Qatar World Cup 2022 kicks off

The FIFA World Cup, the grandest football event, has kicked off today with a glittering ceremony in Qatar, marking the first world cup to be held in the Middle East.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, to a roaring crowd, and took their seats alongside other Arab leaders

In a show of solidarity, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Presidents of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Turkey Tayyip Erdogan and Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune, were among the political leaders who attended the opening ceremony.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also attended the event.

The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke at the opening ceremony and welcomed fans from all over the world.

"How beautiful it is for people to put aside what divides them in order to celebrate their diversity," he said.

"Let this tournament be full of inspiring days of goodness and hope, and welcome everyone to the world in Doha."

A show then unfolded on the pitch, featuring three camels, American actor Morgan Freeman and a performance of a new tournament song called Dreamers featuring singer Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS, alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi.

J Balvin, Robbie Williams, Jason Derulo, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Nora Fatehi, Nicki Minaj, Maluma, and Myriam Fares are also ready to perform in the stadium in front of about 60,000 football fans.

The tournament marked a culmination of Qatar's soft power push on the global stage and a show of strength after emerging from a 3-1/2 year boycott by Saudi Arabia and three Arab allies, including Egypt that ended in 2021.

The first direct flights from Israel to Qatar have been launched for the event.

The event's Creative Director Marco Balich said, "We have a team of 900 people with the world's best choreographers and lighting technicians among the organisers."