Football
World Cup 2022 Opens with Glitzy Ceremony, Hosts Qatar Lose to Ecuador
by privatebet.com - 2022/11/21
After months of anticipation and a lot of controversy surrounding this year’s World Cup, the highly-anticipated tournament finally kicked off in Qatar. The opening ceremony was a glitzy affair, and it was followed by a match between Qatar and Ecuador, which led to the host's loss. The 2022 FIFA World Cup opened on Sunday night with a glitzy opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The ceremony opened with Morgan Freeman delivering a speech about football bringing people together. “This is a call to the whole world. Soccer brings people and nations together. There is a common thread of hope and respect. Soccer expands the world, it unites nations in their love for this precious game,” said Freeman. BTS singer Jung Kook sang “Dreamers” alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, and several World Cup songs played during the ceremony, but none of the singers agreed to perform them live. Following the opening ceremony, hosts Qatar faced Ecuador in the first match of the entire tournament. Ecuador scored an easy 2-0 win, largely thanks to Enner Valencia, who netted two goals in the first half. 32 teams are participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the tournament will conclude on December 18. It’s the first World Cup to take place in the Arab world, and it faced significant controversy due to Qatar's poor human rights record and the mistreatment of migrant workers.