World Cup 2022 opening ceremony time, date, performing artists, tickets, stadium

All eyes are on the Middle East ahead of the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup. Stakes are high as ever as top football stars prepare to lead their nations to glory in Qatar. Historically, formalities are usually undertaken before the tournament begins, including the opening ceremony with entertaining performances. Get all details about the World Cup 2022 opening ceremony time, date, and more to set your mind ahead of the event.

Qatar will host the tournament for the first time in its history. It will also be the second World Cup hosted in Asia after the 2002 edition staged in South Korea and Japan.

Below are all the details you need to know about Qatar World Cup 2022 opening ceremony date, time and performers.

FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony date and time

The 2022 World Cup opening ceremony is set to take place on November 20. The ceremony is expected to begin at 3pm (UK time). So, which stadium will the FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony be held in?

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Football

Qatar's Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor will host the much-anticipated ceremony. The stadium is located north of Qatar's capital city, Doha. It has a capacity of 60,000.

Which artists are performing in the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony?

The event will, as usual, see some of the top artists and musicians entertain the masses ahead of the curtain raiser.

Bollywood star Nora Fatehi and American singer Lil Baby are among the World Cup 2022 opening ceremony artists already confirmed. Lil Baby produced one of the tournament's songs The World Is Yours To Take, which is also the official anthem for the tournament. Fatehi also featured in the official song alongside Manal and Rahma.

Other famous artists yet to be confirmed include the popular Korean band BTS, Colombian musician Shakira, and Nigerian artist Kizz Daniel. Local Qatar dancers could also get opportunities to perform at the Al Bayt Stadium.

FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony performance

According to FIFA, the ceremony will take place about an hour before the opening fixture. It will also feature the official anthem, songs from the soundtrack, and the competition's mascot.

The 2022 World Cup mascot

La'eeb was revealed as the official mascot of the global tournament in April 2022. La'eeb is an Arabic word meaning 'super-skilled player'.

What is the Official World Cup song?

Unlike previous editions, FIFA has released four official songs for the Qatar event. These will help set the tone of the event.

Hayya Hayya

The track, performed by Cardona, Davido and Aisha, was released in April 2022. Hayya Hayya means 'better together.' The song's video features images of Zinedine Zidane, Cafu, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and other football stars.

Arhbo

Gims and Ozuna rapped the second song for the 2022 World Cup called Arhbo, which means 'welcome.' The song's video features the stadiums that will host the matches.

The World is Yours to Take

The third song of the tournament is The World is Yours to Take, performed by Lil Baby. It features sounds from the famous Tears for Fears song Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Light the Sky

Light the Sky is the fourth track that will ring in people's ears between November and December. The song is performed by Balqees, Nora Fatehi, Manal and Rahma Riad. Its lyrics speak of the world all wanting to come together.

FIFA world cup 2022 opening ceremony tickets

Tickets for the opening ceremony are nearly sold out. However, last-minute online sales are still open and will run until the end of the tournament on December 18.

Meanwhile, those in Qatar can visit the FIFA Main Ticketing Centre (MTC) at the Doha Exhibition and the Convention Center (DECC) for ticket purchases. They can also visit the Ticketing Centre (TCX) in Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena (ABHA Arena) in Al Sadd.

Cost of tickets

The cost of tickets for the Qatar tournament varies from one stage to another. Group stage tickets cost between $70 and $220, and knockout matches between $600 and $1,600.

How many tickets have been sold?

As of October 20, FIFA had sold around 2.89 million tickets for the tournament. Qatar recorded the highest sale, followed by the USA and Saudi Arabia. Others are England, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, Brazil and Germany.

What is the opening game of the World Cup?

Hosts Qatar will kick off the tournament against Ecuador in a Group A match at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20. The match will kick off at 7pm local time (11am ET / 4pm GMT). The event runs up to December 18, 2022.

Is the 2022 World Cup on TV?

Fans can watch the tournament live on TV across FOX Sports (FOX and FS1) in English and Telemundo in Spanish. You can also live stream on Peacock, Fubo, SlingTV and Vidgo.

Teams in World Cup 2022

Thirty-two countries will be competing for the top prize in Qatar. The teams are in eight groups of four, with the top two progressing to round 16.

Why is the World Cup in November-December?

FIFA moved the tournament from its traditional June-July dates to November-December. The change was due to the high average temperatures in Qatar during the June-July period.

The calendar change will affect most European leagues, since clubs must release players to represent their national teams in the competition.

Although the World Cup 2022 opening ceremony time varies from region to region, the date remains the same worldwide. Excitement is already building ahead of the showpiece as fans look forward to great entertainment.

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Group	Teams
Group A	Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B	England, Iran, United States, Wales
Group C	Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D	France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E	Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F	Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G	Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H	Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea