History of Previous World Cup Opening Ceremony (Lookback at the iconic ceremonies)

Previous History Of Opening Ceremony Of FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup organize one of the largest football tournaments in the world.

When it comes to the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, there are several attractions that you can see on the ground.

However, the upcoming FIFA World Cup of 2022 in Qatar would be a great event as it is going to happen first time ever in Arab in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

This article will drive you from the history of the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup in previous years.

Let’s roll!

Previous History Of FIFA World Cup Ceremonies: 2010, 2014, 2018

2010: FIFA World Cup In South Africa

The 2010 FIFA World Cup that took place in South Africa has a very iconic and monumental opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup.

At first, the aerial display was shown by the South African Air Force which was a sign that their government as well as the air force respect and encourage the hosting of tournaments in their country.

After that, a group of drummers and dancers performed a welcome to Africa song that has introduced all venues of the tournament.

The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup become exciting when the gigantic beetle showed off its soccer skills.

It was an Adidas Jabulani (the official ball of the tournament manufactured by Adidas).

Moreover, a large piece of cloth was dragged from the center of the ground to each corner of the stadium that represented a map of the continent and then the world.

Besides this, several musicians and artists came from different African countries and got a chance to perform.

Although, the ceremony’s showpiece song was played by famous R&B star R Kelly “Sign Of A Victory”.

Guests Who Appeared In The Tournament Opening Ceremony of 2010

  • Ban Ki-moon – Secretary-General Of The United Nations
  • Thomas Bach – Vice President Of International Olympic Committee
  • Jacob Zuma – President Of South Africa
  • Felipe Calderon – President Of Mexico
  • Joe Biden – Former Vice President Of United States

2014: FIFA World Cup In Brazil

If you have heard the song “We Are One (Ole Ola)”, You may know that it’s from FIFA World Cup

Shakira and Pitbull were two main singers and headliners of the 2014 ceremony as the tournament took place in Brazil.

Moreover, the organizers also featured cultural dancers and performers with homages tributes to show off their culture and traditions.

Guests Who Appeared In The Tournament Opening Ceremony of 2014

  • Ban Ki-moon – Secretary-General Of The United Nations
  • Sepp Blatter – President Of FIFA
  • Ali Bin Al Hussein – President Of Jordan
  • Ali Rodriguez Araque – Secretary General Of UNASUR
  • Dilma Rousseff – President Of Brazil

2018: FIFA World Cup In Moscow, Russia

The opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place in Moscow Russia on 14 June.

Unfortunately, this time the ceremony was short and started 30 minutes before the official opening match between Russia and Saudia Arab.

Luckily,  Robbie Williams (UK Pop Star)  performed the opening ceremony curated by Channel One.

After that, the king of football Cristiano Ronaldo represented in the ceremony to cheer up the audience and teams on Russian soil.

Although, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin also gave an opening speech at the ceremony.

In the speech, he described how many Russian people love football and are excited about this football tournament.

Guests Who Appeared In The Tournament Opening Ceremony of 2018

  • President Of Russia – Vladimir Putin
  • Sun Chunlan – Vice Premier Of The State Council Of China
  • Secretary-General Of CIS – Sergei Lebedev
  • Former President Of France – Nicolas Sarkozy
  • President Of FIFA – Gianni Infantino

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