The 2022 World Cup kicked off on Sunday with a visually striking opening ceremony at Al-Bayt Stadium ahead of the tournament’s first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
American actor Freeman featured in the festivities alongside Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al-Muftah.
South Korean pop star Jung Kook sang Dreamers, the tournament song, alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi at the stadium in Al Khor. Â The ceremony kicked off with Oscar-winning actor Freeman narrating a video about football’s ability to unite.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and the presidents of Egypt, Turkey and Algeria, as well as the United Nations secretary general, were among world leaders in the tent-shaped stadium ahead of the opening match.
The 30-minute ceremony ended with a fireworks display and another dance routine before the Qatar and Ecuador teams took to the pitch to start their warm-ups.
Meanwhile, Hosts Qatar opened the 2022 Fifa World Cup in calamitous fashion, easily beaten by Ecuador in a humbling defeat at Al Bayt.
Felix Sanchez’s men have been together in camp for the last six months to prepare for the tournament and work on tactics, but a nervous and disjointed performance led to a Group A loss.
With Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal and three-time finalists the Netherlands to come, this looked like Qatar’s easiest game on paper but they totally outplayed.
A dramatic opening to the contest saw Enner Valencia’s header from close range ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee, but the South Americans did break the deadlock shortly after.
Qatar’s erratic goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb brought Valencia down in the box and the forward stepped up to convert the spot-kick.
It got worse for the hosts as Valencia powered in another header before half-time to leave the Al Bayt Stadium silenced at the break.
Many supporters who had left the stadium at the interval did not return, leaving the ground around half empty for much of the second period.
Credit: bbc.com
