Gulf newspapers and media houses shower praise over World Cup show at Al Bayt Stadium
The media acclaim from the Gulf region poured in over the eyecatching opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. Gulf newspapers highlighted the important messages included in the ceremony, which focused on coexistence, peace and rejection of disputes.
Saudi newspapers and media outlets hailed the legendary World Cup opening ceremony and focused on the cable of thanks sent by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, upon his departure from Doha, after attending the opening ceremony, to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The cable expressed profound thanks and appreciation for the Amir for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to the crown prince and the accompanying delegation, congratulating him on the success of the World Cup opening ceremony, and wishing him success and good health and the Qatari people further success, progress and prosperity. Al Riyadh newspaper highlighted the crown prince’s directives to all ministries and government agencies in the kingdom to provide any further support and facilities needed by Qatar to support its efforts to host the World Cup. Under the title “Doha fascinates the world”, the daily’s cover story highlighted the opening ceremony and the Amir’s speech during which
His Highness welcomed the fans from worldwide, stressing that Qatar threw its full weight behind hosting an exceptional tournament in the FIFA history, voicing hopes the whole world will enjoy a dazzling soccer festival in Doha. Al Jazeera newspaper hailed the directives of the Saudi crown prince, stressing that they come within the framework of the strong fraternal relations between the two sisterly countries, and that any success achieved in one country is celebrated by the other.
Al Youm newspaper affirmed Saudi Arabia’s keenness to bolster sweeping and sustainable development not only locally but at the regional and international levels as well, eyeing sports as a key investment pillar in the crown prince’s vision. Under the headline “supporting brothers as approach and comprehensive ambitious vision”, the daily highlighted the crown prince’s directives for Saudi ministries and government agencies to provide all needed backing for counterpart agencies in Qatar in its World Cup hosting, and for the Saudi minister of sports to follow up on that, stressing that the directives reflect the kingdom’s interest in sports and supporting the sisterly countries in whatever intersects with the vision to achieve a blanket renaissance that promotes regional integration.
Omani newspapers also highlighted the historic opening of the World Cup 2022, devoting large areas of their front pages to cover the news of the launch of the tournament.
Under the headline “Opening is Done...Qatar Dazzles the World”, the Oman newspaper said that the moment that the Qataris and the world has been waiting for 12 years has come, and the 22nd edition of the World Cup, hosted by Qatar, kicked off and dazzled the world in the opening ceremony which consisted of a seven scenes combining Qatari traditions and global culture. The sports section of the Oman newspaper said that Qatar organized a brilliant opening ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Omani newspaper, Al-Roya, wrote on its cover page that Qatar is writing history with the legendary opening of the 2022 World Cup, a visual masterpiece attracting the attention of millions towards Al Bayt Stadium. The Omani newspaper, Al-Watan, said on its front page that the opening of the World Cup in Qatar embodied dreams, communication, and memories.