SEOUL – The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicked off on Sunday with K-pop sensation BTS’ Jungkook unveiling a tournament song, Dreamers, during the opening ceremony.
He is the first South Korean singer to release a World Cup song, which he performed with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi during the opening ceremony at Al-Bayt Stadium.
The seven-act ceremony lasted about 30 minutes, paying tribute to the 32 participating nations, previous World Cup hosts and volunteers.
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman and Qatari social media star Ghanim Al-Muftah started the ball rolling with their appearances.
A team of dancers performed the traditional Ardah (sword dance), followed by a parade of the 32 national football teams displaying their flags and mascots.
Appearing below the Qatar World Cup’s mascot La’eeb was Jungkook, dressed in black from head to toe. The 25-year-old singer jumped around the stage with dozens of dancers, singing Dreamers. Fahad, 41, joined midway through the performance.
Dreamers is produced by Grammy-winning Moroccan producer RedOne and the lyrics celebrate “those who boldly follow their goals and dare to dream”, according to Fifa (Federation Internationale de Football Association).
Dreamers was officially released a few hours before the ceremony, and it conquered the iTunes Top Song chart in 100 countries in 12 hours.