The world is getting ready for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The biggest football tournament on the planet will begin with a grand opening ceremony and the standalone opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday, 20 November 2022.
Al Khor, Qatar, will become a colorful city and showcase the nation’s tradition. The night sky will light up with colorful fireworks during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Opening Ceremony.
Let us take a look at some of the details of the upcoming ceremony of this quadrennial event.
FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar
The 2022 iteration of the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar on November 20, 2022. For the first time in World Cup history, a middle-eastern country is hosting the event. Also, the event is the second hosted by an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member, Qatar, after Japan and South Korea co-hosted the tournament in 2002.
The event is also unique in the aspect of timing, as all previous versions happened in summer. In 2022, for the first time, World Cup will take place in Winter. This is due to the punishing summer heat of Qatar.
The nation has geared up with 8 stadiums, showcasing its culture and customs in front of the world, to host World Cup 2022. The Lusail Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, and Stadium 974 in and around the city of Doha will host the matches. The grand opening ceremony and Qatar vs Ecuador will be at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony
The grand opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will begin before Qatar vs Ecuador opening match at 7:00 pm local time on 20 November 2022. Al Khor, Qatar, will become a colorful city and showcase the nation’s tradition. The night sky of Al Bayt Stadium will light up with colorful fireworks.
FIFA World Cup was originally scheduled to begin on Monday, 21 November 2022. In that case, the opening ceremony would oddly take place before the third match of the day, Qatar vs Ecuador, at 7:00 pm.
Now the rescheduling of the tournament confirms Qatar vs Ecuador to move a day earlier, on 20 November. It enables FIFA to maintain its long tradition of playing the host nation on an opening day after the grand opening ceremony.
Though the ruling body of FIFA and Qatar haven’t revealed any outline of the ceremony, we can assume it will be grand in scale, reflecting the nation’s rich culture. Even the structures of the stadiums represent cultural significance. The design of the Al Bayt Stadium resembles the huge tent used by the nomadic people called Bayt Al Sha’ar. Al Thumama Stadium shows a stunning head cap design. The men and boys in Qatar wear this “gafiya” head cap. Al Janoub Stadium refers to the sail of the traditional pearl diving “Dhow” boats.
Official Soundtrack:
FIFA has released two official soundtracks for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The first one is “Hayya Hayya,” meaning better together. It features artists Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha. The second soundtrack features the world-famous Ozuna and GIMS. ‘Arhbo’ soundtrack is already making fans goosebumps. These artists wound decorate the opening ceremony with the magic of their music.
Official Poster and Mascot:
FIFA has also published the official poster and mascot for the tournament. Again, the poster reflects the nation’s tradition and the power of football, bringing the world closer.
It depicts traditional headwear being thrown in the air. It’s designed by Qatari female artist, Bouthayna Al Muftah. It is only a masterpiece among a series of posters to come.
Moreover, the official World Cup 2022 mascot La’eeb will be our companion for the month-long journey of the greatest football tournament on the planet.
