a speech on inclusion, tolerance and diversity by Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman.
The prelude to the original song for the Qatar 2022 Finals was singing sections of the official songs from previous World Cup releases, starting with singer Ricky Martin’s song “The Cup of Life” in France 1998.
And reaching “Welcome”, the official song of the 2022 finals, a balloon in the shape of “Laeeb” rose, which is the mascot of the finals in Qatar.
The stadium’s screen showed childhood footage of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, with his father, Sheikh Hamad, playing football. The Emir pulled out a shirt autographed by his father before announcing the official opening of the tournament.
Prince Tamim said in a speech: ‘From Qatar…from Arab countries…I welcome everyone to the 2022 World Cup. We have worked with many people to make it one of the most successful tournaments. We have made efforts and invested in the good of all mankind, and finally we have arrived at the day of the inauguration”.
He continued, “Welcome to the world in Doha, everyone.”
