November 20, 2022: At Al Bayt stadium, Morgan Freeman, in his distinctive deep voice, initiated the colourful inaugural program, in the presence of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir from 2013, and, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Amir from 1995 to 2013. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Presidents of Turkey, Egypt and Algeria. The Amir spoke in Arabic and welcomed the guests. FIFA President, Gianni Infantino welcomed the Family of football, welcomed the teams from 32 countries and said,” Let the show begin.”
The 30-minute inaugural program featured Jung Kook from Korean supergroup BTS. In addition, the ceremony showcased Qatari culture and heritage while highlighting football’s ability to unite people from different countries and cultures.
BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who co-write and co-produce much of their own material.
Qatar is the first Arab nation to host the World Cup. Qatar is a conservative Muslim country of 3 million persons and it is well-known as a patron of Muslim Brotherhood and a radical preacher Dr Naik, who does not go back to India, since Police in India has cases on charges of causing inter-faith dis-harmony.
After Qatar was awarded the WC 2022 (which some American Soccer officials claim was done by bribing the FIFA officials), Qatar has built 8 Stadia and infrastructure, at a cost of $200 billion and the sacrifice of lives of 40,000 migrant workers, to be able to host 1.2 million guests, who are likely to come to Doha for the World Cup during the next 28 days.
The WC is normally organized in June. But it has been moved to November to avoid the high temperatures of the desert.