The opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar, kicked off with the participation of 32 teams for the first time in an Arab country.

Al Bayt Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha witnessed on Sunday the opening of the first World Cup football tournament in the Middle East, amidst the influx of world leaders and football fans.

The opening ceremony was marked by the presence of a number of world leaders, such as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Also attending Doha were United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, International Olympic Committee German President Thomas Bach, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The opening ceremony combined Qatari traditions and global culture, and featured a member of the famous Korean pop group "BTS".