One of the most awaited sporting events in the world, the FIFA World Cup, is upon us. The tournament is being played in Qatar this time, and will kick off with a match between the hosts and Ecuador, both Group A teams. 

As is the ritual, the World Cup will be inaugurated with an opening ceremony that will see some global performers work their magic for the spectators and people watching from around the world. Here is all you need to know about the event:

When and where to watch

The opening ceremony will be shown live from the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. The event will kick off at 5:30 PM local time/7:30 PM IST/2:00 PM GMT on November 20, 2022.

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Viewers in the USA can watch the ceremony on Fox Sports or Telemundo. In India, the event will be streamed on the Jio Cinema app and TV channels Sports18 and Sports18 HD. The streaming will be available for free on the Jio Cinema app.

Rumoured performers

FIFA has not yet revealed the full list of performers for the event, but the one artist fans can be sure of taking the stage is Jungkook from the South Korean boy band BTS.

Rumours about the Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams, and Norah Fatehi performing at the event have been doing the rounds.

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All you need to know

The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup has always been a grand event. Besides the musical performances, we can expect FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Qatar’s head of state, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to speak at the ceremony.

Dua Lipa, Shakira, and Rod Stewart had been approached by the organisers to perform at the opening ceremony, but all of them refused citing humanitarian concerns. Qatar has been accused of abusing labour rights and human rights while building the infrastructure required to host the global tournament.