Later this month, 32 nations will descend to the Qatar sunshine to compete in the most prestigious tournament in world football.
In unfamiliar circumstances, this year's World Cup will take place in British wintertime, halting the hectic festive Premier League fixture list to enjoy four weeks of international action.
Hosts Qatar are set to kick off the tournament on the opening night with a tough fixture against Ecuador, with Gareth Southgate's England the second game of the tournament when they play Iran at 1:00pm (GMT).
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Ahead of the opening fixture, there are the usual formalities that need to take place including the opening ceremony to a ground-breaking tournament.
Here is everything you need to know about the World Cup opening ceremony and when it will be taking place.
When is the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony?
The winter World Cup opening ceremony is set to take place on Sunday, November 20.
It is expected to get underway at 3pm UK time - one hour before the Qatar vs Ecuador which kicks off at 4pm UK time.
Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of the capital of Doha is the allocated arena for this huge fixture, with a capacity of around 60,000 spectators able to watch the opening night of the month-long competition.
Who will be performing at the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony?
Whilst there has yet to be an announcement from FIFA in regard to performers, there has been a whole host of predicted global artists to perform at the opening ceremony.
But as of Thursday, October 20 only Bollywood star Nora Fatehi has officially been confirmed which is a big moment for the Indian entertainment industry.
Reports suggest that hip-hop artists Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin will be performing. And they could be joined by Grammy nominees Bangtan Boys, commonly known as BTS who have taken the K-pop genre by storm since 2013.
Shakira is a strong candidate to get on stage having already had World Cup soundtrack experience with her Waka Waka song from the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Nigerian artist Kizz Daniel is another name mentioned as well as American rap idol Lil Baby. But British fans will be most hopeful to see Dua Lipa who is also claimed to be performing in the opening ceremony with her number one hit, One Kiss adopted by a number of fanbases across the country.
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