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One of the world’s most-watched sporting events began Sunday as Qatar hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It is the first time the football tournament has been hosted in the Arab world.
A 30-minute opening ceremony began at 5:30pm local time (2:30pm GMT) at the Al Bayt Stadium, which is located roughly 30 miles from the Qatari capital Doha.
The ceremony featured international artists including Jung Kook from Korean pop band BTS, and American actor Morgan Freeman, as well as Qatari artists.
Al Bayt was also the venue for the first match of the tournament, Qatar v Ecuador, in which saw the host country lose 2-0.