Qatar 2022: Fascinating Photos Emerge As Euphoria Builds Ahead of World Cup Opener

• World Cup hosts Qatar will face Ecuador at 16:00 GMT for the opening match, marking the start of the first-ever World Cup held in the Middle East
• Hollywood celebrity Morgan Freeman delivered a message of hope, unity and tolerance at the start of the opening ceremony amid waves and cheer
• Despite the much-publicized controversies surrounding this year's edition of the biggest football festival, the euphoria has caught on with fans who have trooped to Qatar

The much-talked-about 2022 FIFA World Cup is finally upon us as the eyes of the world will be fully engrossed in Qatar for almost a month.

Despite the controversy and ceaseless allegations levelled at the hosts, the first-ever World Cup in the Middle East promises to be one of a kind.

Ahead of the opening ceremony before the curtain-raiser between Qatar and Ecuador, stunning photos of fans already feeling the buzz in the oil-rich nation have surfaced online.

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In photos posted on Twitter, seen by Sports Brief, football fans across the face of the earth clad in their various national colours thronged the Al Bayt Stadium to catch a glimpse of the opening ceremony.

When is the opening game?

Qatar and Ecuador will have the honours of playing the 2022 World Cup curtain-raiser at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

The game has been scheduled for 16:00 GMT on Sunday, November 20.

FIFA president promises exciting tournament

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that FIFA's president promised the World Cup would be like "Disneyland" while rights groups say workers have been through hell, but one thing is certain -- there will never be another World Cup like Qatar 2022.

Few countries could have afforded the $200 billion-plus bill that the tiny but super-wealthy emirate has paid for its spectacular transformation over the past 12 years.

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The World Cup has become such an expensive and controversial behemoth that FIFA -- still reeling from the votes for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 -- may struggle to find a single country ready to shoulder the task of hosting.