***32 national teams battle for prestigious cup in 4 weeks
***Host Qatar lock horns with Ecuador in opening ceremony
***Kiss Daniel, Buga Won crooner, entertains football fans
The much awaited FIFA World Cup 2022 will begin today in Doha, Qatar, as 32 national teams compete for the prestigious cup in four weeks while the competition will be the first time that football’s biggest tournament will take place in the Middle East.
The 32 countries are Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Uruguay, Croatia, Denmark, Mexico, the United States, Senegal, Wales, Poland, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Switzerland, Ghana, Korea Republic, Cameroon, Serbia, Canada, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ecuador and the host country, Qatar.
Incidentally, Nigeria will not be part of the most important football fiesta, following the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the tournament.
Group A hosts Qatar alongside Ecuador, Senegal and The Netherlands while Group B has England, Iran, United States and Wales in an almost all-English affair.
For Group C, Argentina lead the charge against Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland while Group D has France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.
In Group E, Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan will have to battle for survival in the infamous Group of Death.
Group F has Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia while Brazil lead Group G against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal lead Group H against Uruguay, Ghana and the Republic of Korea.
But FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 fans are in for a treat as two mega entertainment and festive activations commenced on Saturday, just a day before the first match of the tournament between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
These are the FIFA Fan Festival at Al Bidda Park and the street festival on the Doha Corniche.
Gates were opened at about 4pm, with the inauguration beginning at 7pm with a live broadcast of the ‘Welcome to Qatar’ ceremony on the Corniche.
Lebanese singer, Myriam Fares and Colombian star Maluma, opened the Live Stage with headline solo performances as well as a world-exclusive duet performance of the official FIFA Fan Festival anthem, ‘Tukoh Taka’ (featuring Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Fares), which was released Friday.
The performances by Fares and Maluma would be the first of many by top global music acts and local artistes over the next four weeks, with international award-winning musicians: Diplo, Kizz Daniel, the ‘Buga Won’ crooner from Nigeria, Nora Fatehi, Trinidad Cardona and Calvin Harris to be brought to the Live Stage by FIFA Sound.
Regarding the opening ceremony on Sunday (today) the Fan Festival will be open from 4pm-1am. Hayya Card is mandatory to gain access to the FIFA Fan Festival.
FIFA also stated in a statement that, “Fans from all over the world can look forward to 29 days of football, music, culture and lifestyle – a true festival of football.”
Meanwhile, the Corniche will be home to “Qatar’s global street carnival along Doha’s iconic 6km waterfront”, starting from Saturday. It covers the stretch from the Museum of Islamic Art to Hotel Park (Sheraton).
The atmosphere along the Corniche will celebrate nations – allowing fans to connect from all around the world.
The activation will include 150+ food outlets, live concert stages, ‘Welcome to Qatar’ water and light shows, roaming performances, arts, culture and story-telling, family-friendly entertainment, Bedouin Village and official FIFA merchandise.
The timings are from 12noon until midnight daily, with entertainment shows taking place from 3pm to 11pm.
The waterfront has been decorated with palm frond-shaped lighting poles that reflect the Qatari heritage.
Pedestrian underpasses and plazas have been constructed to facilitate the movement of people along the Corniche.
To enhance the aesthetics of these underpasses and plazas, sculptures and artworks of various Qatari and resident artists have been installed, as well as cafes set up.
The Doha Corniche has been decorated with 1,440 palm frond-shaped lighting poles in harmony with the sprawling palm trees on the Corniche along with the provision of 655 lighting poles with distinctive features in the central Doha area.
A key part of the celebrations, ‘Welcome to Qatar’ is a must-see for fans during the tournament, featuring the Circle of Lights – a shimmering circle suspended above the water that transforms to poetically narrate wonderful stories.
Throughout the afternoon, dancing water fountains will bring the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack to life.
When the sun goes down, a stunning symphony of pyrotechnics, drones and water effects will light up the sky – all set to an original orchestral score.
After the opening day, shows will take place daily at 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, 5pm and 5.50pm throughout the tournament.
