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          World Cup 2022 opening ceremony in Qatar: How social media reacted

          • ESPN
          Nov 20, 2022, 03:30 PM

          The 2022 World Cup kicked off in Qatar on Sunday as the world's biggest sporting event took centre stage.

          Ahead of the opening game between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador (11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT), the opening ceremony was held at Al Bayt Stadium, and needless to say, the social media world took notice.

          ESPN senior writer Gab Marcotti was there:

          Former France defender Marcel Desailly paraded the World Cup trophy for the defending champions.

          Then fireworks started things off ...

          Hollywood star Morgan Freeman -- who was a USA delegate when it lost the 2022 bid to Qatar -- made his way onto the stage to narrate the event and talk about "a common thread of hope, jubilation and respect."

          Little was known about who would be performing, but South Korean pop sensation Jung Kook of BTS and Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi joined forces to sing "Dreamers."

          The official mascot of the 2022 World Cup, La'eeb -- an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player -- made an appearance.

          As the event concluded, there were plenty of fireworks.

          In summary ...