World Cup Opening Ceremony 2022: When Is It & How To Watch? Time, Day, Performers- Stream Live From Qatar
An opening ceremony will signify the formal start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before the first ball is kicked.
Opening ceremonies are a regular feature of major athletic events, and FIFA, like many other major sporting events, has a history of presenting star-studded festivities.
The 2022 event appears set to deliver on this front as well, with music legends set to kick off proceedings.
The Sporting News offers you all you need to know about the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.
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Table of Contents
What time is the World Cup opening ceremony?
Date: 20th of November
Time: 17:00 p.m. local / 9:00 a.m. ET / 14:00 p.m. GMT / 01:00 p.m. (Nov 21) AEDT
The opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup will take place roughly two hours before the first match of the tournament, as is customary.
In this situation, the game will be played on November 20 between Qatar and Ecuador, with a scheduled kickoff time of 19:00. (local time).
That game was originally set for November 21 but was later rescheduled by organisers.
“The adjustment ensures the continuation of a long-standing tradition of commemorating the start of the FIFA World Cup with an opening ceremony on the occasion of the first match featuring either the hosts or the reigning champions,” according to a FIFA statement.
“The decision was made after an evaluation of the competition and operational ramifications, as well as extensive engagement and agreement with key stakeholders and the host country.”
Where is the opening ceremony for the World Cup?
The opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup will take held in Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
This is also the site of the World Cup’s opening match, which will feature Qatar and Ecuador.
Al Bayt Stadium has a seating capacity of 60,000 people and is scheduled to open in November 2021.
Performers and artists for the World Cup opening ceremony
FIFA has yet to announce who will perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.
Shakira, who has already performed at past opening ceremonies, is said to be among the artists.
According to a post from the South Korean band, Jungkook, one of the members of BTS, will also perform.
Other prospective performers include the Black Eyed Peas, J Balvin, Nora Fatehi, and Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie.
In late September, American rapper Lil Baby published an official World Cup anthem and soon after tweeted confirmation that he would be participating during the event in some manner.
Will Smith, Robbie Williams, and Aida Garifullina all performed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
World Cup 2022 kickoff times
| Stage(s) | Local (Qatar) |
USA & Canada (ET) |
UK (GMT) |
Australia (AEDT) |
India (IST) |
| Group stage only | 1 p.m. | 5 a.m. | 10 a.m. | 9 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. |
| Group stage only | 4 p.m. | 8 a.m. | 1 p.m. | 12 a.m. | 6:30 p.m. |
| Knockouts only | 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. | 3 p.m. | 2 a.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
| Group stage only | 7 p.m. | 11 a.m. | 4 p.m. | 3 a.m. | 9:30 p.m. |
| Group/Knockouts | 10 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 12:30 a.m. |
Who refused to perform during the opening ceremony of the World Cup?
Dua Lipa was one of the names previously linked to performing at the opening ceremony, but she put an end to the rumours on November 13.
“There is presently a lot of rumour that I will be performing at the World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar,” she said at the time on her Instagram story.
“I will not be performing, and I have never been involved in any performance negotiations.”
“I’ll be rooting for England from afar…
Dua, one love.”
Sir Rod Stewart recently revealed that he turned down a lucrative opportunity to perform in Qatar more than a year ago.
Stewart told The Sunday Times, “I was genuinely promised a lot of money, over $1 million, to play there 15 months ago.”
“I declined it. It’s not the proper time to leave.”
Where to watch the FIFA World Cup live on TV and live streaming?
Here’s a list of the TV broadcasters who organisers FIFA are partnering with and where you can watch the 2022 World Cup tournament games across the globe.
- Afghanistan: ATN
- Albania: RTSH
- Argentina: TVP – TyC Sports
- Armenia: AMPTV
- Australia: SBS
- Austria: ORF – ServusTV
- Azerbaijan: İTV
- Bangladesh: T Sports
- Belarus: Belteleradio
- Belgium: RTBFVRT
- Bolivia: Bolivia TV – Red Uno – Unitel
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHRT
- Bulgaria: BNT – Nova
- Brazil: TV Globo
- Brunei: Kristal-Astro
- Cambodia: TVK
- Canada: Bell Media
- Caribbean: SportsMax
- Cayman Islands: Logic
- Central Asia: Saran Media
- China: CCTV – Migu
- Colombia: Caracol Televisión – RCN Televisión
- Costa Rica: Teletica
- Croatia: HRT
- Curaçao: TV Direct 13
- Cyprus: CyBC
- Czech Republic: ČTTV Nova
- Denmark: DRTV 2
- Ecuador: Teleamazonas
- El Salvador: TCS
- Estonia: ERR
- Europe: EBU
- France: TF1 – beIN Sports
- Finland: Yle – MTV3
- Georgia: GPB
- Germany: ARD – ZDF – Deutsche Telekom
- Greece: ANT1
- Guatemala: TV Azteca – Tigo Sports
- Honduras: Televicentro
- Hong Kong: PCCW
- Hungary: MTVA
- Iceland: RÚV
- Indian subcontinent: Viacom18
- Indonesia: Klikdaily – Emtek
- Ireland: RTÉ
- Israel: IPBC
- Italy: RAI
- Japan: Dentsu – Abema
- Kazakhstan: Kazakh TV
- Kosovo: RTK
- Latin America: Vrio Corp.
- Latvia: LTV
- Liechtenstein: SRG SSR
- Lithuania: LRT
- Macau: TDM
- Malaysia: Astro – RTM
- Malta: PBS
- MENA: beIN Sports
- Mexico: TelevisaTV Azteca
- Moldova: TRM
- Mongolia: Central Television
- Montenegro: RTCG
- Nepal: Media Hub
- Netherlands: NOS
- New Zealand: Sky
- North Macedonia: MRT
- Norway: NRKTV 2
- Pakistan: ARY Digital Network
- Panama: RPC – TVN
- Paraguay: SNT – Telefuturo – TreceTyC – SportsTigo Sports
- Peru: Latina Televisión
- Philippines: TAP DMV
- Poland: TVP
- Portugal: RTP Sport TV
- Romania: TVR
- Russia: Match TV – Channel One – VGTRK
- Senegal: RTS
- Serbia: RTS
- Slovakia: RTVS
- Slovenia: RTV
- South Africa: SABC
- South Korea: SBS – KBS – MBC
- Spain: RTVE – Mediapro
- Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport – New World TV
- Suriname: SCCN – STVS
- Sweden: SVT TV4
- Switzerland: SRG SSR
- Taiwan: ELTA
- Trinidad and Tobago: CNC3
- Turkey: TRT
- Ukraine: Suspilne
- United Kingdom: BBC ITV
- United States: Fox – Telemundo
- Uruguay: ANTEL – Canal 4 – Canal 10 – TeledoceTyC Sports
- Uzbekistan: MTRK
- Venezuela: Televen
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How to Watch the Opening Ceremony of the World Cup Live?
The opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup will be televised and streamed in numerous ways around the world, attracting a large worldwide audience.
| Date | Time | TV | Stream | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Nov. 20 | 9:00 | FOX, Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
| Canada | Nov. 20 | 9:00 | CTV, TSN | TSN app |
| UK | Nov. 20 | 14:00 | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website |
| Australia | Nov. 21 | 01:00 | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| New Zealand |
Nov. 21 | 03:00 | Sky Sport | Sky Sport |
| India | Nov. 20 | 19:00 | Sports 18 | Voot |
| Malaysia | Nov. 20 | 22:00 | RTM, Astro | Astro Go |
| Singapore | Nov. 20 | 22:00 | Mediacorp Channel 5 | StarHub TV+, IPTV, Singtel TV |
| Hong Kong | Nov. 20 | 22:00 | BeIN Sports, ITV | Now TV, ViuTV |
World Cup 2022 tournament format
The 2022 World Cup will follow along the lines of recent editions, with a 32-team group stage to whittle the field down to 16 teams — only the top two teams from each of the eight groups survive.
Those 16 group-stage teams will advance to the single-game knockout stages — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final — where the winner moves on and the loser goes home. There must be a winner on the day for every knockout-round match, and extra time and penalty kicks will be used, if necessary, to determine the victor.
- Group stage: Nov. 20-Dec. 2
- Round of 16: Dec. 3-6
- Quarterfinals: Dec. 9-10
- Semifinals: Dec. 13-14
- Third-place match: Dec. 17
- Final: Dec. 18
Who will be performing at the opening ceremony?
- FIFA has yet to announce a full list of performers for the opening ceremony.
- South Korea’s BTS said Jungkook, one of seven members of the boy band, would perform a track titled “Dreamers” at the ceremony.
- Others named as possible performers at the opening ceremony include the Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams and Nora Fatehi, according to the Telegraph.
- In an excerpt of an interview with Italy’s Il Venerdì di Repubblica to be published next month, Williams said it would be “hypocritical” of him to not perform in Qatar.
- British singer Dua Lipa denied a report that she was set to perform. Some Spanish media reports said Shakira would also not perform.
- Singer Rod Stewart told the Times he had turned down an offer of “over $1 million” to perform in Qatar.
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