Fans start arriving for opening match

There is tight security around the stadium perimeter as fans continue to arrive.

Some of the security officers are armed with batons.

There is joyful mood all around with fans of both teams taking photos with each other.

Qatar’s big day has arrived under a bright sky and a beautiful breeze to soothe the soul. The night is set to be even more magical, when bright lights will illuminate the Al Bayt Stadium for the opening match of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

Qatar take on Ecuador in the tournament opener today evening (7 pm local time). But for the 60,000 fans inside this magnificent stadium, a football match is not the only memory they will take back home.

A spectacular opening ceremony featuring South Korean superstar Jung Kook of BTS and Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi will kick off the world’s greatest sporting extravaganza.

Millions of people across the globe are expected to tune in for the 30-minute opening ceremony of the first World Cup in the post-Covid-19 era.

“The theme of the opening ceremony is a gathering