Opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar.

The
much awaited FIFA World Cup's Opening ceremony has finally begun from November
20 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar.
South
Korean boy band BTS member Jungkook and veteran actor Morgan Freeman stole the
show with their magical performance in the opening ceremony.
Jungkook
performed on the official soundtrack called 'DREAMERS' of FIFA WORLD CUP 2022,
written and sung originally by the BTS member, Jungkook himself.
Jungkook
is the first Asian musician to perform the official anthem of FIFA World Cup
2022.
Other
than Jungkook performance, the opening ceremony also witnessed a non- musical
performance of American actor Morgan Freeman.
The
85-year-old surprised football fans with his appearance in the opening act of
FIFA WORLD Cup Qatar 2022 Opening ceremony.
The
veteran actor served as both the host and narrator while entertaining the
audience with his distinctive baritone while giving a speech about the
"emotions that connect us all now".
Reportedly
various other popular artists like J Robbie Williams, Jason Derulo, Clean
Bandit, Sean Paul, Nora Fatehi, Black Eyed Peas,Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam
Fares are also going to perform in the ceremony which is going to take place in
a stadium which has a capacity of 60,000.
The
opening ceremony began 90 minutes before the tournament's first game, between
hosts Qatar and Ecuador from 9:30 pm IST onwards at the same venue.
This
is the first ever World Cup being held in the Middle East. The tournament will
be held across eight stadiums in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.
There
will be as many as 32 teams from five confederations who will compete for the
biggest prize in the world of football. The teams are divided into eight groups
of four i.e., A to H. However, only top two teams will advance to the final
match.
According
to reports, 64 matches will be played during the course of 29 days which is
also the shortest 32-team FIFA World Cup in history.
Except
for the first two days, four matches will be played each day during the group
stages. Each of the 32 teams will play three matches in the group stages before
the knockouts begin with the round of 16 (pre-quarterfinals) on December 3.
The
semi-finals will played on December 14 and 15 and both at 12:30 AM IST while
the final match will be played on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
FIFA
World Cup 2022 schedule for Indian fans are as follows-
Note- All
times are in Indian Standard Times (IST).
Group
stages
Sunday,
November 20
Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador - 9:30 PM IST
Monday,
November 21
Group
B: England vs Iran - 6:30 PM IST
Group
A: Senegal vs Netherlands - 9:30 PM IST
Tuesday,
November 22
Group
B: United States vs Wales - 12:30 AM IST
Group
C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia - 3:30 PM IST
Group
D: Denmark vs Tunisia - 6:30 PM IST
Group
C: Mexico vs Poland - 9:30 PM IST
Wednesday,
November 23
Group
D: France vs Australia - 12:30 AM IST
Group
F: Morocco vs Croatia - 3:30 PM IST
Group
E: Germany vs Japan - 6:30 PM IST
Group
E: Spain vs Costa Rica - 9:30 PM IST
Thursday,
November 24
Group
F: Belgium vs Canada - 12:30 AM IST
Group
G: Switzerland vs Cameroon - 3:30 PM IST
Group
H: Uruguay vs South Korea - 6:30 PM IST
Group
H: Portugal vs Ghana - 9:30 PM IST
Friday,
November 25
Group
G: Brazil vs Serbia - 12:30 AM IST
Group
B: Wales vs IR Iran - 3:30 PM IST
Group
A: Qatar vs Senegal - 6:30 PM IST
Group
A: Netherlands vs Ecuador - 9:30 PM IST
Saturday,
November 26
Group
B: England vs United States - 12:30 AM IST
Group
D: Tunisia vs Australia - 3:30 PM IST
Group
C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia - 6:30 PM IST
Group
D: France vs Denmark - 9:30 PM IST
Sunday,
November 27
Group
C: Argentina vs Mexico - 12:30 AM IST
Group
E: Japan vs Costa Rica - 3:30 PM IST
Group
F: Belgium vs Morocco - 6:30 PM IST
Group
F: Croatia vs Canada - 9:30 PM IST
Monday,
November 28
Group
E: Spain vs Germany - 12:30 AM IST
Group
G: Cameroon vs Serbia - 3:30 PM IST
Group
H: South Korea vs Ghana - 6:30 PM IST
Group
G: Brazil vs Switzerland - 9:30 PM IST
Tuesday,
November 29
Group
H: Portugal vs Uruguay - 12:30 AM IST
Group
A: Netherlands vs Qatar - 8:30 PM IST
Group
A: Ecuador vs Senegal - 8:30 PM IST
Wednesday,
November 30
Group
B: Wales vs England - 12:30 AM IST
Group
B: IR Iran vs United States - 12:30 AM IST
Group
D: Tunisia vs France - 8:30 PM IST
Group
D: Australia vs Denmark - 8:30 PM IST
Thursday,
December 1
Group
C: Poland vs Argentina - 12:30 AM IST
Group
C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico - 12:30 AM IST
Group
F: Croatia vs Belgium - 8:30 PM IST
Group
F: Canada vs Morocco - 8:30 PM IST
Friday,
December 2
Group
E: Japan vs Spain - 12:30 AM IST
Group
E: Costa Rica vs Germany - 12:30 AM IST
Group
H: South Korea vs Portugal - 8:30 PM IST
Group
H: Ghana vs Uruguay - 8:30 PM IST
Saturday,
December 3
Group
G: Cameroon vs Brazil - 12:30 AM IST
Group
G: Serbia vs Switzerland - 12:30 AM IST
Round
of 16
Saturday,
December 3
Group
A winner vs Group B runners-up - 8.30 PM IST
Sunday,
December 4
Group
C winner vs Group D runners-up - 12.30 AM IST
Group
D winner vs Group C runners-up - 8.30 PM IST
Monday,
December 5
Group
B winner vs Group A runners-up - 12.30 AM IST
Group
E winner vs Group F runners-up - 8.30 PM IST
Tuesday,
December 6
Group
G winner vs Group H runners-up - 12.30 AM IST
Group
F winner vs Group E runners-up - 8.30 PM IST
Wednesday,
December 7
Group
H winner vs Group G runners-up - 12.30 AM IST
Friday,
December 9
Quarter-final
1 - 8.30 PM IST
Saturday,
December 10
Quarter-final
2 - 12.30 AM IST
Quarter-final
3 - 8.30 PM IST
Sunday,
December 11
Quarter-final
4 - 12.30 AM IST
Wednesday,
December 14
Semi-finals
1 - 12.30 AM IST
Thursday,
December 15
Semi-final
2 - 12.30 AM IST
Saturday,
December 17
Third
place match - 8.30 PM IST
Sunday,
December 18
Final - 8.30 PM IST
(With inputs from Olympics.com)
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