The FIFA World Cup 2022 will get under way in Qatar in less than two weeks’ time with a grand and blockbuster opening ceremony on November 20. The likes of Colombian sensation Shakira, England’s Dua Lipa and Bollywood star Nora Fatehi will be star attractions of the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at the at the Al-Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar.


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Canada-born Bollywood star Nora Fatehi is prominently featured in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Soundtrack ‘Light The Sky’. The ‘Waka Waka’ singer and ex-wife of Gerard Pique, meanwhile, will be accompanied by a host of top stars like Dua Lipa and the popular Korean K-Pop group BTS. While Shakira has performed at the FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony in the past – the most memorable being the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Dua Lipa and the members of BTS are expected to make their debut.



Black Eyed Peas, J Balvin and Nigerian music sensation Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie are among the other artists to perform at the opening ceremony. However, FIFA is yet to confirm the list of performers for the event, which will take place ahead of the inaugural fixture between hosts Qatar and Ecuador in Group A.


The FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony will begin at 7pm IST with the opening fixture between Qatar and Ecuador to kick-off at 9:30 pm IST.


FIFA World Cup 2022 ambassador from Qatar denounces homosexuality


An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar has described homosexuality as a ‘damage in the mind’ in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF only two weeks before the opening of the soccer tournament in the Gulf state, highlighting concerns about the conservative country's treatment of gays and lesbians. Former Qatari national team player Khalid Salman told a German reporter in an interview that being gay is ‘haram’, or forbidden in Arabic, and that he has a problem with children seeing gay people.


Excerpts of the television interview were shown Monday on the ZDF news program Heute Journal. The full interview, which is part of a documentary, will be shown Tuesday on ZDF. Germany’s interior minister condemned Salman’s remarks.


“Of course such comments are terrible, and that is the reason why we are working on things in Qatar hopefully improving,” Nancy Faeser said Tuesday.


About 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar for the tournament, which has faced criticism and skepticism ever since the gas-rich emirate was selected as host by FIFA in December 2010. Concerns about LGBTQ tourists attending the World Cup have also been expressed for a long time.


(with PTI inputs)