Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony at the FIFA World Cup 2022 took place at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, 20 November. The 26 minute show captivated the thousands in attendance and the billions glued to their screens around the globe.
Narrated by Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman and featuring Jungkook from K-pop supergroup BTS, the ceremony showcased the very best of Qatari culture and heritage, while highlighting football’s ability to unite people from different countries and cultures.
A host of special guests from Qatar took part in the ceremony, including Ghanim Al Muftah, Dana Al Fardan and Fahad Al Kubaisi, who were joined by hundreds of performers and tournament volunteers.
Opening ceremony cast and crew
performers
The opening ceremony involved a 505-strong cast of professional dancers, volunteers, and performers.
headliners
Morgan Freeman, Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al-Muftah, and South Korean singer Jungkook from Kpop band BTS all took to the stage.
strong stage crews
A lot of heavy lifting was involved in preparing for the opening ceremony, with stage crews handling 450 lighting fixtures, 12,400kg of fireworks and 63,000 spectator giveaways.
stages
Two stages were suspended from the catenary system and three largescale stage sections were set up on the pitch. The stages and scenery weighed a total of 5,000kg and were all suspended from six steel wire rope aerial catenaries.
Opening Ceremony in pictures
Closing ceremony
The 12 minute closing ceremony celebrated the world having come together throughout the 29 day tournament. The opening ceremony, which celebrated bridging gaps and getting to know one another despite our differences, gave way to a monthlong footballing extravaganza and it was now time for the final bow–a poetic song performance that led to a mashup performance of Hayya Hayya (Better Together), Arhbo and Light the Sky from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 official soundtrack.
Closing ceremony cast and crew
performers
The closing ceremony involved a 303-strong cast of professional dancers, volunteers and performers.
lighting fixtures
A large number of lighting fixtures were installed for the closing ceremony.
strong stage crews
A 410-strong crew oversaw the smooth running of the closing event.