FIFA World Cup 2022 Opening Ceremony Highlights: BTS star Jung Kook serenades football fans in Qatar's extravaganza

A Qatari official has signed something with Gianni Infantino grinning. He gives a speech in Arabic and welcomes everyone!

BTS star Jung Kook has arrived and becomes the centerpiece of this event! He performs alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. They sing Dreamers, the official World Cup song.

The mascots of the previous World Cup arrives as the performance continues! Right now, there are dancers in red costumes! Also we can hear K'naan's Wavin' Flag in the background! Songs from all editions are being played!

The dancing continues and the flags of participating countries arrives! THere are also walking models of the team jerseys!

Morgan Freeman is in the field and he will don the role of narrator in the opening ceremony!

The opening ceremony has begun and there is a dance performance going on, representative of the Arab region!

The Holy Quran will be recited during the opening ceremony, and it will be done by Ghanem Al-Muftah.

The crowd has arrived at the Al Bayt Stadium for the opener between Qatar and Ecuador and they seem to be enjoying!

In the four years of commercial deals pertaining to the 2022 World Cup, FIFA have earned record revenues of 7.5 billion dollars. It is 1 billion dollars more than the income of the previous cycle tied to Russia 2018.

Qatar will be expected to host around 1.5 million fans during the World Cup matches, with the final scheduled for December 18. Qatar is the smallest country ever to host a World Cup and it has an existing population of 3 million, and around 1.2 million fans are expected to attend the tournament. The final will be held at the Lusail Stadium. Here is a guide for the visiting fans, click here!

The original plan was for the ceremony to be held before Qatar's first match on Monday. But then it would create a situation of two matches being held before it. So, Qatar's opener was then brought forward by a day!

Qatar has been facing plenty of criticism lately. The host nation has been embroiled in countless controversies, which also include accusations of them bribing to win the World Cup bid. Qatar also received plenty of criticism on Friday, after banning beer in the stadiums during the tournament. So FIFA President Gianni Infantino rushed to Qatar's defence but for all the wrong reasons. Speaking in a press conference, he said, "Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker."

"I know what it feels [like] to be discriminated [against]… I was bullied because I had red hair", he further added in his bizarre speech.

Ahead of the opening ceremony, Creative director Marco Balich said, "We have a team of 900 people with best-in-the-world choreographers and lighting technicians."

"I think it’s going to be a big step forward in terms of World Cup history, and the next edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada will inherit the challenge to create this big show which enriches the experience and identity of the entire tournament", he further added.

Qatar organisers took a u-turn on Thursday, just three-days before the opening ceremony, banning the sale and consumption of beer in the stadiums! It hasn't been well-received by travelling fans, especially as the country had promised it would allow Budweiser beers in the stadiums.

BTS star Jung Kook has confirmed his presence in the opening ceremony! The tournament posted a video of the music star on social media and it left fans eagerly waiting!

Hello and good evening everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony, scheduled for 7:30 PM IST, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, on Sunday.