Celebrating the culture of Qatar & the region
Initiative description: Delivering opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a Welcome to Qatar ceremony, that celebrate and showcase the culture and beauty of Qatar and the Middle East.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, held at Al Bayt Stadium on 20 November 2022 showcased Qatari culture and heritage while highlighting football’s ability to unite people from different countries and cultures. The ceremony was narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and featured Jung-Kook from Korean supergroup BTS, as well as a host of Qatari talents including Ghanim Al Muftah, Qatari singers Dana and Fahad Al Kubaisi who were joined by hundreds of performers and tournament volunteers.
The ceremony featured eight distinct segments, culminating with giant jerseys from all 32 participating nations, every mascot in FIFA World Cup™ history, including the Qatar 2022 version La’eeb, and a huge golden FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™emblem.
Key highlights from the ceremony included the 'Qatar Calling’ segment where actor Morgan Freeman’s opening question “Am I welcome here?” is answered by Ghanim Al Muftah (the youngest ambassador to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™) who states that in Qatar, despite any differences, everyone is welcome. The two begin a dialogue on the values of inclusion, acceptance of diversity and togetherness.
In the ‘Chants Tribute’ segment of the ceremony, the Ardha, a traditional sword dance, which is deeply rooted in the history of the country and the region’s celebratory traditions, was performed while the most renowned stadium chants of the 32 participating nations were woven together. It is the first time in history that one track paid tribute to all teams (and their fans) simultaneously.
An emotional sequence of archival family footage highlighted a surprise familiar young player with his family and friends, His Highness the Father Amir of Qatar. A unique recreation of the shirt worn in the footage was presented to him in the stadium by his son, His Highness the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for a personal autograph. A touching reminder of the dream and the journey they’ve been on together with the people of Qatar. A replica of the signed shirt was presented to all audience members as a special piece of opening ceremony memorabilia.
The wide range of performances presented during the opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium, represented how football – “the beautiful game” enables people to come together as one big tribe and the earth is the “tent” in which all people live. It projected messages of bridging differences of race, culture, and nationality, and fill these distances with humanity, respect and inclusion.
Welcome to Qatar Ceremony
The Welcome to Qatar ceremony took place daily at the Doha Corniche for the entire length of the tournament. Every evening, the water theatre along the Corniche would come to life with a seven-chapter story in which the Circle of the Bay or “The Icon” – which represented union with its circular shape – was the main character of the narrative journey.
The daily show, presented at several intervals each afternoon, involved a 4-minute display accompanied by the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Soundtracks.
The show poetically visualised stories of desire, conflict, friendship, peace, and glory through a beautiful symphony that incorporated aquatic special effects, pyrotechnics, 3D drones, and multimedia.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, titled “A Night to Remember”, was staged at Lusail Stadium prior to the final between France and Argentina. An audio and visual spectacle, the ceremony featured several first-rate regional and international performers.
Qatari singer Dana opened the show with a rendition of What a Wonderful World. She was accompanied by Tamim Al Barghouti’s recital of a poem that salutes the ability of human beings to set aside differences and join together to celebrate ‘The Beautiful Game’. The tournament’s 32 competing nations were represented by luminous flying orbs decorated with the flags of their respective countries.
Music filled the stadium in the form of a medley of songs from the FIFA World Cup™ Official Soundtrack, marking some of the tournament's most memorable moments. The crowd also watched Qatari Air Force planes flying over Lusail, as the ceremony coincided with Qatar’s National Day, celebrated on December 18 of each year.
The ceremony was designed as an artistic tribute to the host country, with around 1,000 people from multiple countries involved in bringing the concept to life. His Highness the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was present at the ceremony and final match, along with a list of world leaders, dignitaries and personalities.